Privacy Policy

This policy covers the Sursum app for iPhone and iPad ("Sursum", "the app") and this website, published by Backsketch ("we", "us"). If you have questions, email support@getsursum.app.

Information you put into Sursum

You decide what goes into Sursum. That can include:

• Prayer requests: the text of each request, its type, any deadline or reminder, and whether it has been prayed for or answered.
• People: names, a short "About" note, dated notes from conversations, meetings, or calls, birthdays, anniversaries, and other dates you add.
• Schedules: schedule names, days of the week, reminder times, and which requests and people belong to each.
• History: the dates you marked a request or a person prayed for, which Sursum uses for your weekly rhythm and to sort your People list.
• Settings: preferences such as reminder times, saved on your device.

Where it's stored

All of this is stored on your device in Apple's on-device database (SwiftData). If you're signed in to iCloud and iCloud is turned on for Sursum, the data also syncs to the private database in your own iCloud account through Apple's CloudKit, so it can appear on your other devices.

The private iCloud database belongs to your Apple Account. We, as the developer, can't access it, read it, or export it. Apple's Privacy Policy and your iCloud settings govern how Apple stores and protects iCloud data. If you turn iCloud off for Sursum, your data stays only on that device.

Contacts (optional)

You can bring people into Sursum from your Contacts. Sursum asks for Contacts access only when you choose to import or link a contact. It never asks when the app first opens, and it never reads your contacts in the background.

When you import or link a contact, Sursum reads that contact's name, birthday, anniversary, phone numbers, and email addresses. It saves the name, birthday, and anniversary on the person's profile. It also saves the contact's identifier, phone numbers, and email addresses, for two reasons:

1. So Sursum can find the same contact again on your other devices.
2. So it can fill in the recipient when you choose to draft a message to that person.

This information is stored and synced the same way as the rest of your Sursum data, on your device and in your private iCloud database. It is never sent to us or to anyone else. You can say no to Contacts access, or turn it off later in Settings › Privacy & Security › Contacts. Sursum works fully without it.

Notifications

Sursum can remind you to pray at times you choose, before a request's deadline, and on birthdays and other dates. These are local notifications. Your device schedules and delivers them, and no notification content passes through any server.

Reminders can show names and request text, so you know who to pray for. If you'd rather keep that off your lock screen, turn off Show names and details in notifications in Sursum's settings. Reminders will then use general wording, such as "Someone you're praying for has a day coming up."

Sursum also receives silent background notifications from Apple's iCloud service so that changes sync between your devices. They carry no content from us.

Messages

When you choose Message on a person's profile, or Send a Message on a prayer request, Sursum opens Apple's standard message composer with a short note already written. You review the message and decide whether to send it. Sursum doesn't send, read, or store your messages.

Siri and Shortcuts

Sursum supports Siri and the Shortcuts app, so you can say things like "Add a prayer request in Sursum." Apple's Siri processes your voice. Sursum receives only the request text or person you chose, and saves it like anything else you type into the app. Apple's privacy policy covers how Siri handles your requests.

What we don't do

• We don't run servers that receive your data.
• We don't use analytics, advertising, attribution, or crash-reporting services.
• We don't track you across apps or websites, and we don't use Apple's advertising identifier.
• We don't sell, rent, or share personal information with anyone.

Apple may give developers aggregate, anonymized App Store and app-performance statistics, such as download counts, and crash reports from people who have chosen to share diagnostics with app developers in their device settings. Apple controls this under its own policies. None of it includes the content you put into Sursum.

Deleting your data

You're in control of your data at all times:

• In the app: delete any request, person, note, or schedule. Deletions sync to your other devices.
• On one device: deleting the app removes the data stored on that device.
• In iCloud: to remove Sursum's synced data, go to Settings › [your name] › iCloud › Manage Account Storage (or Manage Storage), choose Sursum, and delete its data.

We don't hold a copy of any of your data, so there is nothing for us to delete on our end.

Children

Sursum is suitable for all ages and collects no personal information from anyone, including children under 13.

This website

getsursum.app is a static website. It sets no cookies and has no analytics, ad trackers, or embedded third-party content. Like any web host, our hosting provider may keep standard server logs, such as IP addresses and the pages requested, for security and reliability. We don't use those logs to identify visitors. If you email us, we use your email only to reply to you.

Your rights

Privacy laws such as the GDPR and CCPA give you rights to access, correct, or delete personal information a company holds about you. We don't collect or hold any personal information from the app. If you've emailed us and want that correspondence deleted, write to support@getsursum.app.

Changes to this policy

If the way Sursum handles information changes, we'll update this page and the "Last updated" date above. If we make a significant change, such as starting to collect any data, we'll tell you in the app before it takes effect.

Contact

Backsketch support@getsursum.app