NorthPrivacy Policy
SmartScan PDF ("the App") is developed by NorthAlliance ("we", "us"). The App is a document scanner and PDF editor. This policy explains what information the App handles, what stays on your device, and what reaches third parties. The short version: your documents never leave your iPhone or iPad unless you share them yourself; the only data that leaves the device is what the advertising SDK needs to show ads to free users.
1. Your documents stay on your device
- Scans, photos you import, PDFs and every edit you make are stored only in the App's local storage on your device. We run no servers that receive your documents and we cannot see them.
- Text recognition (OCR) runs entirely on the device using Apple's Vision framework. Page images are not uploaded anywhere for recognition.
- Documents can appear in the iOS Files app ("On My iPhone / SmartScan PDF") and in iTunes/Finder file sharing. That is your device storage, under your control.
- Sharing, printing or exporting a document sends it only to the destination you choose (Mail, Messages, AirDrop, another app). Those services apply their own policies.
- Deleting the App deletes all documents stored in it. Please export anything you want to keep first.
2. Permissions the App asks for
| Permission | Why |
|---|---|
| Camera | To scan paper documents. Camera frames are processed on the device and only the pages you keep are saved. |
| Photos (read) | To turn photos you choose into PDF pages or insert them into a document. Only the photos you pick are accessed. |
| Photos (add) | To save exported pages to your photo library when you ask for it. |
| Tracking (App Tracking Transparency) | Asked once, right before the first advertisement, so that the ad network can show more relevant ads. Declining does not limit any feature; ads are still shown, just not personalised. |
Every permission can be changed later in iOS Settings → SmartScan PDF.
3. Advertising (free version only)
Users without a SmartScan Pro subscription may watch a rewarded video advertisement to export a document. Ads are delivered by Yandex Mobile Ads (Yandex LLC / Yandex Europe AG), which bundles the AppMetrica library. When an ad is requested, the SDK sends to Yandex the data a mobile ad network needs:
- device model, OS version, language, screen size, time zone, network type and approximate location derived from the IP address;
- the advertising identifier (IDFA) only if you allowed tracking, otherwise a reset-able vendor identifier;
- the App identifier and version, ad impressions and clicks.
This data is used to select, deliver and measure ads and to detect fraud. It is processed under Yandex's own policy: yandex.com/legal/confidential. The App sends nothing about your documents to the ad network. Subscribers to SmartScan Pro see no ads and the SDK makes no requests.
4. Purchases and subscriptions
SmartScan Pro is sold through Apple In-App Purchase (weekly or yearly auto-renewable subscription). Payment, billing details and receipts are handled by Apple; we never see your card or Apple ID credentials. The App only receives from Apple an anonymous entitlement that says whether the subscription is active. Manage or cancel it in iOS Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions. Apple's terms apply: apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes.
5. What we do not do
- No account, registration or login. We do not collect your name, e-mail address or phone number unless you write to support.
- No analytics or crash-reporting SDKs other than those included in the Yandex Mobile Ads SDK described above.
- No selling of personal data, no cross-app profiling by us.
- No processing of children's data: the App is not directed at children under 13 (or the age required in your country), and we do not knowingly collect their data.
6. Support e-mails
If you contact support@northalliance.kz, we keep your message and address for as long as needed to answer and to improve the App, then delete them. Do not send documents containing sensitive data unless necessary to resolve your request.
7. Data protection rights
Because we store no personal data on our side, most requests (access, deletion, portability) can be fulfilled directly on your device: deleting the App removes everything it stored. For data processed by Yandex for advertising, you can reset or withdraw the advertising identifier in iOS Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking, and use Yandex's contact channels listed in their policy. Residents of the EEA, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, California and other jurisdictions with privacy laws may additionally exercise their statutory rights by writing to us; we answer within 30 days.
8. International transfers and retention
Advertising data is processed by Yandex on servers that may be located outside your country, including in the Russian Federation and the European Union, under the safeguards described in Yandex's policy. We retain support correspondence for up to 24 months. Everything else lives only on your device for as long as you keep the App.
9. Changes
We will post any changes on this page and update the effective date above. Material changes will also be announced in the App.
10. Contact
NorthAlliance, Astana, Kazakhstan
E-mail: support@northalliance.kz