Last updated: September 22, 2026
Proref is a reference-board app for artists, made by Oliver Atienza. The short version: Proref does not collect any data about you. Everything you make in the app stays on your device. This page explains that in detail.
All of your boards, images, drawings, finished artworks, critique notes, and settings are stored locally on your device. Proref has no accounts, no sign-in, and no server of its own — nothing you create is uploaded anywhere. If you delete the app, its data is deleted with it — so anything you want to keep, export a backup of first (Settings → Back up & restore) and save that file somewhere of your own.
When you export a board, Proref writes a single file containing that board and its images, on your device. That file is a copy of your own data under your control — it only goes where you choose to send or share it, and no copy is sent to us.
Your art journey is part of that. The finished pieces you add, the dates and titles you give them, which ones you mark as favourites, and the critique notes you write about your own work all stay on your device, exactly like your boards. Critique notes are your own words about your own work — Proref never reads them, sends them, or uses them for anything.
Exporting a backup writes a single file containing everything in Proref: every board and its images, every finished piece with its dates, titles, favourites and critique notes, and your app settings. It never contains your purchase — restoring a backup cannot unlock Pro on another device.
Proref does not upload that file anywhere. It is written on your device and handed to your system share sheet, so it goes only where you send it — Files, iCloud Drive, another app, whoever you choose. No copy comes to us.
A backup is not encrypted. Anyone who has the file can open it and read what is in it, so store it somewhere you are happy for your work to live.
Proref contains no analytics, no advertising, no crash reporting, and no third-party tracking of any kind. We don't know who you are, and we can't see what you make.
Proref asks for photo library and camera permission only so you can add images to your boards and add finished pieces to your art journey. Images you add are used only inside the app on your device. Proref never scans your library beyond what you pick, and never sends your photos anywhere.
When you add an image from the web (by URL or by dragging it in), your device fetches that image directly from its source. That request goes from your device to the website hosting the image — it does not pass through us, because there is no "us" in the middle.
The one-time Proref Pro purchase is processed entirely by the store you bought it from — Apple through the App Store, or Google through Google Play. Proref never sees your payment details. The only thing stored on your device is whether Pro is unlocked.
The "Request a feature" and "Report a bug" buttons in Settings open a draft email in your own mail app, pre-filled with basic device details (device model, OS version, screen size) and the app version — context that helps us help you. The draft is fully visible before you send it, and you can edit or delete any of it. Nothing is sent unless you press send, and nothing is collected any other way.
If a future version of Proref changes how it handles data (for example, optional iCloud sync), this policy will be updated before that version ships, and the date above will change.
Questions about privacy? Email support@proref.app.