Privacy Policy
Kite collects nothing.
No account. No analytics. No servers. Your screen goes straight from your Mac to your iPad and nowhere else.
Last updated: October 10, 2026. This policy covers Kite for iPad, Kite for Mac (including Kite Camera) and this website.
The short version
- We (the developer of Kite) receive no data from the apps. We don't run any servers for them.
- The apps contain no analytics, advertising, tracking or third-party SDKs.
- What passes between your Mac and your iPad stays between them: over a cable, your own network, or your own Tailscale network.
- This website sets no cookies and runs no analytics.
- If you email us, we use your email only to reply.
What goes between your Mac and your iPad
To work as a display, Kite sends the following directly between your two devices. None of it is sent to us or stored by Kite after it's shown.
- The picture of the display Kite adds to your Mac, as compressed video. Kite captures only that display, not your main screen.
- Your input on the iPad (touches, Apple Pencil pressure and tilt, typed text and keys), which the Mac turns into clicks and keystrokes.
- The iPad camera, only while an app on your Mac is using Kite Camera. The camera turns off when no app is using it.
- Device names: the iPad's name as iPadOS reports it to apps (usually just “iPad”) and your Mac's computer name, so each can show the other.
- Random identifiers created by Kite for pairing (see below). They're not tied to you, your Apple Account or your hardware.
How it travels: over a USB-C cable; over your home network, encrypted by Kite with AES-GCM and a new key every session; or over Tailscale, encrypted end to end by WireGuard. Your Mac accepts connections only from devices on your own Tailscale network, from the same Mac, or over a cable.
What the apps keep on your devices
These stay on the device. Kite never uploads them.
| Where | What | Why |
|---|---|---|
| iPad (Keychain) | A random ID for this iPad, and one pairing key for each Mac you've allowed | So your Mac recognizes the iPad without asking again |
| iPad (app settings) | Up to five recent Macs (address and name) and your settings | To reconnect with one tap |
| Mac (app settings) | A random ID for this Mac, and the iPads you've allowed: name, random ID, and a one-way hash of the pairing key (not the key itself) | To check that a connecting iPad is one you allowed |
| Mac and iPad | Diagnostic messages in the system log | For troubleshooting. They stay on the device unless you choose to share them |
You can remove an iPad from your Mac at any time from Kite's menu bar menu. Deleting the apps removes their settings; see Uninstalling for details, including the iPad Keychain.
On your local network
When Show Nearby is on (the default), Kite for Mac announces itself on your local network with Bonjour so your iPad can find it. The announcement includes your Mac's computer name and its Tailscale address, and anyone on the same network can see it. You can turn it off in Kite's menu, for example on public Wi-Fi.
Permissions and why Kite asks for them
| Permission | Used for |
|---|---|
| Screen Recording (Mac) | Capturing the virtual display Kite adds for your iPad. macOS shows a purple indicator while this is on. |
| Accessibility (Mac) | Turning touches, Apple Pencil and typing on the iPad into clicks and keys on the Mac. |
| Local Network (Mac and iPad) | Finding each other on the same Wi-Fi and sending video directly. |
| Camera (iPad and Mac) | Kite Camera only. The iPad sends its camera to the Mac while a Mac app uses Kite Camera. |
| System extension (Mac) | Installing Kite Camera so other apps can choose it as a camera. |
Other companies
- Apple sells Kite for iPad through the App Store and handles payment and refunds under Apple's privacy policy. We don't see your name, email or payment details. If you've chosen to share crash reports and app analytics with developers in your device settings, Apple may send us anonymous crash reports and usage statistics.
- Tailscale is a separate service you install and sign in to yourself. Kite itself never contacts Tailscale's servers; it only uses the private network Tailscale sets up between your devices. Tailscale's handling of your data is described in Tailscale's privacy policy.
- Our website host may keep standard server logs, such as IP addresses, for security and operation. We don't use them to identify you.
This website
No cookies, no analytics, no tracking scripts, no embedded content from other sites. Fonts and images are served from this site.
If you email us
We use your email address and what you write only to answer you. We don't add you to any mailing list or share your email. Ask us and we'll delete our correspondence with you.
Children
Kite collects no personal information from anyone, including children.
Your rights
Because the apps send us nothing, we hold no data about you from them. Under the GDPR, the UK GDPR, the California Consumer Privacy Act and Japan's Act on the Protection of Personal Information you can ask about or delete any personal information we hold, which in practice means emails you've sent us. Write to the address below.
Changes
If we change this policy, we'll update the date at the top. If a future version of Kite ever collects data, we'll say so here and in the App Store privacy details before it ships.
Contact
Questions about privacy: support@algorist.jp