Privacy Policy
Autohop does not operate an account, advertising, or analytics service. App data stays on your device unless you enable optional iCloud Sync, which stores supported records in your private iCloud database. To provide podcast search, feeds, artwork and media, the app makes ordinary network requests to Apple and podcast publishers; those services can receive technical request information such as your IP address. Autohop does not send that information to a developer-operated analytics service.
What Autohop stores on your device
| Data | Where | Leaves device? |
|---|---|---|
| Podcast subscriptions, priority, per-podcast settings & Up Next order | Local database (Application Support) | Only to your private iCloud if you enable iCloud Sync |
| Playback position & listening history | Local database (Application Support) | Only to your private iCloud if you enable iCloud Sync |
| Listening stats (daily listening totals, time saved, per-show times) | Local database (Application Support) | Only to your private iCloud if you enable iCloud Sync |
| App settings | Local JSON (Application Support) | Never |
| Podcast artwork cache | Local cache folder (purgeable by iOS) | Never |
| Home/Lock Screen widget snapshot and prepared thumbnails | Private local App Group container | Never |
| Discover charts cache (12-hour) | Local cache folder (purgeable by iOS) | Never |
| Small UI preferences (e.g. shows hidden from the Stats drift list) | UserDefaults (on-device) | Never |
| Diagnostic log (optional, off by default) | Local text file (Application Support) | Never — viewable and shareable only by you |
| Downloaded audio & video files | Local file storage | Never |
Autohop's widget extension reads only this small display cache. It contains episode/podcast titles, durations, status flags, stable episode identity, and resized artwork thumbnails. It does not contain audio URLs, local media paths, credentials, CloudKit record IDs, or the podcast database, and the extension does not make network requests.
Network access
Autohop makes outbound connections only to fetch content you have explicitly configured:
- RSS feed URLs you add — to retrieve episode listings for your subscriptions
- Media file URLs in those feeds — to download episodes for offline playback
- Podcast artwork URLs — to display cover images (cached on-device)
- Apple's iTunes Search API — when you search for podcasts, your search term is sent to Apple's public podcast directory (
itunes.apple.com) to return results. Autohop sends nothing else with the query, and Apple's handling of the request is governed by Apple's own privacy policy. - Apple's public podcast chart feeds — when you open the Discover page, Autohop fetches the public Apple Podcasts charts for your selected country (
rss.marketingtools.apple.com/itunes.apple.com). The request carries only the country and genre being browsed; charts are cached on-device for 12 hours.
Autohop operates no proprietary server. Apart from the optional iCloud Sync feature described below — which uses Apple's iCloud, not any server of ours — no data you generate inside the app is transmitted anywhere.
iCloud Sync (optional, off by default)
Autohop includes an optional iCloud Sync feature that keeps your subscriptions, priority order, per-podcast settings (including Download Feed Filters and chapter filters), Up Next order, played/archived state, playback position, listening history, and listening stats in step across iPhones signed into your iCloud account. It is turned off by default — your data stays only on your device until you enable it in Settings › Sync.
When enabled, this data is stored in your own private iCloud database using Apple's CloudKit, and is governed by Apple's privacy policy. Key points:
- The data lives in your personal iCloud — not on any server operated by Autohop or its developer, who cannot access it.
- There is no separate account or login — it uses the iCloud account already on your device.
- Downloaded audio and video files are never synced — each device downloads its own copies. Global app settings and Release Radar learning also stay on each device.
- Turning iCloud Sync off stops further syncing. You can remove the synced data at any time through iOS Settings › your name › iCloud.
Analytics and tracking
Autohop contains no advertising, behavioural analytics, or third-party crash-reporting SDK. NSPrivacyTracking is set to false in the app's privacy manifest. The app still accesses network services required for its function: podcast publishers and media hosts, Apple's podcast catalogue, and—only when enabled—Apple CloudKit.
Notifications
If you grant permission, Autohop delivers local notifications on your device — when new episodes are discovered, for scheduled Listening Recaps, and for the Sleep Schedule "still listening?" prompt. These are generated on-device and no notification content passes through any Autohop server. iCloud may use Apple's own silent CloudKit push mechanism to wake sync; Autohop does not operate an APNs provider server or send marketing push notifications.
Children
Autohop does not knowingly collect any information from users under the age of 13. The app contains no user accounts, no forms, and no mechanism to submit personal information.
Open-source components
Autohop incorporates a ported version of the silence-trimming algorithm and the Vocal Boost signal-chain architecture from Pocket Casts for iOS (Automattic, Inc.), used under the Mozilla Public License 2.0. These components perform audio signal processing entirely on-device and do not transmit any data.
Changes to this policy
If this policy changes materially, the updated version will be posted at this URL with a revised effective date.
Contact
Questions about this privacy policy: kevmarl.com