The Catchlight Journalhttps://catchlight.app/journal/Notes on privacy, focus, and building software slowly.en-gbCan Apple read your notes?https://catchlight.app/journal/can-apple-read-your-notes/https://catchlight.app/journal/can-apple-read-your-notes/PrivacyMon, 06 Jul 2026 09:00:00 GMTThe short answer is yes, in most cases. Here’s why, what “encrypted in iCloud” really means, and what to do if that bothers you.The best private notes apps with no account (2026)https://catchlight.app/journal/best-private-notes-apps-no-account/https://catchlight.app/journal/best-private-notes-apps-no-account/ComparisonsSun, 05 Jul 2026 09:00:00 GMTAn honest roundup of note-taking apps you can use privately, some with no account at all, and how to tell real privacy from the marketing kind.The UK quietly lost Advanced Data Protection. Here’s what it means for your notes.https://catchlight.app/journal/uk-advanced-data-protection-what-to-do/https://catchlight.app/journal/uk-advanced-data-protection-what-to-do/PrivacyFri, 03 Jul 2026 09:00:00 GMTApple pulled its strongest iCloud privacy setting for new UK users. Here’s what it did, what changed, and how to keep your notes private now.What zero-knowledge actually means for your noteshttps://catchlight.app/journal/what-zero-knowledge-means-for-your-notes/https://catchlight.app/journal/what-zero-knowledge-means-for-your-notes/PrivacyTue, 30 Jun 2026 09:00:00 GMTMany claim their app is secure, but most of them don’t mean what you assume. Here’s an easy way, to tell the difference, in about 10 seconds.One Take. Why notes, tasks and reminders belong togetherhttps://catchlight.app/journal/one-take-notes-tasks-reminders/https://catchlight.app/journal/one-take-notes-tasks-reminders/ProductWed, 24 Jun 2026 09:00:00 GMTThe three-app shuffle is a habit, not a rule. What changes when a single thing can be all three at once?Your notes shouldn’t need an accounthttps://catchlight.app/journal/your-notes-shouldnt-need-an-account/https://catchlight.app/journal/your-notes-shouldnt-need-an-account/PrivacyThu, 18 Jun 2026 09:00:00 GMTSign-up walls are there to collect you, not to help you. A look at what “no account” is actually buying you.Apple Notes is great, until it isn’thttps://catchlight.app/journal/apple-notes-great-until-it-isnt/https://catchlight.app/journal/apple-notes-great-until-it-isnt/ComparisonsThu, 11 Jun 2026 09:00:00 GMTAn honest look at where the default starts to creak, and who should probably just stay put.The quiet case for offline-firsthttps://catchlight.app/journal/the-quiet-case-for-offline-first/https://catchlight.app/journal/the-quiet-case-for-offline-first/CraftThu, 04 Jun 2026 09:00:00 GMTWhy an app that works with no connection ends up faster, calmer, and more private almost by accident.How we designed the Irishttps://catchlight.app/journal/how-we-designed-the-iris/https://catchlight.app/journal/how-we-designed-the-iris/CraftThu, 28 May 2026 09:00:00 GMTThe little mark on every Take carries more weight than it looks. Here’s how it earned its place.A password manager for your thoughtshttps://catchlight.app/journal/a-password-manager-for-your-thoughts/https://catchlight.app/journal/a-password-manager-for-your-thoughts/PrivacyThu, 21 May 2026 09:00:00 GMTTwelve words, held only by you. What a Privacy Phrase is, and why we refuse to call it a seed phrase.Where the names came fromhttps://catchlight.app/journal/where-the-names-came-from/https://catchlight.app/journal/where-the-names-came-from/CraftThu, 14 May 2026 09:00:00 GMTCatchlight and Obie aren’t words we made up. We borrowed them from people who spent a century learning to light a human face, and there’s a real person in one.