Privacy Policy

Effective: 2026-05-14 · Last updated: 2026-09-12 (added iCloud sync and Sign in with Apple; corrected what turns syncing on; removed the Picks leaderboard, which was never released)

This policy describes how Phantom (operated by Yinan Zhai, an independent developer) collects, uses, stores, and shares information when you use the Phantom iOS app.

1. What we collect

1.1 On your device and in your own iCloud

Phantom has no server of its own. The following data is stored in your device’s local database and, whenever your device is signed in to iCloud, synced to your own iCloud account (Apple’s CloudKit private database) so it follows you to your other devices. We cannot read your iCloud data; only your Apple ID can.

• Screenshots you import (used only momentarily for OCR, never persisted as images)
• Extracted text: merchant name, amount, date of each charge
• Subscriptions you add, ratings, notes, cancellation status, and the bundles you tell us you already own
• Cancel proof you save (confirmation numbers, notes, an optional screenshot)
• Dispute letters you generate and your notification preferences

Syncing follows your device’s iCloud account, not your Phantom account: it works whether or not you use Sign in with Apple, and it stops if you turn iCloud off for Phantom in iOS Settings, leaving everything on your iPhone only. Phantom → Settings shows which of the two states you are in.

1.2 Apple-mediated information

• App Store IAP purchase records (handled by Apple — we receive only a verified flag that you’re on Pro)
• Anonymous crash diagnostics if you opt-in at the iOS level

1.3 Account (Sign in with Apple)

Signing in is optional. When you do, Apple gives Phantom an anonymous user identifier and, the first time only, the name and email you choose to share (you can use Apple’s private relay email). They are used to show who is signed in and to pre-fill the signature on dispute letters. They are stored on your device and in your iCloud Keychain, never on a Phantom server.

1.4 Recommendations

Phantom suggests cheaper or free replacements for the services you pay for, and apps that fit the pattern of your subscriptions. This is worked out entirely on your device by comparing your own subscriptions against a catalog of prices and alternatives that Phantom downloads as a plain file. Your subscriptions, your spending and the recommendations you see are never uploaded, and nothing about you is sent when the catalog is downloaded.

No part of Phantom is public. There is no profile, no feed, no leaderboard and no way for another person to see anything you have in the app.

1.5 What we never collect

• Your bank login or password
• Your card number or CVV
• Your account balance or net worth
• Browsing history, location, contacts, or photos library (beyond images you explicitly import)
• Advertising identifiers — we never call Apple’s ATTrackingManager

2. How we use information

We use the data above only to:

1. Detect recurring charges in screenshots you import
2. Compute Zombie Scores for your subscriptions
3. Notify you (via on-device local notifications) about trial endings, price hikes, and forgotten charges
4. Generate dispute letter templates you can send
5. Provide retention negotiation scripts
6. Sync your data between your own devices through your iCloud account
7. Compare your subscriptions against the price catalog, on your device, to show cheaper plans, bundles you already own, and alternative apps

We do not sell your data. We do not share it with advertisers, lenders, data brokers, or marketing partners. We do not push loans or financial products. These are core promises.

3. Third parties

The only third parties involved are:

• Apple — processes your App Store purchase if you upgrade to Pro, provides Sign in with Apple, and hosts iCloud sync through CloudKit, in your own private database. See Apple’s privacy policy.
• GitHub — hosts this website and the JSON files Phantom downloads: published subscription prices and the catalog of plans and alternatives. These are plain public files. Phantom sends nothing about you when it downloads them, and GitHub sees only that some device requested a file. See GitHub’s privacy statement.

4. Security

• All on-device data lives in iOS’s sandboxed app container, protected by your device passcode and Secure Enclave.
• iCloud sync runs on Apple’s CloudKit in your own private database; data in transit and at rest is encrypted by Apple.
• We do not run a backend server of our own that stores your data.

5. Retention & deletion

• Uninstalling Phantom deletes everything on that device. If you signed in, the copy in your iCloud remains until you delete it.
• Inside the app: Settings → Account → Delete account & data erases everything on the device and in your iCloud (the deletion syncs to your other devices) and signs you out. Sign out alone never deletes anything.

6. Your rights

Everything Phantom holds about you is in the app on your device and in your own iCloud, so access, portability and correction are in your hands directly; deletion is one tap in Settings. To exercise any rights or to ask questions, email yn.zhai0205@gmail.com. We respond within 30 days.

7. Children

Phantom is not directed at children under 13 (or 16 in the EU). We do not knowingly collect data from anyone in that age group.

8. Changes

If we make a material change to this policy we will update the “Last updated” date at the top and, where possible, notify you in-app.

9. Contact

Yinan Zhai
Email: yn.zhai0205@gmail.com