Privacy Policy
Effective 2 October 2026
Stareo hides your messages in 3D images (autostereograms) and can decode stereograms you already have. It is built so that what you make never leaves your device. This policy explains, in plain terms, what that means.
What we collect
Never your content. There is no account and no sign-in, we operate no servers of our own, and we have no way to see the secret messages you write, the stereograms you create, or any image you pick for the decoder. None of it is ever uploaded.
The app does send anonymous usage statistics and crash reports through Google Firebase (Analytics and Crashlytics), so we can find and fix bugs and see which features are used. That data covers which feature ran and how it finished (for example "a message was created, three lines, readable", or "an export was saved"), the device model and iOS version, a random identifier Firebase creates for this installation of the app, and crash diagnostics. It never includes your messages, the text you hide or any image you decode, and it is not linked to your identity or used to track you across other apps or websites. There is no advertising identifier (IDFA) and no ad network in the app.
Your choice. Collection ships switched off. In the EEA, the UK and Switzerland the app asks on first launch and stays off unless you say yes. Everywhere else it starts on, and Settings → Share anonymous usage data turns it off at any time. Turning it off stops both usage statistics and crash reports, and changes nothing else about the app.
How your messages and images are handled
Your messages are laid out and rendered into stereograms on your device. When you use the decoder, the app reads only the one image you pick (through Apple's photo picker, which never grants access to the rest of your library) and decodes it on your device. Everything is stored in the app's private storage on your phone until you delete the project or the app.
Saving and sharing
If you choose Save to Photos, the app asks for add-only access to your photo library and writes the image there. If you choose Share, the image goes to whatever app or person you pick through the iOS share sheet; that is your choice and is governed by the recipient's own policies.
Purchases
The optional one-time unlock is processed by Apple through the App Store. Apple handles payment; we never see your payment details. Apple's handling of that transaction is covered by Apple's privacy policy. Purchase status is verified on your device by StoreKit. When a purchase completes, the anonymous usage statistics record that it happened, with the product and price, if you have them switched on; never your payment details or your Apple Account.
Legal bases, recipients, transfers, retention
Where the GDPR applies: rendering your stereograms is what is needed to provide the app itself (performance of a contract, Art. 6(1)(b)) and it happens entirely on your device. Usage statistics and crash reports rest on your consent (Art. 6(1)(a)), asked for on first launch and withdrawable at any time in Settings; withdrawing is as easy as giving and has no effect on the app. The third parties involved are Apple (App Store distribution and StoreKit payments) and Google (Firebase Analytics and Crashlytics, acting as our processor), which may process that anonymous data in the United States under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and standard contractual clauses. Google retains Analytics data for 14 months and Crashlytics reports for 90 days. We carry out no automated decision-making or profiling. Providing personal data is never required to use Stareo.
Your rights
Where the GDPR or similar laws apply, you have the right to access, rectify and erase your personal data, to restrict or object to its processing, to data portability, and to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. Because we hold no data that identifies you, in practice there is little for us to disclose, correct or delete, and switching the toggle off in Settings stops collection at once; you can always email support@embay.dev and we will respond.
Children
Stareo is not directed at children under 13. It collects no personal information from anyone, and nothing you create is ever uploaded.
Changes
If this policy changes, the current version will always be on this page with a new effective date.
Contact
Embay, LLC ยท support@embay.dev