Last updated: April 2026
The short version
IslandBar collects anonymous, aggregate usage data so we can understand how the app is used and fix things. That’s it. We never collect personal data, never sell data, never use it for advertising. You can turn telemetry off in Settings at any time, with no loss of features.
What IslandBar sends (anonymous telemetry)
When telemetry is enabled (on by default), IslandBar sends these fields to islandbar.app/api/telemetry:
- Install ID — a random UUID generated on your Mac, stored in your local Keychain. Never derived from hardware serials or your Apple ID.
- Event name — one of:
first_launch, daily_active, trial_expired, licensed. - App version — e.g. “1.5.0”.
- macOS version — e.g. “14.5”.
- Mac model family — e.g. “MacBookPro18,1”. This is the hardware family, not your serial number.
Telemetry is opt-out. Settings → Telemetry toggle turns it off. No features are gated on telemetry being on.
What IslandBar never sends
- Your name, email address, or any personal information.
- Your clipboard contents, quick notes, or any text you type.
- Calendar events, reminders, email contents, or message text.
- File names, file paths, or file contents from the file tray or AirDrop zone.
- Keystrokes, mouse movement, or screen content.
- Your IP address persisted (Vercel logs briefly for abuse prevention, not persisted in our database).
What IslandBar accesses locally (never transmitted)
- Now Playing info: Read from the system MediaRemote framework to display currently playing media. Displayed locally only.
- Calendar events: Read from EventKit with your permission to show upcoming events. Never leaves your device.
- Weather: Your approximate location is used to fetch weather from Apple’s WeatherKit API. Location is not stored by us.
- Camera: The optional Camera Mirror feature accesses your camera locally. Never recorded or transmitted.
- Clipboard: IslandBar reads your clipboard to maintain history for the Clipboard Manager. History is stored locally on your Mac only and never transmitted.
- Outbound network: Weather data, album artwork lookup (iTunes API), Sparkle update checks, license validation (islandbar.app), and telemetry (if enabled). No personal data in any of these requests.
Licensing data
When you purchase IslandBar, Stripe processes your payment and collects billing information per their privacy policy. IslandBar stores your license key and email address (from Stripe) to send you your key and support future support requests.
Data retention
Anonymous telemetry is retained for approximately 13 months to allow year-over-year comparisons, then automatically deleted. Licensing records are retained indefinitely so we can reissue keys if you lose yours.
Third-Party Services
IslandBar does not integrate any third-party analytics, tracking, advertising, or telemetry SDKs inside the Mac app. The website (islandbar.app) uses Vercel Analytics for basic page-view counts, which is privacy-friendly by default (no cookies, no cross-site tracking).
Settings Sync
If you enable iCloud sync, your preferences are stored in your personal iCloud key-value store. This is managed entirely by Apple and is not accessible to us.
Contact
Questions about this policy? Email support@islandbar.app.