GiftKey Privacy policy and support

GiftKey collects no data whatsoever. Neither the app nor the keyboard contains any networking code — not disabled, absent. Nothing you scan or type can leave your device, because there is no code capable of sending it.

Privacy policy

Last updated: 3 August 2026. This policy covers the GiftKey iOS app and the GiftKey keyboard extension bundled with it.

What is collected

Nothing. GiftKey has no analytics, no crash reporting, no advertising SDK, no third-party dependencies of any kind, and no server. There is no account to create and no data to collect. Its App Store privacy label is Data Not Collected.

What GiftKey can see

• Camera. Used only to read a barcode. Frames are decoded on your device by Apple's own frameworks, are never written to disk, never saved to your photo library, and never transmitted.
• The text field you are editing. GiftKey writes into it. It never reads what is already there. It does not log keystrokes — it has no letter keys to log.
• Your settings. Your validation filter, prefix, suffix and barcode type choices are stored in a private container on your device, shared between the app and the keyboard so both agree. They never leave the device.

Scanned codes

A scanned code exists in memory only long enough to be typed. The single exception is "Scan in app" mode, where the code passes from the app to the keyboard through a private on-device container. That handoff is deleted the moment the keyboard uses it, and expires by itself after 60 seconds.

Why the keyboard asks for Full Access

Two mechanical reasons, and no others:

• iOS will not let a keyboard extension open the camera without Full Access, and scanning is the entire point of the app.
• A keyboard without Full Access cannot read the shared container holding your settings, so it would have no idea what you configured.

Full Access is a broad permission and it is reasonable to be wary of any keyboard requesting it. The honest answer is that GiftKey cannot misuse it, because it has no means of transmitting anything.

Children

GiftKey is rated 4+ and collects no data from anyone, of any age.

Changes

If GiftKey ever collects anything, this page will say so plainly before that version ships, and the App Store privacy label will change to match.

Support

Setting it up

1. Settings › General › Keyboard › Keyboards › Add New Keyboard › GiftKey
2. Tap GiftKey in that list and turn on Allow Full Access
3. In any app, tap a text field, press the globe key until GiftKey appears, then tap Scan

Common problems

Nothing happens when I tap Scan. Check, in order: Full Access is on for GiftKey; camera access is allowed in Settings › GiftKey › Camera; and the barcode type you are scanning is enabled in GiftKey › Settings › Barcode types.

A code was rejected and nothing was typed. A validation filter is on and the code did not match it. The built-in "Gift card (8-20 digits)" filter only accepts 8 to 20 digits — that is deliberate, so a product barcode cannot land in a gift card field. Change or turn it off in Settings.

My settings do not seem to apply. Full Access is off. Without it the keyboard cannot read your settings.

The keyboard feels sluggish on my iPhone. Switch Settings › Scan mode to In app. GiftKey opens full screen to scan, then hands the code back to the keyboard. It is the better mode on older devices.

I cannot switch to GiftKey in a numeric field. Some apps force a number pad with no keyboard switcher. No custom keyboard can be selected there. Use "Scan in app" mode and paste instead.

Contact

Email mgroves5022@outlook.com. Include your iPhone model, iOS version, and the app you were scanning into.