None declared
None declared
On the label it is low-risk: Filen collects some data but says none of it is linked to you or used for tracking. None of it falls in Apple's most sensitive categories (health, financial, location, contacts or your own content). In total the label lists 2 data types; 29% of cloud storage apps we checked declare tracking.
Filen privacy in one look
- 1Collects nothing
- 2Not linked
- 3Linked
- 4Tracks you
Built only from the developer's App Store label. It describes disclosure, not tested behaviour.
Filen collects some data but says none of it is linked to your identity, and none is used for tracking.
Did Filen ask for something?
Pick the permission prompt you saw. We compare it with what Filen's developer declared.
Location is not on Filen's label. That can be fine: data used only on your iPhone does not have to be declared. If the data would need to leave the phone for the feature to work, ask why it is missing.
User Content is not on Filen's label. That can be fine: data used only on your iPhone does not have to be declared. If the data would need to leave the phone for the feature to work, ask why it is missing.
Contacts is not on Filen's label. That can be fine: data used only on your iPhone does not have to be declared. If the data would need to leave the phone for the feature to work, ask why it is missing.
Filen declares no tracking, so a tracking prompt would contradict its label. Decline it, and consider reporting the mismatch to Apple.
Health & Fitness is not on Filen's label. That can be fine: data used only on your iPhone does not have to be declared. If the data would need to leave the phone for the feature to work, ask why it is missing.
A permission is what the app can reach on your iPhone; the label is what the developer says leaves it. They answer different questions.
What Filen collects, explained
| Data type | What it covers | Where to limit it |
|---|---|---|
| Contact InfoNot linked to you | Your name, email address, phone number or postal address. | Use Sign in with Apple with Hide My Email where offered, and check the app's account and marketing preferences. |
| DiagnosticsNot linked to you | Crash logs, launch times, hang rates and energy use. | Settings › Privacy & Security › Analytics & Improvements › Share With App Developers controls what Apple passes on; the app's own crash reporting is separate. |
What Filen's label means for you
Filen's label has 2 types under “Data Not Linked to You”. A data type can appear in more than one section when it is used for different purposes — for example, identifiers used for both analytics and advertising.
Every type on Filen's label is in the “not linked” section, so the developer says the data is stripped of anything that identifies you before it is used. That is typical of anonymous analytics and crash reporting. Not linked is still collected: the data leaves your phone.
None of the data types fall into the categories most people consider sensitive: health, financial information, precise location, contacts, browsing history or the content you create.
Cloud storage apps exist to move your files off the phone, so collecting user content is expected. What differs is encryption, sharing defaults and what the provider can read. Review automatic camera upload, shared-link expiry and whether client-side encryption is available.
Among the 170 cloud storage apps in our snapshot with a label, 29% declare tracking, 64% collect data linked to you and 24% say they collect nothing. Filen lists 2 data types, fewer than the average of 3.3 for this group.
Productivity apps tend to collect the work you do in them — documents, notes and files — so User Content is common. The question is whether it syncs to the developer's servers and how it is protected there.
Settings to check for Filen
- 1
Sign-in
When creating an account, Sign in with Apple can give the app a relay address from Hide My Email instead of your real one.
- 2
Lock the app
On iOS 18 and later, touch and hold the icon and choose Require Face ID. Anyone who picks up your unlocked phone then needs your face, fingerprint or passcode to open it.
- 3
Notifications
Settings › Notifications › Filen › Show Previews: When Unlocked keeps message and account details off the Lock Screen.
Does Filen track you?
There is no “Data Used to Track You” section on Filen's label.
Lock Filen behind Face ID
- Find Filen on your Home Screen or in App Library.
- Touch and hold the icon until the quick-actions menu opens.
- Tap Require Face ID (or Require Touch ID / Require Passcode, depending on your iPhone).
- Tap Require Face ID again to confirm. Filen now asks for authentication every time it opens.
The lock is an iPhone feature, so it works whether or not Filen has a passcode of its own. It does not change what the app sends to its developer.
About Filen
| Developer | Filen Cloud Dienste UG |
| App Store category | Productivity (also Utilities) |
| Latest version | 4.0.17, released August 2026 |
| First released | January 2021 |
| Requires | iOS 26.0 or later |
| Size | 103 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ |
| Languages | 26 (BN, CS, DA, NL, EN, FI, FR, DE…) |
| Bundle ID | io.filen.app |
The current version shipped in August 2026, so the app is actively maintained and its label is likely current. Labels are updated by developers when practices change.
What the label cannot tell you
- A label is self-reported. Apple publishes the developer's answers and can reject apps that misrepresent them, but it does not independently verify what Filen sends.
- It does not say where data is stored, how long it is kept, whether it is encrypted, or which companies receive it. The privacy policy covers those points.
- Optional data counts: if a feature lets you add something (a profile photo, a phone number), the type is listed even if you never use the feature.
- Data handled only on your iPhone is not 'collected', so a no-collection label is compatible with an app that reads your files locally.
- Third-party sign-in, payment processors and SDKs are supposed to be included, but a label can lag behind a new version.
The question to ask Filen's developer: Can the provider scan or read the files I upload?
Filen vs similar cloud storage apps
- Google
- Faves
- AT&T Personal Cloud
- My Cloud OS 5
- PikPak
- Filen (this app)
- Drime
Fewer types is not automatically safer: a cloud backup app has to collect your files to work. Compare like with like.
Look up any of our apps in seconds, or put two labels side by side.
Apps similar to Filen
All cloud storage apps → Who tracks you? A–Z → Apps that collect contact info → Privacy label decoder →
Your Filen privacy checklist
Done. You have applied every control the label points to.
True or false?
- Right.Not quite.
False: there is no Data Used to Track You section on Filen's label.
- Right.Not quite.
Labels are self-reported by developers. Apple can reject or remove apps that misrepresent practices, but it does not audit each label.
- Right.Not quite.
True: Contact Info appears on its label, in the Not Linked to You section.
- Right.Not quite.
It is collected and sent; the developer says it is de-identified rather than tied to your account or device.
- Right.Not quite.
Apple's rules require apps to work the same whether or not you allow tracking.
Filen privacy FAQ
Is Filen safe to use?
Does Filen track you?
What data does Filen collect?
Who makes Filen?
Can I lock Filen with Face ID?
How does Filen compare with other cloud storage apps?
Can the provider scan or read the files I upload?
How do I delete my data from Filen?
For photos and documents you choose to keep apart from your main library, see VaultForYou.