Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 6, 2026

Everything DockPops knows about you stays on your Mac. There are no analytics, no tracking, no cloud sync, and no telemetry. We don't run a server, and we never see your data. The few exceptions are listed under “What DockPops sends out” below. They differ a little between the Mac App Store version and the version you download from this website, so where they differ, both are given.

What DockPops stores

All of this is kept locally on your Mac:

  • Your Pops — names, contents, sort orders, colors, and icon choices.
  • Per-Pop preferences — each Pop's view, columns, sort order, styling, Dock icon settings, and which Dock icons it shows with.
  • Launch counts — how often you've opened each app from DockPops. Used for the “Most Used” sort order and by the Assistant (see below).
  • Onboarding state — whether you've seen the welcome sheet.
  • Premium — in the App Store version, a single flag saying you've bought Premium; in the direct download, your license key and when it was last checked.

Where it's stored

  • In DockPops's own storage on your Mac — its database and preferences.
  • Images you import (custom Dock icons and Pop backgrounds) are kept in DockPops's shared folder on your Mac.
  • Nothing is stored on any DockPops server. We don't have one.

What DockPops sends out

Almost nothing. The complete list of network activity DockPops can produce:

  • Favicon fetches — when you save a link to a Pop, DockPops fetches a small icon file from the site's own domain so the link looks right in your grid. One short request per saved URL; no other data is included.
  • When you click an item that opens a URL, your browser makes the request — not DockPops.
  • When you email support — only if you choose to.

Mac App Store version

  • When you buy Premium or restore a purchase, StoreKit talks to Apple's servers. DockPops never sees your Apple ID or payment information.
  • When you click “Download DockPops Companion” in the Multiple Dock Icons tab, that's a normal browser download from GitHub.
  • When you use the Assistant on a Mac where Apple's Private Cloud Compute is available (see below).

Aside from favicon fetches and the Assistant, the App Store version never reaches the internet on its own.

Direct download

  • Update checks — DockPops checks for a new version when it opens and once a day, from DockPops's update page on GitHub. You can also choose DockPops → Check for Updates…. No personal data is sent.
  • Your license — when you activate or deactivate a license, and now and then to confirm it's still valid, DockPops contacts the license service (Lemon Squeezy) with your license key.

Aside from favicon fetches, update checks, and license checks, the direct download never reaches the internet on its own.

SmartyPops

SmartyPops uses Apple Intelligence on your Mac (macOS 26 or later). Its model runs entirely on your Mac; your Pops and apps never leave the device. If your Mac doesn't support Apple Intelligence, SmartyPops uses a built-in, offline method based on your installed apps' categories.

The Assistant

The Assistant (macOS 27, Premium) uses Apple Intelligence to answer your requests. The conversation is kept in memory while the setup window is open and is gone when you close it.

Mac App Store version: Private Cloud Compute

When Apple's Private Cloud Compute is available, DockPops uses it; otherwise the request is answered by the model on your Mac. There's no DockPops setting for this choice. If the model on your Mac isn't available — for example, while it's still downloading — the Assistant can still answer through Private Cloud Compute when that's available.

With each request, DockPops sends:

  • what you typed, and the conversation so far;
  • the selected Pop's settings and its items — their names and kinds, app categories, and how often you've opened them from DockPops;
  • the names of your other Pops and how many items each holds;
  • the names of the apps installed on your Mac, so the Assistant can find the ones you ask for.

Private Cloud Compute is Apple's service. Apple designs it to use your data only to answer your request, and not to store it. DockPops has no server of its own and never sees or keeps your requests.

Direct download: on your Mac only

The Assistant runs only on your Mac, using the Apple Intelligence model on the device. Your requests, your Pops, and your apps never leave the Mac.

Share Extension

When you share a link into DockPops from Safari or another app, the Share Extension reads only the URL you explicitly shared. It does not read your browsing history, your open tabs, or anything else.

DockPops Companion

DockPops Companion is a free sibling app for the Mac App Store version that provides extra Dock icons for your Pops. It communicates with DockPops locally on your Mac, has no analytics and no tracking, and stores nothing on any server.

Analytics, tracking, and telemetry

DockPops contains no analytics SDKs, no crash reporters that phone home, and no usage tracking. If something goes wrong and you choose to share a crash report, macOS offers to send it to Apple — and from Apple to us — only at your discretion.

DockPops ships with an Apple-required Privacy Manifest declaring no data collection. You can review it in the app bundle at DockPops.app/Contents/Resources/PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy.

This website

dockpops.com uses Google Analytics to count visits and see which pages are read. Google sets cookies to do this and receives standard request information, such as your IP address and browser. This applies to the website only — the DockPops app contains no analytics.

Visitors in Europe are asked first, and Google Analytics doesn't load until they allow it. Anyone can allow or decline analytics cookies at any time with Cookie settings at the bottom of every page; the choice is kept in your browser.

Changes to this policy

If we change how DockPops handles data, we'll update this page and the “Last updated” date above.

Contact

Questions about privacy? Email dockpops@pixleygrowth.com.

DockPops is made by Pixley Growth LLC.