A notes app can use AI without sending every note to an online model. The useful question is where each part of the work happens: capturing a thought, processing it, storing it and sharing it. Those are separate choices.
On-device AI processes the note on your phone
On-device AI runs a model locally. In Thoughts AI, local intelligence can help tidy a captured thought, suggest a title and find a suitable project. That does not require sending the thought to a remote language model.
Local processing still has practical requirements. A model may need to be downloaded first, and availability depends on your device and the feature. Check the app’s intelligence settings before relying on a feature while travelling or without a connection. A local model is not a promise that every service the app offers works offline.
Storage and processing are different decisions
A note can be processed locally and later synced. It can also stay on one device. In Thoughts, projects remain local unless you choose to enable cloud sync. Choosing sync makes the eligible project content available through the cloud for the features you use.
This distinction matters when you organise personal and shared work. You might keep a journal project on your phone and sync a separate planning project with a collaborator. Decide at the project level instead of assuming that one setting describes every note.
A cloud backup is not the same thing as local-only storage
Local-only storage limits where your notes go, but it also means you need to think about device loss and recovery. Before replacing or resetting a phone, confirm how your important notes are backed up or exported. Do not assume that a project has a cloud copy when sync is off.
Likewise, “private” does not automatically mean end-to-end encrypted. Look for an explicit explanation of storage, account access and encryption rather than treating those terms as interchangeable. The Thoughts privacy policy describes the current boundaries.
Connecting an AI adds another boundary
An external AI connector is an optional way to bring eligible cloud-synced Thoughts content into a conversation. Local-only notes are not made available simply because you have installed the app. The connection has a sign-in and consent step, and you can review or revoke it.
If you choose to connect an assistant, read the access screen and the assistant provider’s terms. Sharing information with another service changes who processes it. See the connection guide for what the Thoughts connector can access.
A practical privacy check
- Identify which projects need to stay local.
- Check the sync state before adding sensitive content.
- Review project members before sharing.
- Check connected apps periodically and revoke ones you no longer use.
- Confirm your recovery plan before changing phones.
The aim is a clear, understandable choice for each project. Capture privately first, then sync or connect the work you deliberately want to make available elsewhere.