Privacy Policy

Tessera: Photo Puzzle Alarm (“the app”) is a private wake-up alarm developed by Tamas Bereczki (“we”, “us”, “our”). The app is built so that we do not collect personal data, we do not operate any servers, and we do not use analytics, advertising, or tracking SDKs of any kind. The photos you wake to are yours and never leave your device. This page explains the limited data the app stores on your device and the Apple platform services it relies on.

1. Data stored on your device

Everything you set up in Tessera is stored locally on your iPhone using Apple’s on-device frameworks. This includes:

• Your photos — the images you deliberately import are copied into the app’s own private sandbox so it can build the puzzle. They are not uploaded anywhere.
• Your alarms — times, repeat days, labels, and which photo pool an alarm draws from.
• App settings — appearance (System / Light / Dark) and in-app language.

This data stays on your device. It is removed when you delete the app. We have no copy of it and no way to access it.

2. Photos

Tessera uses Apple’s PHPickerViewController so you can choose photos without granting the app access to your photo library. The picker runs outside the app, and Tessera only ever receives the specific images you select. Those images are then copied into the app’s own sandbox. Tessera does not read, scan, or index your wider camera roll, and no photo is ever transmitted off the device. You can remove any photo from the pool at any time, with one or two taps.

3. Alarms (AlarmKit)

Tessera schedules real alarms using Apple’s AlarmKit framework so they can ring through Silent mode and Focus. Alarm scheduling happens entirely on your device. No data about your alarms or wake-up times is sent to us or to any third party. You can revoke the app’s permission to schedule alarms in iOS Settings at any time; the app detects this and surfaces it.

4. iCloud (Apple — your iCloud account)

Where the app uses iCloud to store or sync app data across your own devices, that data is held in the private iCloud container associated with your Apple Account. It is governed by your iCloud settings, and we cannot read, retrieve, or share it. If you prefer not to use iCloud, you can disable it for Tessera in Settings → Apple Account → iCloud.

Apple’s privacy policy: apple.com/legal/privacy.

5. Purchases

Tessera is a paid app, bought once from the App Store. There is no subscription and no in-app purchase, so the app contains no purchase or entitlement logic and asks you for nothing after install. The transaction happens entirely with Apple; we never see your payment method, billing address, or Apple Account details.

6. What we do not do

• No analytics, attribution, advertising, or crash-reporting SDKs.
• No advertising and no use of the IDFA (Advertising Identifier).
• No developer-operated servers, and no third-party tracking requests.
• No accounts, sign-in, or user profiles.
• No access to your photo library, contacts, or location.
• No sale or sharing of personal data — we have none to sell.

7. Children

Tessera is intended for a general audience and does not knowingly collect personal data from anyone, including children.

8. Your rights

Because we do not store or process your data on any server, there is nothing on our side to access, export, correct, or delete. You remain in full control on your device:

• Remove any photo from the pool at any time.
• Delete any alarm at any time.
• Delete the app to remove all of its local data from the device.
• Manage any iCloud data through your Apple Account settings.

If you are in the EEA or UK, laws such as the GDPR and UK GDPR may grant you rights including access, rectification, erasure, and portability. Because your data lives only on your device and in your private iCloud, these are exercised directly through your device and Apple’s services.

9. Changes

We may update this Privacy Policy as the app evolves. Material changes will be reflected by updating the effective date at the top of this page.

10. Governing law

This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of Romania, without regard to conflict of law principles.

11. Contact

Questions, requests, or anything else: [email protected].