Your viewing data, explained.

What ShowNext processes

ShowNext connects to one Trakt account only after the person authorizes it. The app downloads the account name, library, viewing progress, lists, ratings, collection, and related activity needed for tracking and synchronization. A local copy lets the app open and accept actions without waiting for the network.

ShowNext may request show, movie, person, artwork, and watch-provider metadata from TMDB. Watch-provider availability originates from JustWatch through TMDB and is displayed informationally with attribution. ShowNext does not send a Trakt credential to either service. Persisted TMDB media and person records expire at the six-calendar-month boundary. Bounded genres, runtimes, cast, release, and popularity evidence may inform private ShowNext features.

The current candidate combines TMDB-backed product surfaces with OpenAI-backed intelligence. TMDB’s published developer terms include separate language about AI-based applications. Thomas accepted that unresolved terms question as a deferred owner-review risk for the free, noncommercial friends-and-family TestFlight candidate. This is not represented as legal or provider clearance, and provider permission must be revisited before any paid or otherwise commercial release.

When private iCloud synchronization is enabled, ShowNext-owned preferences, such as snoozes, notification choices, viewing-profile signals, and other private app overlays, may be stored in the person’s private iCloud container. Community-site identity, comments, and votes remain separate and are never joined to Trakt identity or viewing history.

Trakt authorization

ShowNext operates no account, token, or viewing-history server in the current release path. The app presents Trakt’s authorization page and exchanges the returned one-time code directly from the device with Trakt. Refresh requests also go directly from the device to Trakt, and resulting user tokens are stored in the device Keychain.

The native Release build masks the shared app-registration credential as an app-hardening measure. Native masking cannot make a shared credential perfectly confidential and does not change what personal data ShowNext processes.

On-device storage, private iCloud, and deletion

Confirmed Trakt data remains on the device until the person disconnects, deletes ShowNext data, or completes the explicit account-replacement flow. ShowNext-owned private-iCloud choices remain until deletion converges across the person’s devices. A verified deletion may retain a bounded recovery record for 30 days; retrying deletion does not extend that window.

Deleting ShowNext data removes the local credential, downloaded library, pending ShowNext actions, private choices, metadata, derived intelligence artifacts, and signed-in widget projection. It never deletes or changes the person’s Trakt history, watchlist, ratings, collection, or lists.

Diagnostics and support reports

Support reports are created locally only after the person requests one. Nothing is uploaded automatically. The default report includes app and sync status counts but excludes credentials, tokens, usernames, comments, titles, viewing details, and provider payloads. The person reviews the exact report and chooses whether and where to share it.

If a person chooses to send a report to LifeWithTech, only Thomas/LifeWithTech may access it. Support correspondence and attached reports are deleted within 30 days after the request is resolved, or sooner on request.

The chosen transport and email provider may process the message while delivering and storing it during that period.

Intelligence, voice, purchases, and providers

ShowNext requires a user-supplied OpenAI Platform API key for its intended intelligence experience. The key is stored in the device Keychain and pays OpenAI directly; it is separate from a ChatGPT subscription. ShowNext sends only the material needed for the enabled capability, which may include a question, live microphone audio during an explicit voice session, the visible title or season identity, bounded ShowNext tool results, library-derived signals, or an Encore web-research request. OpenAI Responses requests are made with storage disabled where supported. Each request records tokens, estimated cost, model, latency, and outcome locally in AI Usage.

People review six default-on choices and explicitly enable ShowNext Intelligence after key verification. They can later disable Ask and follow-ups, OpenAI voice, new-season Encores, imported-library Encore backfill, personalized discovery, or library intelligence in Settings. Existing local library data and completed Encores are not erased when a capability is turned off. No developer-funded shared OpenAI key is active.

The App Store privacy label conservatively discloses linked Audio Data, Customer Support, Other User Content, User ID, Product Interaction, and Other Diagnostic Data, plus Search History that is not linked to identity. All are used for App Functionality; Product Interaction is also used for Product Personalization. No disclosed data type is used for tracking.

Apple processes optional App Store purchases. ShowNext does not sell personal information, show third-party advertising, or use cross-app tracking.

Choices and contact

People can disconnect Trakt, delete ShowNext data, control notifications, disable reward sounds and haptics, and review a redacted support report from Settings.

ShowNext does not use a separate privacy-choices URL. Choices and deletion controls are available in ShowNext Settings. Privacy questions, access requests, and deletion requests use the public ShowNext privacy contact.

Material changes will be described in an updated policy before the affected feature ships.