VESSEL LEGAL
Privacy Policy
Last updated: July 18, 2026
1. Who this policy applies to
This Privacy Policy applies to the Vessel mobile application (the “App”). “we”, “us”, and “our” mean the developer identified in the App Store or Google Play listing for Vessel.
2. The current version of Vessel
Vessel is an offline-first thought-recording app. The current version does not offer accounts, cloud sync, or paid features. We do not operate a server that stores the contents you create in Vessel.
3. Information stored on your device
Your thoughts and the information used to organize them are stored locally on your device. This includes thought text, categories, links between thoughts, searches, reminders, notification schedules, and app preferences.
Vessel does not transmit the contents of your thoughts, searches, categories, reminder text, or other writing to us or to Firebase Analytics.
4. Features you choose to use
- Dictation. When you choose dictation, the App requests microphone and speech-recognition access. Your device’s speech-recognition service may process audio and produce text under the policies of Apple, Google, or another service configured on your device. Vessel does not operate that service or keep a separate copy of your audio.
- Notifications. If you enable reminders or thought resurfacing, notification schedules are stored and delivered locally by your device’s operating system.
- Export, sharing, and clipboard. When you choose to export, share, or copy thoughts, the selected content is provided to the destination you choose, such as another app, a file provider, or the device clipboard. That destination’s privacy policy then applies.
5. Usage analytics
Usage analytics is optional. Vessel collects usage analytics only after you expressly choose Allow Analytics in the in-app prompt or turn on Usage analytics in Settings. Analytics collection is disabled by default. If you choose Not Now, analytics remains disabled and we may ask again after you have used Vessel for longer.
After you allow analytics, Vessel uses Firebase Analytics, a Google service, to understand feature use and improve the App. Firebase Analytics may collect basic app-usage and technical information, including an app-instance identifier and information about the app version, operating system, device, locale, and interactions with the App.
After consent, the App also sends limited custom usage events, such as whether a feature was opened or used, the method used to record a thought, the source used to open a view, and aggregate counts of thoughts or connections shown in a view. These events are designed not to include thought contents, searches, category names, reminder text, exported text, or voice recordings. When analytics is disabled, Vessel does not send these custom analytics events and Firebase Analytics collection is disabled.
We use analytics only to understand and improve Vessel. Vessel does not display ads, sell personal information, or intentionally use analytics events for advertising. Google processes Firebase Analytics data under its own terms and privacy policy.
Analytics identifiers are pseudonymous, not anonymous: an app-instance identifier can distinguish one installation of Vessel from another, but we do not associate it with an account, name, email address, or the contents of your thoughts.
6. Your choices and permissions
You can decline or revoke microphone, speech-recognition, and notification permissions in your device settings. You can also delete thoughts from within Vessel. Deleted thoughts remain in the App’s Trash for 30 days and are permanently removed the next time Vessel performs its local cleanup after that period, unless you permanently delete them sooner.
You can choose whether to allow usage analytics in the in-app prompt. You can also change your choice at any time in Settings → Analytics → Usage analytics. Turning this setting off stops future analytics collection; it does not automatically remove analytics data collected before you turned it off. If you have a privacy request about analytics data, contact the developer using the contact details on the App Store or Google Play listing for Vessel.
7. Retention and deletion
Your local content remains on your device until you edit, delete, or uninstall the App. Uninstalling the App normally removes its local data, although device backups, exports, and data held by other apps or services may remain subject to their own settings and policies.
We do not keep a separate server-side copy of your local content. Firebase Analytics data is retained by Google according to the retention settings for our Analytics property and Google’s policies. User-level and event-level Analytics data may be retained for up to 14 months. We can consider requests to delete Analytics data associated with an app-instance identifier where applicable.
8. Security
Vessel keeps its primary content in the local app database on your device. The security of that data also depends on your device, operating-system security, backups, and the destinations you choose when exporting or sharing.
9. Changes to this policy
If our data practices change, including if we introduce optional cloud sync, accounts, or payments, we will update this policy and its “Last updated” date before or when the relevant App version is released.
10. Contact
For privacy questions, requests, or concerns, visit our contact page.