explaingit

mysk-research/loupe

Analysis updated 2026-05-18

139Audience · generalComplexity · 1/5LicenseSetup · easy

TLDR

An iOS app that shows you the data any app on your phone can quietly read about you, from locale and battery level to fingerprinting-style device signals.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((Loupe))
    What it does
      Shows exposed device data
      Educates on fingerprinting
      Reads nothing off device
    Signal groups
      Passive signals
      Permission gated signals
      Advanced signals
    Tech stack
      iOS and iPadOS
      Xcode 26
    Platform
      App Store release
      macOS version in progress
    Use cases
      Learn about tracking
      Audit device exposure

Code map

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filefunction / class

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

See exactly what passive data your iPhone exposes to any installed app without a permission prompt.

USE CASE 2

Check which permission-gated data, like contacts or location, an app could request from your device.

USE CASE 3

Learn how device fingerprinting works by seeing advanced signals like keychain persistence across reinstalls.

USE CASE 4

Download it from the App Store to audit your own device's exposure without installing anything risky.

What is it built with?

XcodeiOSiPadOS

How does it compare?

mysk-research/loupeorange2019220/reluprunerapple/corecrypto
Stars139139138
LanguagePythonC++
Setup difficultyeasymoderatehard
Complexity1/54/55/5
Audiencegeneralresearcherresearcher

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Available directly on the App Store, building from source requires Xcode 26 and the macOS version is not fully polished yet.

Use freely for any purpose, including commercial use, as long as you keep the copyright notice.

In plain English

Loupe is an iOS and iPadOS app that shows you exactly what data any app on your phone can read about you without asking permission. It pulls real values from the same public iOS system calls that any third-party app can use, and displays them on screen so you can see what your device quietly exposes. The signals are organized into three groups. Passive signals are things any app can read with no prompt at all: your locale, time zone, screen size, battery level, and similar details. Permission-gated signals are readings that iOS asks you about first, such as contacts, photos, location, and calendar access. Advanced signals are more subtle: they use clever ways to extract information from ordinary public APIs, such as testing which URL schemes your phone can open or checking whether data persists in the secure keychain across app reinstalls. The app is educational. Its purpose is to help users understand that trackers do not need a name or email address to recognize a device. Each individual reading may not be unique on its own, but combining many of them creates a fingerprint that can follow a person across apps and websites. Loupe reads nothing, sends nothing off the device, and does not hash or aggregate the values it shows. Loupe is available on the App Store and is open source under the MIT license. Building it from source requires Xcode 26. A macOS version exists but is described as not fully polished yet. The project was made by Mysk, the same team behind a privacy browser called Psylo.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Explain what passive signals this app shows and why they matter for tracking.
Prompt 2
How does the advanced signals section of this app demonstrate device fingerprinting?
Prompt 3
What would I need to build this app from source in Xcode 26?
Prompt 4
Summarize the difference between passive, permission-gated, and advanced signals in this app.

Frequently asked questions

What is loupe?

An iOS app that shows you the data any app on your phone can quietly read about you, from locale and battery level to fingerprinting-style device signals.

What license does loupe use?

Use freely for any purpose, including commercial use, as long as you keep the copyright notice.

How hard is loupe to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is loupe for?

Mainly general.

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