Privacy Policy

Effective 2026-10-09. Last updated 2026-10-09.

What stays on your device

Verdict is a photo- and video-analysis tool. When you analyze something, everything happens locally on your iPhone:

• The photo or video you check — read into memory and analyzed on-device. Video is sampled into frames that are analyzed and then discarded; the full clip is never copied off your device.
• Your scan history — Verdict keeps a history of your past scans, stored only on your iPhone. Each entry holds a small thumbnail (for video, a few sampled frames) plus the score and verdict — never the original full-resolution file. You can clear this history at any time from within the app, and it is never uploaded anywhere.
• The AI-detection model — a neural network bundled inside the app. Inference runs locally through ONNX Runtime. Nothing you scan is uploaded for processing.
• The forensic checks — noise analysis, Error Level Analysis, and metadata (EXIF) inspection all run in the app, on your device.

The share extension

Verdict includes a share-sheet extension so you can check an image directly from Photos, Safari, or Messages. When you share an image file, the extension hands that image to the Verdict app on your device for analysis — nothing is sent anywhere else.

If you share a web link rather than an image file, the extension downloads the image at that address so it can be analyzed on-device. That request goes to the website hosting the image (the same as opening the link in a browser); it does not route through any Verdict server, and none of your data is attached to it.

Permissions Verdict may request

Verdict is deliberately minimal. It uses Apple's system photo picker, which lets you choose a single photo or video without granting access to your whole photo library. Verdict may also ask permission to send notifications (for example, a heads-up before a free trial ends); this is optional and you can decline. Verdict does not request Microphone, Location, Contacts, Calendar, HealthKit, or Photo Library write access.

Anonymous usage counts

Verdict counts which features get used, so we can tell what is working and what to fix. This is the Usage Data entry on Verdict's App Store privacy label. It is not linked to you, and there is no identifier of any kind in it — no device id, no install id, no account, nothing that could be joined back to a person.

When you leave the app, Verdict may send a single summary containing:

• whether this was a first launch, whether the app was opened on a day after the first (counted once a day, so we can tell how many people come back), roughly how long ago Verdict was first opened (as a broad band: the same day, a few days, a week, a month or more), how far the session got (onboarding finished, a scan done, the upgrade screen shown), and whether you are on the free tier, a trial or Pro — and, if you subscribe, which plan (monthly or yearly). No price, no transaction, no receipt: Apple handles all of that and we never see it;
• your iPhone model, the major iOS version and Verdict's version — so we know which devices Verdict runs well on;
• counts of feature events, such as how many scans were started and finished, whether each was a photo or a video, whether the verdict leaned real or AI (as a broad band, never the image), roughly how long a scan took, how many free scans are left, whether the upgrade screen was shown, and whether something went wrong;
• which settings were switched (for example the appearance or haptics), and whether optional permissions such as notifications were allowed.

What is never included: your photos and videos, their thumbnails, your scan history, file names, any link you shared into Verdict, anything you type, and your location. The counts are totals only — there is no record of who did what, because there is nothing in them to identify anyone.

Because the counts carry no identifier and are not about any individual, Verdict does not ask for permission to count and does not use them for advertising or tracking. They are never sold or shared.

What Verdict does not do

• Analysis needs no backend — it runs entirely on your device. Verdict contacts a server of ours only to send the anonymous usage counts described above, to fetch a few app settings (such as how many free scans the free tier includes), and — if you choose — to send feedback (see below).
• We do not include third-party SDKs for advertising, tracking, attribution, analytics, crash reporting, or social media.
• We do not upload, transmit, store, or share the photos or videos you analyze.
• We do not sell, share, or rent any data.

Sending feedback

Verdict has an optional in-app feedback form. If you choose to use it, the message you write is sent to our feedback relay along with basic technical details that help us act on it — your app version, iOS version, device model, and system language. It only happens when you tap Send, it is the only place anything you write leaves your device, and it never includes the photos or videos you've analyzed. If you'd rather not use the form, you can email us instead.

On-device machine learning

Verdict's AI-detection model is a SigLIP image classifier (an open-source model released under the Apache 2.0 license) that runs locally on your iPhone through ONNX Runtime. It does not talk to the network, and no analysis result leaves the device unless you choose to share it yourself.

Accuracy and intended use

Verdict is a detection aid, not a guarantee of authenticity. AI image generators evolve quickly and no detector — including Verdict — is correct 100% of the time. Treat Verdict's score as one strong signal to weigh alongside your own judgment, not as definitive proof that an image is real or fake.

Purchases

Verdict is free to download, with an optional Verdict Pro upgrade (a monthly subscription starting with a 3-day free trial, or a yearly plan starting with a 7-day free trial) that adds unlimited checks beyond the five free ones and unlocks the full evidence breakdown. Purchases are handled entirely by Apple's StoreKit: Apple processes the transaction and Verdict receives only your entitlement status, never your payment details. We do not operate any account system.

Children's privacy

Verdict is not directed at children under 13 and does not knowingly collect personal information from them. Verdict does not collect personal information from anyone — the anonymous usage counts above carry no identifier.

Changes to this policy

If Verdict ever changes how it handles data, we will update this page, bump the effective date above, and surface the change inside the app before it takes effect.

Contact

Questions or concerns? Email gwolny@me.com.