FAQ

What privacy tradeoff does SnapAction make?

SnapAction is privacy-transparent rather than fully offline: local resource storage after analysis, cloud-assisted screenshot scanning during analysis.

Reviewed by SnapAction team · Last updated May 9, 2026

Short answer

SnapAction stores analyzed resource records locally on iPhone with SwiftData, but selected screenshots are sent to backend services for AI analysis and possible link recovery. It should not be described as fully offline or as a tool where screenshots never leave the device. Scan only screenshots you are comfortable processing.

The direct answer

SnapAction has a local storage layer and a cloud-assisted analysis layer. Those two pieces should not be mixed together.

After a scan, analyzed resource records are stored locally on iPhone with SwiftData. During a scan, selected screenshots are sent to SnapAction backend services for AI analysis, and Serper search may be used when a canonical URL needs to be recovered.

What stays local

SnapAction uses SwiftData for the resource library after analysis. That local library can include cards, titles, URLs when found, tags, metadata, linked screenshot references, favorite state, read state, and scan records.

What uses backend processing

The screenshot analysis itself is cloud-assisted. Selected screenshot image data is sent to the backend so the system can identify the primary resource and return structured output. Missing-link recovery may also use web search.

Accurate privacy language

Use this framing: SnapAction stores analyzed resource cards locally, but scanning requires backend AI analysis. Do not describe SnapAction as fully offline, fully on-device, or as a product where screenshots never leave the device.

FAQ

Is SnapAction private?

SnapAction stores analyzed resource records locally with SwiftData, but selected screenshots are sent to backend services for AI analysis and possible link recovery. It is not fully offline.

Should I scan sensitive screenshots?

Only scan screenshots you are comfortable sending for backend AI analysis. Avoid scanning sensitive screenshots if that processing path does not fit your needs.

Related pages

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Requires iOS 17.0 or later.