What the App Never Does¶

A short list of promises, and an honest list of what no app can promise.

Private Authenticator never…¶

sends your setup keys or codes anywhere. Not to Pebble IT, not to anyone. The only copies outside your iPhone are the ones you choose to make: iCloud Keychain sync, backups, exports and the Apple Watch.
keeps your recovery key. It's shown once while you make a backup, then forgotten. Nobody can recover it.
shows a code without Face ID or Touch ID.
looks at your photos. When you save a backup to Photos, iOS grants the app permission to add pictures only, so it can't see your library. When you pick a screenshot or backup images, iOS shows you the picker and hands over only what you chose.
uses the camera for anything but scanning a QR code on the screen you're looking at.
collects analytics, shows adverts, or asks you to create an account.
connects to the internet, except to open two websites in your browser when you tap their links: the Pebble IT website and this documentation.
deletes an account by itself. Only you can, with Delete All Data, after Face ID or Touch ID.

Permission	When	Why
Camera	The first time you scan a QR code	To read the QR code
Add to Photos	The first time you save a backup to Photos	To save the backup images; it can't see anything else
Face ID or Touch ID	The first time you open a code	To confirm it's you

Everything else, such as the Files picker and the photo picker, is provided by iOS and needs no permission of its own.

If your phone is unlocked and the launch lock is off, whoever holds it can see your account names (not the codes).
If your phone is jailbroken or otherwise compromised, software running on it can read what the app reads. The Keychain and Face ID protect a normal iPhone.
A backup is as safe as its key. Anyone who has both the images and the key can restore your accounts.
A code on screen is a code on screen. If you read it out, screenshot it, or type it into a fake website, the app can't help.
The websites you sign in to have their own weaknesses. Two-step verification makes your accounts much harder to steal; it doesn't make the website itself secure.