Privacy Policy

Howdy Mate! ("the App") is developed and operated by Sammy Sergi ("we", "us", or "our"). The App is a personal relationship management tool that helps you stay in touch with friends and loved ones. We are committed to protecting your privacy.

Your personal content — mates, check-ins, notes, and photos — is stored entirely on your device and is never transmitted to external servers. The App does collect anonymous usage analytics and crash diagnostics, described below.

Specifically:

• Contacts: If you grant permission, the App reads your device contacts so it can offer them as a list to import from. It requests birthdays and contact photos; the Contacts framework also returns the standard name fields. It never requests phone numbers, email addresses, postal addresses, or notes from your address book. When you choose someone, the App stores four things in the local database on your device: their name, their birthday, a reference to the contact so the mate stays linked to it, and the file path to their contact photo. Contact data is used only on your device, is never sent to any server, and is never shared with Expo, PostHog, Sentry, or any other third party. The App has no server of its own. Contacts access is entirely optional: if you decline, the App remains fully usable and you can add mates by typing their names.
• Friend information: Names, birthdays, check-in schedules, and notes you enter are stored entirely on your device.
• Anonymous usage analytics: The App uses Expo Insights and PostHog to collect anonymous, aggregated usage data such as app launches, screen views, and feature usage (for example, that a check-in was logged). It is keyed to a random per-install identifier rather than to you, is not linked to any account or profile, and is used solely to improve the App. No advertising or cross-app tracking SDKs are included.
• Crash reports: If the App crashes or encounters an unexpected error, anonymous diagnostic information (device model, OS version, app version, and a technical stack trace) is sent to Sentry so we can find and fix the problem. Crash reports never include your personal content — no friend names, notes, or contact details.
• Anonymous identifiers: So that repeat events can be counted without knowing who sent them, analytics and launch telemetry include a randomly generated identifier created on your device when the App is first installed. It is not derived from you, your device's advertising identifier, or your contacts. It is not linked to any account or profile, it is not used for tracking across apps or websites, and it is erased when you delete the App.
• Exporting your data: Settings > Data > Export Data creates a CSV or JSON copy of your mates and check-ins — including any names, birthdays, phone numbers, and notes you have entered — and hands it to the iOS share sheet. Where that copy goes is entirely your choice; it is never uploaded to us, and we never see it.
• No accounts: The App does not require you to create an account or sign in.

All App data is stored in a local SQLite database on your device. We do not have access to this data. Your data is retained on your device for as long as the App is installed. If you delete the App, all data is permanently and irreversibly removed.

Because all data is stored locally on your device and we have no access to it, you have full control over your data at all times. You can:

• Export a copy of your mates and check-ins at any time from Settings > Data > Export Data, as either CSV or JSON.
• Delete individual mates by swiping left on a mate in the Mates tab.
• Erase everything on the device from Settings > Data > Reset All Data, which removes all friends, check-ins, and settings.
• Delete all data by uninstalling the App from your device, which permanently removes all stored information.

We operate no servers and hold none of your personal content, so there is nothing on our side to request deletion of. The anonymous analytics and crash reports described above are keyed to a random per-install identifier that is not linked to your identity; if you contact us we will delete the records associated with your installation.

The App uses the following third-party services:

• Expo Updates: Delivers over-the-air updates. This service may collect basic device metadata (such as platform and app version) to deliver the correct update.
• Expo Insights: Collects anonymous, aggregated usage analytics (such as app launches and screen views) to help us understand how the App is used and improve it. Events carry a random per-install identifier and no personal content.
• PostHog: Collects anonymous product analytics (screen views and feature-usage events) so we can understand which features are useful. Events are not linked to your identity, no personal profiles are created, and your personal content never leaves your device. See PostHog's privacy policy.
• Sentry: Receives anonymous crash and error reports (device model, OS version, app version, and technical stack traces) so we can diagnose and fix bugs. Reports are not linked to your identity and your personal content never leaves your device. See Sentry's privacy policy.

Your contacts, mate names, birthdays, notes, photos, and check-in history never leave your device and are never sent to Expo, PostHog, Sentry, or anyone else. The analytics and crash data described above consist of event names, counts, screen names with identifiers removed, a random per-install identifier, and device and app version details, and are processed on those providers' servers in the United States. One exception is worth naming plainly: if you create your own check-in category, the label you typed is currently sent as the name of the analytics event for that check-in. We are changing this so that user-created categories are recorded only as "custom".

You can review Expo's privacy policy for more details about Expo services.

howdymate.app uses Google Analytics to count visits and see which pages are read. Google Analytics sets cookies in your browser and receives your approximate location, browser, and the pages you view. This is separate from the App and involves none of your App data. You can opt out with Google's browser add-on at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout, or by blocking cookies for this site in your browser.

The App does not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 (or the applicable age in your jurisdiction). Because your personal content stays on your device and the App has no accounts, we hold no children's personal information; the anonymous analytics described above identify nobody, child or adult. If you believe a child has provided personal information through the App, please contact us and we will assist you. For a plain-language account of what the App does and does not contain, and why it is rated 4+, see our age suitability page.

Your personal content is stored locally on your device and is not transferred across borders. However, the anonymous analytics and crash reports described above are processed by Expo, PostHog, and Sentry, whose servers may be located in the United States. That data is limited to anonymous, aggregated usage and diagnostic information and does not include your personal content. Because those providers process data in the United States, transfers from the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom rely on the providers' Standard Contractual Clauses. We process this data on the basis of our legitimate interest in keeping the App working and understanding which features are used. Analytics and crash reports held by our providers are retained for those providers' standard retention periods and are then deleted; we do not extend them. If you would prefer that your installation send no analytics at all, email us and we will tell you how to turn it off; we are also adding an in-app switch for this. Users in Australia, the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom, California, and other jurisdictions retain all rights afforded to them under applicable local privacy laws.

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Changes will be reflected on this page with an updated date. We encourage you to review this page periodically. Continued use of the App after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

If you have questions about this privacy policy, please contact us at [email protected].