Caption123
Privacy Policy
Updated 10 October 2026
Who provides Caption123
Caption123 is provided by the individual developer identified on its App Store listing: Caption123 on the App Store . In this policy, Caption123, we and us refer to that developer, who determines how personal data is used for this service. Contact the developer using the address in the Contact section below.
Your photographs
Caption123 processes the photos you choose or allow it to access. Opening a photo feed starts screening and short observations using compressed copies on our cloud service and third-party AI processing partners. A detailed personal review starts only when you request it for a chosen photograph. Creating a Story sends the selected photo and Story text to our cloud service and to OpenAI's image model through OpenRouter. Only photos used for the requested discovery, review or Story are uploaded. We remove image metadata before upload. We instruct the AI not to identify people or infer private relationships. These instructions do not guarantee that an AI output will be correct. Originals in your photo library remain unchanged.
Why we use this data
We use selected photos and review results to provide the analysis, editing, Story generation and export functions you request. Where data protection law requires a lawful basis, we rely on performance of the requested service for necessary processing, consent for optional detailed remote analytics, and legitimate interests for proportionate reliability monitoring, security, allowance enforcement and abuse prevention. Where applicable, we also retain records to meet legal obligations. Without the photos needed for a cloud review, we cannot provide that review. Choosing not to enable optional analytics does not prevent you from using the service.
AI processing and service providers
Our AI gateway is OpenRouter, which sends requests to the model providers serving the configured models. Photo reviews use routes that deny data collection and request zero-data-retention endpoints; a review fails if a permitted route is unavailable. Story images are created by OpenAI's image model through OpenRouter. That route is not zero-data-retention: OpenAI processes, and may temporarily keep, the photo and Story text under its own API data policies. The app asks before your first Story. Provider policy enforcement depends on the processing partners. We do not use your photos to train our own models or publish them. Hosting and database providers process service data on our behalf; Apple processes purchases, and PostHog processes aggregate usage counts, optional detailed app diagnostics and operational server events. Processing can take place outside your country. Caption123's own short-lived server copies are described below.
Temporary server copies
We do not keep your photos after processing. Uploaded originals are temporarily held only for the requested discovery, review or Story and deleted when processing ends, whether it completes, fails or is cancelled. Crops, edits and generated Story images are deleted after the app confirms download, or within about 10 minutes if unused. An upload that never starts processing is deleted within about 10 minutes. Review text such as titles, notes and captions and review job state may be kept for up to 24 hours so a review can continue; they contain no photos. The server is not a photo backup.
Copies on your phone
The app keeps local photo copies, generated Stories and the latest review so you can revisit and export them. Use Clear reviews on this phone to remove those local copies. This does not remove your original library photos, cancel a subscription or reset your allowance. Revoking Photos permission prevents future library access; it does not itself remove earlier copies.
Membership and service protection
Apple handles payment. We do not receive card details. A signed App Store transaction is sent to our backend and checked with Apple. Protected subscription and installation identifiers, subscription validity and usage counters support allowances and abuse prevention. Cost and usage counters are stored separately from photo files and may be kept while needed to enforce limits, reconcile service charges and investigate misuse. The free installation identifier is stored on your device; reinstalling does not necessarily reset it. To bind a chosen review to a previously screened photograph, we keep protected installation and photo references and image fingerprints, without retaining the photograph or generated review text in those binding records. To enforce Story generation limits and prevent duplicate generation, we also keep protected installation, photo and request identifiers, processing status and timestamps. These Story grant records contain no photos or Story text; clearing local reviews does not remove the grant.
Invitations and gifted reviews
If you use invitations, our operational ledger connects protected installation identifiers with five-letter invite codes, the referral relationship, activation status and time, and gift awards and balances. These are pseudonymous service records, not anonymous usage counts. We use them to deliver gifted reviews and avoid duplicate awards; they are stored separately from photo files and kept while needed to provide gifts and protect the service. The referral records do not contain photographs, captions, contacts or PostHog identifiers. We do not read your contact book or send invitations automatically. Sharing a code sends it to the destination you choose under that destination's privacy rules.
Local diagnostics
The app keeps a small, rotating diagnostic journal on your phone, limited to approximately 2 MB. It records fixed screen and action names, session and event identifiers, operation status, timings, counters and fixed error categories. It does not record photographs, captions, review text, access tokens or screen video. The journal supports troubleshooting and reliability. Keeping this journal on the phone does not itself send it to PostHog.
Anonymous usage counts
In app versions with Anonymous usage counts, this setting is on by default. You can turn it off in Your space without affecting the service. An earlier explicit analytics refusal is preserved. The app sends totals of fixed events such as launches, screen visits, button actions, purchase outcomes and coarse duration buckets to our server. These requests do not include photos, text, installation, session, review or purchase identifiers. A random, one-use batch reference prevents retries from counting twice; its hash expires after seven days and is removed on the next server activity. It is not sent to PostHog. Our server combines the counts by hour before sending totals to PostHog in incremental batches under a shared service reference, normally shortly after activity. These totals do not provide individual activity histories. Like any network request, delivery exposes an IP address to hosting infrastructure; we do not attach it to usage counts. Unsent counters expire after seven days and are discarded when the queue is next processed; turning this setting off clears them. This setting is separate from detailed diagnostics and the operational records below.
Optional remote analytics
Share detailed diagnostics (called Help improve Caption123 in earlier versions) is off by default. If enabled in Your space, PostHog receives screens viewed, button actions, review and export stages, practice activity, purchase or restore attempt status, performance timings, app version and build, and random installation, session, event and review-trace identifiers. These identifiers link activity and are pseudonymous, not a promise of anonymity. Events do not contain photographs, prompts, captions, review text or payment card details. A bounded queue of up to 500 events may remain on the phone and retry delivery after a connection failure while analytics is enabled. Events older than seven days are discarded when the queue is next processed. Turning analytics off clears that pending queue. Screen recording and advertising tracking are disabled. You can turn analytics off at any time to stop future app analytics sends. This does not automatically erase events already received; contact us to request deletion.
Operational server events
Separately from optional app analytics, the backend sends operational review events to PostHog to monitor processing, performance, failures and cost. API events include only fixed route categories, HTTP methods, status codes and durations, under a shared service reference, without request headers or bodies. Review events use random review references, processing stages, counts, timings and fixed error categories, without photographs or review text. If app analytics is enabled, a shared review reference can connect the app and server events for troubleshooting. Disabling app analytics does not disable operational server monitoring or the usage and security records needed to run and protect the service.
Practice notifications
Only an explicit opt-in schedules local reminders on your phone. They may combine practice ideas generated from photographic themes in your review with reminders about your free photo allowance. Closing a membership offer may show a reminder invitation; it does not itself request notification permission or enable reminders. You choose a time before enabling them. Reminders may appear on the lock screen, according to your iPhone settings. Turn them off in the practice plan or in Settings. We do not send remote marketing notifications.
Sharing and security
We do not sell your photographs or use them for advertising. If you choose an export or share action, the selected destination receives the content you send and its own privacy rules apply. We may disclose limited records when legally required or where necessary and lawful to protect the service or establish, exercise or defend a legal claim. We use safeguards appropriate to the processing, but no internet service or device can be guaranteed completely secure.
Your choices and requests
You can restrict Photos access, disable optional analytics, turn off reminders, clear local review copies and manage subscriptions with Apple. Depending on applicable law, you may request access, correction, erasure, restriction or portability of personal data, object to processing based on legitimate interests, or withdraw consent without affecting earlier lawful processing. You may also complain to the relevant data protection authority. Contact us below; do not email private photographs, payment details or access tokens. Because Caption123 has no login, we may need proportionate information to locate records and verify the request. Some limited records may remain for legal, accounting or abuse-prevention reasons; we will explain any applicable exception.
Updates to this policy
We will update this notice when our practices change. Material changes will be brought to your attention through the app or another appropriate notice before a new use of personal data begins. Where fresh consent is required, we will request it. The date above identifies this version.