Hearth Inventory privacy.

Effective October 23, 2026

This policy describes how Hearth Inventory handles the records and files you choose to keep in the app. Hearth is published by New Directions In Computing, Inc. under the SteadyPress name. For questions about this policy, email [email protected].

The information you enter

Your inventory may contain home addresses, item details and values, purchase and insurance information, notes, contact details you enter, photos, receipts, and other attached files. Hearth stores these records and managed attachment copies in its local data folder. Change history, unsaved drafts, recovery copies, and dated backups are also stored locally.

Hearth does not include advertising or analytics SDKs. It does not send your inventory to a developer-operated service, and inventory contents are not used for advertising or tracking.

Optional iCloud sync

If you enable iCloud sync, Hearth sends your saved records and managed attachments to the private CloudKit database in your Apple Account so your devices can use the same library. Apple operates iCloud under its own terms and privacy practices. Hearth's private database is not visible to us through Apple's developer portal.

Your devices keep local copies for offline use. Drafts, viewing preferences, change history, and dated backups remain on the device that created them. Turning sync off stops that device's sync; it does not erase existing iCloud data or copies on other devices.

Files and recognition on your device

You choose the files you import or attach. Hearth copies attachments into its managed storage so they remain available if you move the originals. Legacy .hi3 migration reads the selected source and creates a separate Hearth Home; it does not change the source.

Text and barcode recognition use Apple frameworks on your device to process files you select. Hearth does not send those files to a product lookup or AI capture service.

Exports and connected agents

You can export records, reports, and complete backups. Complete backups contain inventory records and attachments and are not encrypted by Hearth. The storage location or service you choose for an export has its own access and privacy settings.

If you authorize a locally connected agent to use Hearth's agent interface, that agent can read, export, change, and delete inventory data. The agent's handling of data it receives is governed by the agent provider and your choices. Hearth does not require a connected agent for normal use. Folder permissions granted for agent imports, attachments, or exports stay on the Mac.

Retention and deletion

Saved records remain until you remove them or replace the library. Hearth records saved changes for Undo, keeps the latest changed state on each day, and retains the newest 30 dated backups. Days without changes do not create a dated backup. A record removed from the active inventory may remain in local history, recovery copies, or exported backups.

To remove Hearth's cloud library on a Mac, open Settings & backups → iCloud sync → Remove Hearth data from iCloud. On iPhone or iPad, open Settings & backups → iCloud → Erase Hearth data from iCloud. Review the confirmation before proceeding. The operation removes Hearth's private cloud records and attachments, including unused media, for the current Apple Account.

Before cloud deletion, Hearth creates and verifies a local recovery archive and, when a current cloud library exists, an archive of that library and its referenced attachments. Recovery archives do not include unused or orphaned cloud attachments. If removal is not confirmed, Hearth leaves sync off and reports the failure.

Cloud removal does not remove local records, drafts, change history, dated backups, recovery archives, copies exported elsewhere, or another device's local copy. These copies remain until you remove them separately. Updated Hearth versions pause when they detect cloud removal. Older versions can upload their retained records again if sync remains enabled, so turn off sync in old copies before removing the cloud library.

Restoring an archive changes the local library. Explicitly reconnecting iCloud after removal uploads retained local Homes and attachments again; cloud deletion is not automatically undone. An archive, another device, or a separately exported copy may contain a different saved state. A recovery copy may not include later unsaved edits or unused cloud attachments.

Hearth does not create a separate account. Managing or deleting an Apple Account is handled by Apple.

Your choices

• Use local records without enabling iCloud sync.
• Choose the files you import or attach.
• Review conflicts before choosing which saved version to keep.
• Export records and complete backups to a location you choose.
• Review available history and recovery copies.
• Decline to connect a local agent, or remove its folder access on your Mac.

Changes to this policy

If Hearth's data handling changes, this policy and the App Store privacy information will be updated to describe the released behavior.

Contact

For privacy questions, email [email protected]. For product help, visit Hearth support.