Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 22, 2026

The short version: Shop Effective does not collect, sell, or share your personal data. Your shopping list stays on your devices and in iCloud, and the only people who can see it are you and anyone you choose to share it with. There are no ads, no accounts, no analytics, and no tracking.

This policy covers the Shop Effective™ app for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and this website. Shop Effective is made by Richard Gilbert ("I", "me").

What the app stores, and where

Shop Effective stores your shopping list: the items you add, their categories and stores, and whether each one is checked off. It doesn't ask for or store your name, email address, or anything else about you.

On your device

Your list is stored on your device, inside the app's own storage. Other apps can't read it, and I can't see it. The app does not connect to any server of mine. In fact, there isn't one.

In your iCloud account

If you're signed in to iCloud, the app keeps a copy of your list in your own private iCloud storage, using Apple's CloudKit service, so it stays in sync across your devices. That data belongs to your Apple Account. It isn't visible to me, and it's handled under Apple's Privacy Policy. If you don't use iCloud, your list simply stays on the device.

To deliver changes quickly, iCloud wakes the app with silent notifications through Apple's push notification service. These carry no list content and never appear on screen.

When you share your list

If you choose Share List, the people you invite can see the whole list and, unless you make the invitation view only, change it. A shared list is stored in the iCloud account of the person who created the share, and Apple's iCloud sharing shows each participant who else is on the list. Invitations and sharing are handled entirely by Apple; I never see who you share with or what's on the list. The owner can end sharing at any time with Stop Sharing, and you decide who receives an invitation.

What I don't do

• No advertising, and no advertising identifiers.
• No analytics or usage tracking, and no third-party SDKs that collect data.
• No accounts or sign-in beyond the Apple Account already on your device.
• No access to your location, contacts, photos, camera, or microphone.
• No selling or sharing of data. There is no data to sell or share.

Crash reports from Apple

If you've chosen to share analytics with app developers in your device's settings, Apple may send me anonymous crash and performance reports. They contain technical details, such as the app version and the code location of a crash, and do not identify you or include your list. You can turn this on or off any time in your device's Privacy & Security settings, under Analytics & Improvements.

When you contact me

If you email me, including through the app's Report a Bug… button, I receive your email address and whatever you write. The bug-report email starts with your app version, system version, and device model filled in, and it opens in your own mail app, so you can see and edit all of it before you send. I use these emails only to reply to you and fix problems. I don't add you to any mailing list, and I don't share your messages with anyone.

Deleting your data

• Items in the app: delete items one at a time, or choose Clear All Items from the settings menu. Deletions sync to your other devices and to anyone sharing the list.
• On a device: deleting the app removes its copy of the list from that device.
• In iCloud: on iPhone or iPad, go to Settings → [your name] → iCloud → Manage Storage (or Manage Account Storage) → Shop Effective → Delete Data. On a Mac, go to System Settings → [your name] → iCloud → Manage, then select Shop Effective and delete its data. If you own a shared list, this also removes it for the people you invited.
• Emails: ask me to delete your correspondence and I will.

This website

This site is plain web pages with no cookies, no analytics, no ads, and no third-party scripts or fonts. Like any website, the hosting provider (Amazon Web Services) may keep standard server logs, such as IP addresses and the pages requested, for security and operations. I don't use them to identify or track visitors.

Children

Shop Effective does not knowingly collect personal information from anyone, including children.

Changes to this policy

If this policy changes, I'll post the updated version here and change the date at the top. If the app ever starts handling data differently, I'll update this policy before that version is released.

Contact

Questions about privacy? Email shopeffective@icloud.com.