Last updated: 12 October 2026
The Mental Load is published by Dataloup. Contact [email protected] about your information or this policy.
Your household is saved on your device. Some features use online services. The app has no separate Mental Load login, but AI, email forwarding, weather and optional iCloud backup process information beyond your phone. The optional Pack Money connection brings selected financial information into the Money tab; this policy describes its data flows.
Household information on your device
You may record family names, relationships, ages, birthdays, schools, activities, employment details, notes, appointments, renewals and household staff details. Lists, assignments, captured notes and generated suggestions are stored locally. The widget and share extension use shared app storage where needed to display items or accept something you explicitly share.
Assignments are your private reference. The app does not send a task to the person named in it or automatically share your household with a partner. This differs from the shared records and Telegram groups you may use in Pack Money.
Local files use iOS file protection. Keep your device protected with a passcode. Local storage does not mean information never leaves the device: the features below can use relevant context.
Optional iCloud backup
If enabled, backup writes a household snapshot to the private CloudKit database in your own iCloud account. It includes household records, lists, notes, names and saved suggestions, along with a backup date and device name. Apple operates this storage under Apple’s privacy policy.
For the Pack Money connection, imported reminders and your local notes are included. The connection token and spending/savings/limits summary are excluded. Restoring a backup requires reconnection before Pack Money can provide fresh information.
Use Settings → Backup → Delete iCloud backup to remove the app-managed backup. Deleting the app does not delete that backup or other exported copies. Apple’s separate device-backup and recovery settings also apply.
AI features
The app routes AI requests through our Cloudflare Worker to the Anthropic Claude API.
| Feature | Information sent |
|---|---|
| Weekly radar | Family context, upcoming recorded dates, eligible open-item titles and recent captured notes |
| Say or type it | The submitted text, family context and eligible open-item titles |
| Import dates | Selected images or rendered PDF pages, plus eligible existing titles for duplicate checks |
| Suggestions after adding an item | The new task, its detail and due date, family context and eligible open-item titles |
| Email forwarding | Forwarded content processed to extract dated items, as described below |
Family context can include names, ages, schools, activities, work notes and renewal dates. Requests include the app’s language. Calendar-derived task titles may enter eligible open-item context; the app does not upload your entire calendar as a calendar database.
Some requests happen as part of a feature, such as suggestions after adding an item, rather than through a separate chat screen. Generated results are saved on the device. The Pack Money connection excludes imported reminders, their local notes and money summaries from these AI requests. Information you separately type or select yourself may still be sent; do not include secrets.
These online features do not replace a backup of your saved household. Server-side logging and retention details are described under Choices, retention and privacy requests below. Provider processing and retention follow applicable terms; we do not promise every provider copy is immediately erased.
Anthropic states that commercial API inputs and outputs are not used for training by default. See its commercial data-use explanation and commercial terms. Cloudflare processes traffic under its privacy policy.
Optional email forwarding
Email forwarding is off until you enable it in Settings. The app creates a private forwarding address. The service receives emails you forward there, including text and supported image or PDF attachments, to find dated items through the AI service.
Extracted results wait on the server for review, associated with your installation. They can include a title, date, type, short note, source display name or domain, and receipt status. You choose which dates to keep; they are not automatically added to your lists.
Reviewing or clearing queued results sends a deletion request to the service. This does not by itself establish when server-side deletion completes or that every copy has been removed. Copies in your own sent mail, the sender’s service and provider systems have their own retention rules.
Regenerate the address or turn forwarding off in Settings. Turning it off sends a request to remove the address and pending results; an internet connection is needed to send that request. Keep the address private and replace it if someone else obtains it.
Optional Pack Money connection
The following describes the optional, read-only connection based on the reviewed native app code. It does not establish server retention, deletion or logging for the separate email and AI features.
You choose the permissions for a connection to your own Pack Money household. The Mental Load reads selected reminders directly from that household service. Separate permissions can add spending, savings, goals and chosen category limits in the Money tab. The feed excludes raw bank messages and the full transaction ledger.
The app sends the token to the approved Pack Money address over HTTPS. It keeps the token in device-only Keychain storage. Reminder and overview data are cached locally, with the last successful update and stale-information warnings. Updates are checked while the app is open, at most once every 15 minutes unless you refresh manually.
This is read-only. Completing a reminder, changing its assignee or writing a local note does not pay a bill or change Pack Money’s financial records. Imported financial data is excluded from The Mental Load AI context. Backup differences are explained above.
The controls allow you to disconnect and choose whether to retain imported reminders and local notes. The money summary is cleared on disconnect or authorisation failure. Revoking the token in Pack Money also stops further use of that credential. Revocation cannot erase copies already on a phone or in a backup. See Pack Money’s privacy policy.
Permissions and Apple services
- Calendar: the app reads upcoming events to suggest preparation and can write dates you explicitly choose to import. Relevant task titles may enter AI context as described above.
- Location and weather: approximate location is used to request Apple Weather forecasts for household prompts. It is not sent to our AI proxy as a location field. See weather data attribution.
- Photos and files: the app reads images or documents you select for date extraction, not your entire library. Selected content is sent when you request extraction.
- Microphone and speech recognition: dictation uses Apple’s speech recognition, which may process audio through Apple’s services. Resulting text enters the AI request when submitted.
- Notifications: reminders are scheduled locally. Notification previews can reveal item information on your lock screen; control previews in iOS Settings.
Refuse or revoke permissions in iOS Settings to stop the related feature. Saved lists work offline; AI, weather, email and iCloud backup need a connection, as do Pack Money updates.
Purchases and technical records
If you buy the combined pack in The Mental Load, we verify Apple-signed purchase information and keep a purchase-to-household association so you can set up or recover the same Pack Money household. The service stores purchase and transaction identifiers linked to the allocated household. You choose a separate Pack Money sign-in; its email does not need to match your Apple purchase identity, including Hide My Email. Apple handles the in-app payment; we do not receive your card details or obtain your private email address from the Apple-signed purchase information. See Pack Money’s privacy policy for its account and cloud financial records.
Apple handles Mental Load Premium purchases and any existing subscriptions. We do not receive your card number or bank credentials. App Store transaction information determines access and accompanies paid AI requests. Manage or cancel subscriptions through your Apple account.
A random installation identifier, purchase information, usage counts and request metadata support access checks, rate limits and abuse prevention. These are distinct from an advertising identifier. Cloudflare may process IP addresses, request times and error information to serve and secure requests. Support emails contain whatever you send us.
We use information to provide requested features, secure and maintain the service, answer support requests and meet legal obligations. Where applicable, the basis is providing the service, legitimate interests in security and support, legal requirements or consent for an optional feature. Providers may process information outside your country under applicable terms and transfer arrangements.
We do not sell household information, show ads, use advertising identifiers or include third-party advertising or tracking SDKs. The services above still need the information described.
Choices, retention and privacy requests
Edit or remove local records inside the app. Deleting the app removes its local application data; it does not erase an iCloud backup, email queue, source Pack Money database or provider records. Keychain credentials can outlast an app installation, so revoke unused Pack Money connections in the source service.
To reduce online processing, disconnect optional integrations, disable backup and email forwarding, and stop using the relevant AI or online features. Contact us for confirmation of a server-held record’s deletion.
Local and iCloud information remains until you remove it through the controls described. Support correspondence is kept as needed to handle your request and meet legal obligations, with provider recovery and retention rules applying to their copies.
Server retention and deletion: Email-queue expiry, server-side deletion behaviour, the content included in service logs and log retention have not yet been verified. We cannot currently promise automatic queue expiry, logs without household content or immediate server deletion. Contact [email protected] if you need these details before using online features.
Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, export or erase information, restrict or object to processing, withdraw consent or complain to your data-protection authority. Contact [email protected]. We may need to verify your request and identify the installation or service concerned; we cannot retrieve a local-only household from our servers.
Children, security and changes
The app is for adults managing a household. Parents or guardians may record information about children in their care; include only what you need. That information follows the same local, backup and AI rules. We do not knowingly solicit information directly from children.
Network requests use HTTPS and access controls, but no system guarantees absolute security. Protect your device, forwarding address and connection credentials. We will update this policy and its date when practices change, with additional notice where required.