Effective: April 2026 · Last updated: October 21, 2026
Skano doesn't collect, store, or transmit personal data to any server we run. Card reading happens entirely on your iPhone.
Skano is a business card scanner for iPhone. It uses your device's camera to capture business card images, extracts contact information using on-device optical character recognition (OCR) and on-device AI, and saves the results locally on your device.
Skano collects no data on our servers. Specifically:
No analytics or usage tracking. No advertising identifiers. No device fingerprinting. No location tracking. Skano uses your location only when you ask it to add one to an event (see Location and Maps). No account creation required. Card reading never uses cloud processing: all OCR and AI extraction runs on your iPhone's processor. No data is transmitted to any server operated by us.
All scanned cards, contact information, and card images are stored on your device using Apple's SwiftData framework and sync privately through your own iCloud account. If you delete the app, the data is removed from that device, but it remains in your iCloud account and returns if you reinstall. You can also delete individual cards, or all scanned cards, inside the app. Deleting a card removes it from your library and from sync. Files you have already exported or shared, and contacts you have already added, are separate copies and are not affected.
Skano syncs your scanned cards through your own iCloud account to keep them available across your Apple devices. Your data is stored in your private iCloud account using Apple's CloudKit framework. We do not have access to data stored in your iCloud. It is encrypted and accessible only to you through your Apple ID.
Skano has no in-app sync setting. You can turn syncing off at any time in iOS Settings under your Apple ID → iCloud → Apps Using iCloud. Disabling iCloud sync does not remove your local data; deleting Skano's data from iCloud requires removing it through your Apple ID account settings. Deleting the app does not remove your data from iCloud. It stays there until you remove it, and it returns if you reinstall.
Skano uses the camera to scan business cards and to attach documents such as brochures or spec sheets to events. Skano imports card images you choose from your photo library through Apple's photo picker, which doesn't give Skano access to the rest of your library. No images leave your device except through iCloud sync (see above) or when you choose to share or export them.
Skano reads your Contacts to check whether a scanned card is already saved, so it can offer to update instead of creating a duplicate. Skano reads email addresses and phone numbers only to check for matches, and writes contact details only when you choose Add. Your address book is never uploaded to any Skano-operated service. Contacts you create through Skano live in your address book and are managed there: deleting a card in Skano, or deleting the app, does not remove a contact you previously added.
Skano uses the microphone only while the mic button is on, to turn what you say into a note. Transcription runs on your iPhone with Apple's on-device speech recognition. The recording isn't kept. Only the text you keep is saved, with the card or event, and it syncs through your iCloud like the rest of your notes.
If you choose an event from your calendar, Skano reads your calendars to show upcoming events and fill in the one you pick. It never changes your calendars. Only the details you keep, like the name, dates and place, are saved with that event.
Skano asks for your location only when you ask it to add one to an event: Use current location while you edit an event, or Add beside No location on an event that's running. It sends that location to Apple Maps to get the city or region and its time zone. Use current location also gets a small map image of the spot. The city and time zone are saved with the event and sync through your iCloud. The map image stays on your iPhone. Skano doesn't track your location or use it for anything else.
Skano schedules follow-up notifications and the app icon badge on your iPhone. There's no Skano notification server. You can turn them off in Skano under Settings, Follow-Ups, or in iOS Settings.
On supported iPhones with Apple Intelligence turned on, Skano uses Apple's on-device Foundation Models to read cards more accurately. You can turn this off in Skano under Settings, Scanning. This processing happens entirely on your device through Apple's private on-device AI framework. No data is sent to Apple or any third party for this processing.
Skano uses no third-party SDKs, analytics services, crash reporters, or advertising frameworks. Skano includes several open-source libraries that all run entirely on-device. A complete list is available in the app under Settings → About → Acknowledgments.
Skano does not knowingly collect information from children under 13. The app is a professional productivity tool designed for adults.
If we ever change our privacy practices, we will update this page. Given that Skano's core design principle is on-device processing with zero server-side data collection, significant changes are unlikely.
Questions about this privacy policy? Email skanosupport@gmail.com