Privacy policy

Your account

Memories uses Google Firebase Authentication for email/password accounts. Your name, email, password and account requests are sent to Firebase over HTTPS. Firebase manages your credentials, account identifier, verification status and account timestamps. Memories uses the verified identifier to link a local library to your account and the account-creation time to determine the 72-hour trial. The desktop app does not save your password. Account sessions and the library binding are kept in operating-system-protected storage on your Mac.

Google states that Firebase Authentication uses IP addresses and user-agent information to prevent abuse, retains logged IP addresses for a few weeks, and removes other authentication data from live and backup systems within 180 days after deletion is initiated. Google states that Authentication operates in US data centers. Its current privacy information explains these practices.

Media and face analysis

Imported photos and videos, previews, album metadata, facial embeddings and media-analysis results are stored on the source Mac in an encrypted library. Facial embeddings are numerical representations used to find similar faces. Models run in local processes; your library is not uploaded to Firebase. Analysis may include facial attributes, quality, photography tags and generated captions. These outputs can be wrong.

The app retains local library data until you delete its albums or remove the local library. It does not automatically erase photos when a trial or subscription ends. While access is expired, library viewing, export and in-app album deletion are unavailable. Deleting your online account keeps the local library and encryption key on this Mac. It does not erase files on other Macs, original source files outside the library, system backups, or copies someone has already downloaded.

Shared albums and selfie searches

When an album host enables sharing, the source Mac serves album content through the configured HTTPS address. A guest's submitted selfie goes to that album host for face search. The host processes the selfie and its query embedding in RAM and does not save them to the photo library. The encrypted catalogue keeps the matching photo identifiers for a result link that expires after one hour. Expired result records are removed on app startup or a later search, so expiry does not guarantee immediate physical removal of a database record.

To keep a shared address stable, Memories sends the signed-in account token, a random app-generated device identifier, the album identifier and title, and hosting state changes to the Memories hosting broker. The broker stores keyed account and device identifiers, the album reference, assigned hostname, state and timestamps. It does not receive photo, selfie, face embedding or search-result bodies. Album, device and account cleanup requests remove the corresponding broker records; network security records may follow the provider's separate retention policy.

Guests with valid album links can search that album; result and media links permit access to the returned photographs. Remote sharing uses TLS/HTTPS, and Cloudflare may process traffic when it provides the tunnel or proxy. This is transport encryption, not a claim that Cloudflare or the album host cannot access served content. Guest devices and recipients can retain downloaded photos. Turning off sharing or losing app access blocks future requests, but cannot recall downloaded copies.

The album host controls the album and its sharing settings. Ask that host about a photograph or a search involving their album. Memories does not promise a fixed retention period for traffic or security records kept independently by Cloudflare, internet providers, Apple, or the host's operating system; their current policies and configuration govern those records.

Trials and purchases

The free trial lasts 72 hours from account creation and does not collect payment details or automatically charge you. Where App Store subscriptions are available, Apple handles the purchase confirmation, payment and billing. Memories sends an opaque account token to associate a verified purchase with your Memories account and checks transaction status, product, expiry and revocation. Memories does not receive your payment-card details. Apple maintains its purchase records under its own policies.

Deleting an account

Use Delete account in the app's account or subscription controls, enter your password and confirm DELETE. Memories verifies the account, stops its shared album host and removes its hosted addresses before asking Firebase to delete the identity. Only confirmed Firebase deletion clears this Mac's saved session and account-to-library binding. If the final request fails, local ownership remains and sharing can be enabled again. Other Macs retain their local files and must reconnect to check account status.

Deleting a Memories account does not cancel an Apple subscription or erase Apple's transaction records. Manage or cancel your subscription separately through your App Store account. The app explains that local photos are retained before you confirm deletion. For help with retained local data, or if account deletion cannot finish, contact support.

Support, this website and tracking

Memories does not include advertising, analytics or tracking SDKs, and these support pages do not set analytics cookies or run tracking scripts. Support email sent to memories@cambrianist.com is forwarded through Cloudflare Email Routing to Gmail. We use your email address, message and any attachments to answer your request. Avoid sending passwords, verification links, private album links or photos you do not want support to receive. There is currently no automatic deletion schedule for support email; contact support to request its removal. Email-provider backups and retention may apply.

The static support website is served through Firebase Hosting. Google states that Hosting uses incoming IP addresses for abuse prevention and usage reporting, and retains IP data for a few months. Hosting runs on Google's global infrastructure and may process data at Google facilities worldwide. Hosting and network providers may also process browser information and requested URLs to serve and secure the pages. These pages do not collect account signups, selfies or photographs.

Security and your choices

Memories uses encryption at rest for its managed library and OS-protected storage for account credentials and keys. Local models decrypt inside the inference process. Remote account and sharing requests use HTTPS. These protections do not make an unlocked Mac, a downloaded copy, or modified software inaccessible to someone controlling it. You can decline camera permission and use an uploaded face image instead, disable album sharing while your app access is active, delete albums while access is active, or delete your online account through the app.

Provider information and updates

Google, Apple and Cloudflare provide their own privacy and retention information. We will update this page when Memories' data flows change. The date at the top identifies this version. Contact support for privacy requests or questions about a policy change.