Pixel Drop collects nothing.
No accounts, no analytics, no advertising, no network requests. Everything the app does happens on your Mac and stays there. The rest of this page is the detail Apple and you both deserve.
Who this policy covers
This policy applies to Pixel Drop for macOS ("Pixel Drop", "the app"), published by Nicholas Grey, Milano, Italy ("we", "us"). It also applies to this website. Questions about it go to milano@greyinds.com.
What we collect
Pixel Drop does not collect, transmit, sell, rent, or share personal data. We do not operate servers that receive information from the app, we do not build user profiles, and we do not use your data for advertising or for training any model. The app makes no network connections in normal use.
We cannot identify you, and we have no way to link any activity in the app to a person.
What the app accesses on your Mac
The pixel you select
When you sample, the app reads the color value of the single on-screen pixel under your cursor, plus the small area shown in the magnifier while you aim. macOS requires Screen Recording permission for this. No screenshot is saved, no image is written to disk, and nothing is sent anywhere.
The clipboard
The app writes the sampled color to your clipboard in your chosen format. It writes only; it does not read the existing contents of your clipboard.
Local color history
Recently sampled color values are kept locally so you can copy them again. They are color values only — no timestamps of use, no application names, no screen content.
Preferences
Your copy format, keyboard shortcut, and launch-at-login preference are stored locally. Launch at login is registered with macOS only when you switch it on.
Processing happens locally
Sampling and all color conversion — HEX, RGB, HSL — are performed on your device by the app. No color, image, or preference is processed by us or by any third party.
Where it is stored
Color history and preferences are stored in the app's own container in your user Library, under ~/Library/Containers/com.greyinds.pixeldrop, with preferences in com.greyinds.pixeldrop.plist. If you have iCloud Drive syncing your Library data, that copy is governed by Apple's privacy policy, not ours — we never receive it.
Retention, deletion and your choices
Local data is kept until you delete it. Because nothing is ever sent to us, there is no request form and no account to close — deletion is entirely in your hands and is immediate:
- Choose Clear History in the Pixel Drop menu to erase all stored colors.
- Quit the app and delete com.greyinds.pixeldrop.plist to reset every preference.
- Drag Pixel Drop from Applications to the Trash to remove the app and its container entirely.
- Revoke Screen Recording or Accessibility permission at any time in System Settings → Privacy & Security.
Third parties
Pixel Drop contains no third-party SDKs, no analytics, no crash reporting service, no advertising, and no tracking of any kind. If that ever changes, this policy will be updated before the change ships and the change will be described in the release notes.
The app is distributed through the Mac App Store, and Apple collects its own information about downloads and purchases under Apple's Privacy Policy. We only ever see aggregate, anonymous App Store statistics that Apple provides — never individual users. This website is hosted on GitHub Pages, which may log requests as described in GitHub's privacy statement; we add no analytics or cookies of our own.
Children
Pixel Drop is a general-purpose utility, is not directed to children, and is not designed for the Kids Category. Because it collects no data from anyone, it collects no data from children — including anyone under 13, or under 16 where local law sets that threshold.
Changes to this policy
If this policy changes, the new version is published at this URL with a new effective date, and material changes are noted in the app's release notes. Continued use of Pixel Drop after the effective date means the updated policy applies.
Contact
Nicholas Grey · Milano, Italy · milano@greyinds.com
Privacy questions are answered by the developer directly, usually within two business days.