WhatThePDF privacy.

This policy covers WhatThePDF Host for Mac, iPhone, and iPad; the built-in Mac Player mode; WhatThePDF Player for iPhone, iPad, and Mac; the browser player; and whatthepdf.app. Last updated August 10, 2026.

What reaches the developer

Nothing by default. The apps send us no analytics, account data, advertising identifiers, music, or activity. WhatThePDF has no account system, tracking SDK, or WhatThePDF cloud server. If you choose Personal iCloud Library, WhatThePDF on Mac contacts Apple's iCloud service as explained below. Apple also processes the optional Host trial and purchase under Trial and Host Unlock.

If you email support, we receive the information you choose to send us.

How pages are shared with your band

The Host device sends pages directly to connected browsers and Player apps over a local network or direct Apple peer-to-peer Wi-Fi connection. This information does not pass through a WhatThePDF server or Apple. There is no server copy of the show:

• Keyed sessions are end-to-end encrypted. A scanned QR join or a PIN room encrypts every connection from the Host to each player's device, and the PIN itself never travels over the air. A room with no PIN is open by design, and older devices may join it unencrypted.
• The name you type when joining is shown to the host and the other players so the group knows who is connected. It travels to the Host only and is remembered on your own device for next time.
• Score pages and markings travel from the Host to players in the room. Markings appear on connected screens as you draw them.
• A player's private ink stays private. Pen and highlighter marks created in a Player app or browser remain in that Player's local storage. They are never reported to the host, included in readiness diagnostics, or sent to WhatThePDF.
• The Player app caches pages as they arrive. Pages already received remain available through a brief interruption while Player retries. Player saves a received show automatically unless you turn auto-save off or the Host marks the show ephemeral. A saved show becomes available offline after it reports Ready and remains until you delete it.
• An ephemeral show leaves nothing on player devices. When the Host starts an ephemeral show, Player apps refuse saves and clear their received-page cache after the show, including after a force quit. The browser keeps pages only in memory for that session. Ending the show ends every player copy outside the Host device.
• Soundcheck readiness stays on the Host device. Player apps report technical state such as app version, cache progress, selected Master/part mode, page position, and connection health. The optional diagnostics export omits player names, score and setlist titles, PDF contents and paths, purchase information, and device hardware identifiers.

Your music

By default, your PDFs, setlists, markings, and library remain on your device. They leave only when you share rendered pages across a local or peer-to-peer connection. On Mac, you can also enable Personal iCloud Library for your own Macs. We never receive or store your music.

Personal iCloud Library

On macOS 14 or later, you can choose to keep a Personal iCloud Library. It uses the Apple Account already signed in to your Macs. There is no WhatThePDF account or separate sign-in. WhatThePDF stores the library in your private CloudKit database so your Macs can download their own full offline copies. This uses your iCloud storage.

We do not run the sync server and cannot browse your private library. Apple provides iCloud and handles that data under Apple's privacy policy. You can leave Personal iCloud Library off and continue using WhatThePDF entirely locally.

A Mac connecting for the first time must download and verify the cloud library before it can be allowed to upload. Files already on that Mac stay separate for you to review, and adding them requires a separate Review & Publish confirmation. An error or an incomplete download is never treated as an empty library. Score and marking versions are kept so restoring an earlier one creates a new version instead of deleting later work.

Trial and Host Unlock

The apps are free to download, and joining a show is free. If you start the optional 14-day Host trial, Apple records a no-cost App Store transaction so the trial is available once per Apple Account and can survive reinstalling the app. The trial never renews or charges automatically.

Host Unlock is a one-time in-app purchase processed by Apple through StoreKit under Apple's privacy policy. One universal purchase covers Mac, iPad, and iPhone and supports Family Sharing. WhatThePDF receives only the signed transaction and entitlement information needed on your device to decide whether Host is unlocked. We do not receive your card details, Apple Account email, purchase history, or device name, and we do not run a purchase server. There is no license key. Restore Purchases asks Apple to restore the entitlement for the Apple Account signed into the App Store.

This site

No cookies, no analytics, and the site does not load tracking content from other companies. If you email support, we receive only the information you choose to include and use it to answer your request.

Changes

If our data practices change, we will update this page and the date above before the change takes effect.

Questions: hello@whatthepdf.app · Support