Tessera: QR Code Scanner

This privacy policy applies to the Tessera app (the "Application") for iOS on iPhone and iPad, created by Cihat SALIK (the "Service Provider"). The Application is offered as a service and is intended for use "AS IS".

Tessera is a QR and barcode scanner and a QR designer. What you scan, what you design and the history of both are stored on your device.

Tessera has no backend. There is no account, no sign-in, no analytics SDK, no crash reporter and no advertising framework. Nothing you scan, design, export or search for is sent to the Service Provider, and the Service Provider has no way to see it.

Scanning, decoding, link-safety checking, rendering and exporting all run on your device. The only network traffic otherwise connected to the App is Apple's own: the App Store downloads and updates it, and StoreKit verifies your purchases.

There is a single exception to the above, and it is opt-in every time. When a scanned link uses a URL shortener, the result card offers "Reveal destination". Only if you tap it does the App send one request to that shortener's own server to read where the link points, and it deliberately does not follow the redirect.

That request goes to the shortener, not to the Service Provider. It uses an ephemeral URLSession configuration that accepts and stores no cookies, so it carries no identifier of yours beyond the fact that the shortened link was looked up. The revealed address is shown to you and nothing else. If you never tap it, the request is never made.

Every other safety check — the real domain, punycode lookalike detection, the shortener and http warnings, and the payment or App Store deep-link notices — is computed on the device with no network access at all.

The camera is used to look for codes in the live viewfinder. No frame is recorded, saved or transmitted; frames are analyzed and discarded. Scanning from an image reads only the photo, screenshot or PDF page you pick through the system picker, which gives the App no access to the rest of your library.

The App asks to add to your photo library only when you save a code or a design you made. That is add-only access and does not let it read your library.

When a scanned code holds a contact, an event or a Wi-Fi network, Tessera offers an action rather than performing one. Contacts access is requested only when you choose to save a scanned contact; calendar write access only when you choose to add a scanned event; and joining a Wi-Fi network is handed to iOS through Apple's Hotspot Configuration, which asks you for confirmation itself. The App does not read your existing contacts, calendars or saved networks.

Your scan history, the codes you create, My Codes, folders, favorites, Recently Deleted (soft-deleted items are purged after 30 days) and your preferences are kept in a local SwiftData store in a shared App Group container, so that the widgets, the Control Center control and the Action extension can read the codes you pinned. That container is on your device. Purchase and subscription state comes from Apple's StoreKit. None of it is transmitted to the Service Provider.

You can delete any item or clear your history from within the App, and deleting the App removes its store with it. CSV export writes wherever you send it.

Tessera is a SwiftUI app built on Apple's frameworks, with no third-party SDKs:

• VisionKit (DataScannerViewController) — the live scanner.

• Vision — decoding codes in images and PDFs, and decoding your own design during the scannability check.

• Core Image and Core Graphics — QR matrix generation and rendering; Core Graphics and a custom SVG writer produce the print exports.

• SwiftData with an App Group container — the local library shared with the extensions.

• StoreKit 2 — purchases and entitlements.

• NetworkExtension (Hotspot Configuration) — joining a scanned Wi-Fi network, with Apple's own confirmation.

• WidgetKit and App Intents — widgets, the Control Center control and App Shortcuts.

• Foundation's URLSession — used in exactly one place, the opt-in "Reveal destination" check described above.

Tessera writes static codes: the data lives inside the code itself. No scan of a code you made is counted, logged or routed through a server, and the code keeps working if the App is deleted or a subscription ends. There is nothing to track, because there is nothing in the middle.

The Application contains no analytics or tracking SDK and shows no third-party advertising. It does not track you across apps or websites, does not require an account with the Service Provider, and does not sell or share personal information. If analytics or similar tools are added in a future version, this policy will be updated to describe them.

The scanner, the safe-link preview and basic codes are free. Tessera Pro adds the premium styles, textures and gradients, logos and frames, SVG and PDF export, the templates, CSV batch generation, more than three folders and more than one widget code. It is offered weekly with a 3-day free trial, annually, or as one lifetime payment. Payments are processed by Apple through the App Store. The Service Provider does not receive or store your payment card details. Apple's handling of purchases, renewals and restores is governed by Apple's own terms and privacy practices.

The Service Provider does not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 through Tessera. The Application requires no account and sends nothing to the Service Provider, so there is nothing for it to collect.

If you have any question about this, contact the Service Provider at cihatsalik1@gmail.com.

The security of your on-device history and codes depends on your device passcode and biometric settings. The Service Provider recommends keeping iOS up to date and using the device security features offered by Apple. Treat a scanned code as untrusted input: Tessera shows you a link's real destination before you open it, but the decision to open it is yours.

This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time. Material changes will be reflected by updating this page and the "Last updated" information where shown. Continued use of the Application after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or Tessera, contact the Service Provider at cihatsalik1@gmail.com.