None declared
None declared
On the label it is low-risk: Bear Markdown Notes & Journal collects some data but says none of it is linked to you or used for tracking. None of it falls in Apple's most sensitive categories (health, financial, location, contacts or your own content). In total the label lists 1 data type; 25% of encrypted notes apps we checked declare tracking.
Bear Markdown Notes & Journal privacy in one look
- 1Collects nothing
- 2Not linked
- 3Linked
- 4Tracks you
Built only from the developer's App Store label. It describes disclosure, not tested behaviour.
Bear Markdown Notes & Journal collects some data but says none of it is linked to your identity, and none is used for tracking.
Did Bear Markdown Notes & Journal ask for something?
Pick the permission prompt you saw. We compare it with what Bear Markdown Notes & Journal's developer declared.
Location is not on Bear Markdown Notes & Journal's label. That can be fine: data used only on your iPhone does not have to be declared. If the data would need to leave the phone for the feature to work, ask why it is missing.
User Content is not on Bear Markdown Notes & Journal's label. That can be fine: data used only on your iPhone does not have to be declared. If the data would need to leave the phone for the feature to work, ask why it is missing.
Contacts is not on Bear Markdown Notes & Journal's label. That can be fine: data used only on your iPhone does not have to be declared. If the data would need to leave the phone for the feature to work, ask why it is missing.
Bear Markdown Notes & Journal declares no tracking, so a tracking prompt would contradict its label. Decline it, and consider reporting the mismatch to Apple.
Health & Fitness is not on Bear Markdown Notes & Journal's label. That can be fine: data used only on your iPhone does not have to be declared. If the data would need to leave the phone for the feature to work, ask why it is missing.
A permission is what the app can reach on your iPhone; the label is what the developer says leaves it. They answer different questions.
What Bear Markdown Notes & Journal collects, explained
| Data type | What it covers | Where to limit it |
|---|---|---|
| DiagnosticsNot linked to you | Crash logs, launch times, hang rates and energy use. | Settings › Privacy & Security › Analytics & Improvements › Share With App Developers controls what Apple passes on; the app's own crash reporting is separate. |
What Bear Markdown Notes & Journal's label means for you
Bear Markdown Notes & Journal's label has 1 type under “Data Not Linked to You”. A data type can appear in more than one section when it is used for different purposes — for example, identifiers used for both analytics and advertising.
Every type on Bear Markdown Notes & Journal's label is in the “not linked” section, so the developer says the data is stripped of anything that identifies you before it is used. That is typical of anonymous analytics and crash reporting. Not linked is still collected: the data leaves your phone.
None of the data types fall into the categories most people consider sensitive: health, financial information, precise location, contacts, browsing history or the content you create.
Notes apps quietly collect some of your most personal writing. 'Encrypted' can mean encrypted in transit, at rest on the server, or end-to-end — only the last keeps the developer out. Find which kind of encryption the developer documents, and whether a lost password means lost notes.
Among the 146 encrypted notes apps in our snapshot with a label, 25% declare tracking, 40% collect data linked to you and 40% say they collect nothing. Bear Markdown Notes & Journal lists 1 data type, about the same as the average of 1.8 for this group.
Productivity apps tend to collect the work you do in them — documents, notes and files — so User Content is common. The question is whether it syncs to the developer's servers and how it is protected there.
Settings to check for Bear Markdown Notes & Journal
- 1
Lock the app
On iOS 18 and later, touch and hold the icon and choose Require Face ID. Anyone who picks up your unlocked phone then needs your face, fingerprint or passcode to open it.
- 2
Notifications
Settings › Notifications › Bear Markdown Notes & Journal › Show Previews: When Unlocked keeps message and account details off the Lock Screen.
Does Bear Markdown Notes & Journal track you?
There is no “Data Used to Track You” section on Bear Markdown Notes & Journal's label.
Does Bear Markdown Notes & Journal track you? Full answer and how to stop it →
Lock Bear Markdown Notes & Journal behind Face ID
- Find Bear Markdown Notes & Journal on your Home Screen or in App Library.
- Touch and hold the icon until the quick-actions menu opens.
- Tap Require Face ID (or Require Touch ID / Require Passcode, depending on your iPhone).
- Tap Require Face ID again to confirm. Bear Markdown Notes & Journal now asks for authentication every time it opens.
The lock is an iPhone feature, so it works whether or not Bear Markdown Notes & Journal has a passcode of its own. It does not change what the app sends to its developer.
Lock or hide Bear Markdown Notes & Journal: step-by-step guide →
About Bear Markdown Notes & Journal
| Developer | Shiny Frog Ltd. |
| App Store category | Productivity (also Utilities) |
| Latest version | 3.0.3, released October 2026 |
| First released | November 2016 |
| Requires | iOS 16 or later |
| Size | 230 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ |
| Languages | 11 (EN, FR, DE, IT, JA, KO, PT, RU…) |
| Bundle ID | net.shinyfrog.bear-iOS |
The current version shipped in October 2026, so the app is actively maintained and its label is likely current. Labels are updated by developers when practices change.
What the label cannot tell you
- A label is self-reported. Apple publishes the developer's answers and can reject apps that misrepresent them, but it does not independently verify what Bear Markdown Notes & Journal sends.
- It does not say where data is stored, how long it is kept, whether it is encrypted, or which companies receive it. The privacy policy covers those points.
- Optional data counts: if a feature lets you add something (a profile photo, a phone number), the type is listed even if you never use the feature.
- Data handled only on your iPhone is not 'collected', so a no-collection label is compatible with an app that reads your files locally.
- Third-party sign-in, payment processors and SDKs are supposed to be included, but a label can lag behind a new version.
The question to ask Bear Markdown Notes & Journal's developer: Who holds the encryption key for my notes?
Bear Markdown Notes & Journal vs similar encrypted notes apps
- n+otes
- SNote
- Notebox
- Bear Markdown Notes & Journal (this app)
- NoteLocker
- Secure Notepad Pro
- Joplin
- JotNotes
Fewer types is not automatically safer: a cloud backup app has to collect your files to work. Compare like with like.
Look up any of our apps in seconds, or put two labels side by side.
Apps similar to Bear Markdown Notes & Journal
All encrypted notes apps → Who tracks you? A–Z → Apps that collect diagnostics → Privacy label decoder →
Your Bear Markdown Notes & Journal privacy checklist
Done. You have applied every control the label points to.
True or false?
- Right.Not quite.
False: there is no Data Used to Track You section on Bear Markdown Notes & Journal's label.
- Right.Not quite.
Labels are self-reported by developers. Apple can reject or remove apps that misrepresent practices, but it does not audit each label.
- Right.Not quite.
True: Diagnostics appears on its label, in the Not Linked to You section.
- Right.Not quite.
It is collected and sent; the developer says it is de-identified rather than tied to your account or device.
- Right.Not quite.
Apple's rules require apps to work the same whether or not you allow tracking.