Privacy Policy

Control My Mac is an iPhone & iPad app and a free Mac menu-bar companion that turn your iPhone or iPad into a trackpad, keyboard and remote control for your Mac. Control My PC, the same idea for Android phones and Windows PCs, is on the way; once it is out, this policy covers it too, as described below.

Summary

Your remote-control activity stays between your devices. There is no Control My Mac account. Your phone or tablet and your computer talk directly over your local network or Bluetooth, and that connection is encrypted. Optional email and update-notification features use a little data, and only if you choose them.

Core app activity

• No account or sign-in. The apps work without a profile or registration.
• No advertising or behavioral tracking. The apps contain no advertising SDKs and don’t track what you do on your computer.
• Direct device control. Pointer movements, taps, scrolls, the keystrokes you choose to send, and app-launch and window-switch commands go directly from your phone or tablet to your paired computer. They are encrypted, used only to control your computer in real time, and are never sent to us or to a third party.

Free-month gift and Sebastian Apps emails

The free month of Full App is a welcome gift for joining Sebastian Apps emails, so you only get it if you agree to receive them. When you request it, we collect your email address, language, a record of your consent (when you gave it and which wording you agreed to), delivery and unsubscribe status, and the Apple offer code assigned to you. The email address and code are encrypted in our database. To prevent abuse and give each address the gift only once, we also keep keyed hashes of your email and IP addresses.

We use this to send you the gift email, then occasional news and promo codes for Control My Mac and other Sebastian Apps. Vercel runs the form, Neon stores the encrypted record, Brevo sends the emails and keeps the mailing list, and Cloudflare Turnstile checks that the request comes from a person. Apple processes the code when you redeem it.

• Legal basis. Your consent for the emails (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR). For the abuse checks (the hashes and the security check), our legitimate interest in handing out the gift fairly (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR).
• Withdrawing consent. You can withdraw it at any time with the unsubscribe link in every email or by writing to us. This doesn’t affect emails already sent, and a code you already received stays valid.
• How long we keep it. We keep your record while you are subscribed. When you unsubscribe, we remove your address from the mailing list and keep only the encrypted record of your request, so your unsubscribe is respected and the address can’t claim the gift again. You can ask us to delete it at any time.

Windows and Android waiting list

If you ask to be told when Control My PC for Windows or Android is released, we collect your email address, the platforms you picked, your language and a record of your consent. The email address is encrypted in our database, and we keep keyed hashes of your email and IP addresses to prevent abuse. We send you one confirmation email when you sign up, and then use your address only to email you about those releases. This does not add you to Sebastian Apps emails unless you also tick the news box on the form; in that case the section above applies to those emails, and you can unsubscribe with the link in each of them. Vercel runs the form, Neon stores the record, Brevo sends the emails and Cloudflare Turnstile checks that the request comes from a person. The legal basis is your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR). You can withdraw it at any time by writing to support@controlmymac.com. We delete the waiting-list record after the release announcement for the platforms you picked, or earlier if you ask.

Optional update notifications

If you turn on notifications in the iPhone or iPad app, Apple gives the app an opaque device token. We store it encrypted, together with a random app-installation identifier, language, app version and delivery status, and don’t link it to your email address or Apple Account. It is used only for short summaries of Control My Mac features, improvements and important app updates, delivered by Apple Push Notification service. Turning notifications off in system Settings stops alerts; you can also ask us to delete the data.

Website measurement

The website uses Vercel Web Analytics to understand aggregate visits and page performance, not for advertising or to build personal profiles.

The homepage video is hosted by YouTube (Google). It only loads when you press play; from then on, YouTube's privacy policy applies to the player.

Device permissions

The apps request only the permissions needed to function:

• Local Network — to discover and connect to your Mac on your own Wi-Fi network.
• Bluetooth — as an alternative, internet-free connection method.
• Camera (iPhone or iPad) — only to scan the pairing QR code shown on your Mac. No photos or video are captured, stored or transmitted.
• Notifications (iPhone or iPad) — optional, for short summaries of new features, improvements and important app updates.
• Accessibility (Mac) — so the Mac companion can move the pointer, click and type, solely to carry out the actions you send from your iPhone or iPad.

You can revoke any of these permissions in your device settings at any time.

Control My PC for Windows and Android (on the way)

Control My PC is not available yet. Once it is out, this is how it handles your data, in addition to everything above.

• Windows app. The free Windows app collects no personal data and has no account. It talks only to the phone you paired with it, directly over your local network or Bluetooth, encrypted; nothing goes through our servers. It keeps its settings and the pairing on your PC. Installed from the Microsoft Store, it gets its updates through the Microsoft Store, under Microsoft’s privacy terms. To learn a shortcut for a Grid button, it listens to the keys you press only while you record that shortcut, and it never stores or sends what you type.
• Android app. Like the iPhone app, it has no account and no advertising or tracking, and it talks only to your paired computer. It asks for the Camera, only to scan the pairing QR code (the image is read on the phone and never stored or sent); Nearby devices (Bluetooth), only if you choose a Bluetooth connection, and on Android 8 to 11 the system also requires the Location permission before it shows Bluetooth devices, but the app never reads your location; and Notifications, for the “Controlling (your computer)” notice shown while you are connected.

Purchases

The Mac app is free. The iPhone & iPad app can start a free 7-day trial, continue with the free Essentials Plan, or unlock Full App through monthly, yearly or lifetime in-app purchases processed by Apple through the App Store. We never see or store your payment details; Apple manages purchases and subscriptions under Apple's privacy policy. Paid upgrades exist only in the iPhone & iPad app and are bought there through Apple — you can't pay on this website or in the free Mac app.

Once Control My PC for Android is out, Full App on Android is bought the same way through Google Play: Google handles the payment and tells the app on your phone whether Full App is unlocked, we never receive your payment details, and Google’s privacy policy applies to the payment. The Windows app is free.

Children

The apps are not designed for children under 13. The optional email signup is only for people aged 16 or older: if you are under 16, please do not sign up. If we learn that someone under 16 has signed up, we delete their email address.

Your rights

Email support@controlmymac.com to access, correct or delete the email or notification records we hold, restrict or object to their use, or receive them in a portable format. You can withdraw your email consent at any time, as described above. You also have the right to complain to a data protection supervisory authority, in particular in the EU or EEA country where you live or work, or in the UK to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Data handled by Apple, such as purchase records and push delivery, is also governed by Apple's policies, and once Control My PC is out, data handled by Google or Microsoft by theirs.

Changes

If this policy changes, we’ll update the effective date above and highlight material changes on this page before they take effect.

Contact

Questions? Email support@controlmymac.com.