Private map journal: local storage and iCloud explained

Locary journal content is stored on the device by default, while optional sync uploads a snapshot to your private iCloud database. Optional backup sends a copy to iCloud, and switching sync off does not delete an existing cloud snapshot.

Distinguish the journal from service information

Your memories can include coordinates, place names, dates, text, favourites, music metadata and chosen media. Map, geocoding and cloud services process the information needed for their functions. Review optional cloud storage separately from the journal kept on your phone.

A useful privacy question is therefore specific: where does the journal content go, and which services handle other information? A blanket statement that nothing ever leaves the phone would hide the optional upload paths. The policy says Gentleflow cannot browse your private iCloud content, but that is different from saying no service processes anything.

Know the default local copy

Places, entries and copied media live in the local app sandbox. Automatic photo footprints reference original assets in the system photo library, while attachments chosen by the user are copied into app storage. This distinction affects what exists independently of the photo library.

Local-by-default storage lets you choose whether to enable optional journal upload. It does not by itself create a second recoverable copy. Before removing an installation or changing devices, identify which copy you would rely on and whether it actually exists. Do not assume that a privacy-oriented default is automatically a backup plan.

Understand private iCloud upload

Optional upload uses the user’s private Apple cloud services database, not a Gentleflow memory server. The user chooses whether to enable it. Think of the documented implementation as a snapshot rather than assuming that every device can simultaneously edit and merge entries without conflict.

Turning sync off stops the choice to keep using that upload path, but it does not delete an existing cloud snapshot. If your concern is removing a cloud copy, switching the toggle alone should not be described as completing that separate goal. Keep the distinction between disabling future behaviour and deleting stored content visible in your own plan.

Treat restore as a replacement decision

To restore a private iCloud snapshot, first confirm that a saved copy exists. Review the snapshot before replacing the journal on your phone.

Restore can replace local data and asks when the local store is nonempty. Read the confirmation as a data decision rather than routine navigation. If you have newer local memories, consider how to preserve them before choosing replacement. This guide does not promise an automatic merge option or an automatic reconciliation of every local and cloud difference.

Use export for a different kind of copy

ZIP export contains JSON and app-managed media. It is a distinct backup form from the private iCloud snapshot. Imported photo originals remain in the system photo library, so the archive should not be treated as a complete independent copy of the entire source library.

When deciding what to keep, identify both journal records and media dependencies. A readable note without the source photo may preserve a memory differently from the original picture. See journal export for a practical inspection sequence and photo footprints for the source-library distinction.

Decide with the limits in view

No Gentleflow account is required for ordinary use; optional cloud features use Apple services and the relevant account. The app is iOS and iPadOS, not a demonstrated shared Android or desktop journal. Choose storage based on the actual platform and available copies rather than a generic “sync everywhere” expectation.

Where to get it

Locary offers a local-by-default place journal with optional private iCloud upload and ZIP export. Inspect those storage choices if you want a personal map journal and prefer to decide explicitly when journal content also has a cloud copy.