Privacy

Last updated 20 September 2026

Verbatism does not create an account for you. Your words live on your device and, if you use iCloud, in your private iCloud database.

What we store on your device

Words you add, definitions, notes, where you found a word, review history, and settings stay in the app on your iPhone or iPad. You can export a JSON backup from Settings.

iCloud

If iCloud is signed in and sync is available, your words and some settings sync through Apple’s CloudKit private database — your iCloud, against your storage. We do not operate a public database of your vocabulary. Turning off iCloud for the app keeps data local.

Lookups you choose

• Dictionary. Looking up a word sends that word to the dictionary service we use (Free Dictionary API, or Merriam-Webster if configured). If that lookup fails or does not have the word, the same word may be sent to Wiktionary via FreeDictionaryAPI.com, even when Translation is off. We do not send your name or a user id.
• Translation (optional). If you turn Translation on, the headword may be translated on your device (Apple Translation) or looked up as a dictionary equivalent (Wiktionary). Words are not linked to your identity.
• Learn This Word / Explain / examples / quiz (optional). If you tap an AI action, we send the word you are studying to OpenAI through our Cloudflare proxy so we do not ship an API key in the app. Generate Examples also sends your Interests if you set them. Explain also sends the stored English definition and your translation language. A deck quiz also sends definitions and examples for other words already in the app. On a supported iPhone or iPad, the same requests include an App Attest key for this install (saved on the device and on our proxy) so we can tell the call came from this app. The proxy also sees your IP address to limit abuse and in our Cloudflare logs. We do not send your name or a user id.

Analytics

If analytics are enabled in a build, we use TelemetryDeck for anonymous product signals (for example that a word was added, or that an AI action ran). TelemetryDeck also receives a hashed identifier for this install so those signals can be counted; that is a device id, not your name. We do not send the word text, your notes, or a personal identifier.

Notifications

Daily review reminders are scheduled on your device. We do not send push notifications from our servers. You can turn reminders off in Settings.

Purchases

Verbatism does not sell subscriptions or in-app purchases yet. When Pro is enabled, we will use RevenueCat. From the moment the RevenueCat key is in the app, RevenueCat receives an anonymous App User ID (Apple treats this as linked to you) and, after you buy, purchase status — not your card number. This policy will be updated again when that ships.

Children

Verbatism is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

Contact

Questions: support@verbatism.com.