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 on your device and, if iCloud Backup is on, in your own iCloud account. It is never sent to a server of ours. 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, other dates (such as anniversaries), related names (such as a spouse, partner or child), contact photos, nicknames and phone numbers; the Contacts framework also returns the standard name fields. It never requests email addresses, postal addresses, or notes from your address book. When you choose someone, the App stores in the local database on your device: their name, their nickname (used as what you call them in drafted messages), their birthday, one phone number (so you can call or text them from the App), a reference to the contact so the mate stays linked to it, the file path to their contact photo, each other date on the card as an important date, and each related name as a note on the mate (for example "Spouse: Tom"). "Refresh from Contacts" on a mate re-reads those same fields from their card. If you allowed Contacts access before the App read dates and related names, the App reads just those two fields for mates you already imported (once from the Today screen, or when you tap "Bring in dates" in Settings) and shows what it found; nothing is stored unless you tap Add. Once access is granted, the App reads the names and identifiers in your address book at most once a day, when you open Today, to offer people saved since it last looked; it keeps the list of contact identifiers it has already seen in the local database so nobody is offered twice. It also re-reads the cards of the mates you imported about once a day to pick up a new number, birthday or photo; it never asks for access to do this, and you can turn it off with "Keep mates in sync with Contacts" in Settings > Data. With "Show dates in Calendar" on, the App also checks whether a linked mate's card already has a birthday, so it isn't written to Calendar twice; nothing new is stored. If your address book has groups (made in iCloud or on a Mac), the App also reads each group's name and which contacts are in it, so it can offer to bring a whole group in at once or sort the mates you already have into those groups; it stores a group's name only when you use it. If you share only selected contacts with the App, it can see only those, and no groups. "Find in Contacts" on a mate you typed in either searches the contacts you already share by that mate's name or opens the iPhone's contact picker, which needs no permission and hands the App only the one card you choose; the App stores the same fields from it. 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. The one time the App writes to Contacts is "Just met someone": if you have given full Contacts access and leave "Save to Contacts" on, it adds a card with the name and number you typed to the Contacts app on your iPhone (and wherever your own Contacts sync, such as iCloud). It never asks for access from that sheet, and with limited or no access it writes nothing.
• Email addresses: If you type a mate's email address, it is stored in the local database on your device. Tapping Email, or sending from Draft to a mate with no phone number, opens Mail (or your default email app) with that address and, for Draft, the message. The email is sent by that app, never by us.
• Texting apps: If you set a mate to text on WhatsApp, Signal or Telegram, that choice is stored on your device, and tapping Text or Draft opens the app's own link (wa.me, signal.me or t.me) with that mate's number, and for WhatsApp the drafted message. If you choose Instagram, Messenger, LINE or Snapchat, the username you type for that mate is stored only on your device, and Text opens that app's link (ig.me, m.me, line.me or snapchat.com) with the username. Where an app's link can't carry a message, Draft's Copy and open puts the message on your iPhone's clipboard for you to paste. That is the same as tapping such a link yourself: the number or username goes to that app, or to its website if the app isn't installed, and never to us. The conversation happens in that app under its own privacy policy.
• Friend information: Names, birthdays, check-in schedules, notes, things to remember, gift ideas, plans, important dates, and the time zone you choose for a mate are stored entirely on your device.
• Notifications: Reminders are scheduled on your device by iOS, and nothing passes through a server of ours. A check-in reminder can mention what you did last time with a mate and quote that check-in's note, and show that mate's photo or sketch. iOS keeps a copy of that picture with the scheduled reminder, on your device. While the App lock is on, reminders never include notes or pictures. Once a month Recap asks how connected you have felt; your answer (one of three, by month) is stored only on your device, is never sent anywhere, and can be switched off under Notifications in Settings.
• Calendar: Only if you turn on "Suggest catch-ups" or "Show dates in Calendar" in Settings, or tap "Bring in dates" in Settings or "Use my calendar" in Suggest a time, the App asks for access to your calendars. With Suggest catch-ups on, it reads the titles, times and invitee names of events from the last few days (the seven days it asks about when the weekly look-back opens) and the week ahead, on your device, to find ones that name a mate: past ones to suggest logging, upcoming ones for a brief a couple of hours before (a local notification built on your iPhone from what you saved about that mate). Events are not stored: when you log a suggested catch-up, the App saves a check-in with the event's title as its note and its start time, and when you say an event wasn't a catch-up, it saves only a reference to that event so it doesn't ask again. For Bring in dates, it reads the titles and dates of all-day events in the year ahead, on your device, to find ones like "Ana's birthday" for mates who have no birthday saved, and shows them to you first; when you add a birthday it found, it saves only the day and month on that mate, and a birthday you leave unticked is saved only as a reference so it isn't offered again. If you tap "Use my calendar" in Suggest a time, the App reads only the start and end times of your events over the next week, on your device, to offer days you are free; those times are not stored. With "Show dates in Calendar", the App creates one calendar of its own, called "Howdy Mate!", and writes your mates' birthdays and important dates into it (a mate's name, the date's label and its day). It only ever changes that one calendar and never edits or deletes your other events. If your iPhone uses iCloud Calendar, Apple syncs that calendar to your other devices through your iCloud account, as it does with any calendar; the App sends nothing to us or to any third party. Turning the switch off deletes the calendar. Calendar data is never sent to any server or shared with any third party. Calendar access is entirely optional. Separately, when you tap "Add to Calendar" after saving a plan, the App hands iOS the plan's title, day and mates' names, and iOS shows its own new-event screen; the event is added on your device only if you tap Add there, and this needs no calendar access. If the App has calendar access, it keeps the new event's identifier with the plan so the plan and the event don't both ask whether it happened.
• Reminders: Only if you turn on "Also put nudges in Reminders" in Settings, the App asks for access to Reminders. It reads and writes only its own Howdy Mate! list: it adds a reminder with a mate's name, when they're due and a link back into the App, and reads which of those you ticked off so it can log them as check-ins. Your other lists and reminders are never read or changed, and Reminders data is never sent to any server of ours or shared with any third party. If you use iCloud for Reminders, Apple syncs the list to your other devices as it does any list. Reminders access is entirely optional.
• Microphone and speech recognition: If you tap "Speak a recap" when logging a check-in, the App asks for the microphone and speech recognition. Your words are transcribed on your device only (the App requires on-device recognition), the text is added to your notes, and the audio is not saved or sent anywhere.
• Apple Intelligence: On devices where Apple Intelligence is available, the App uses Apple's on-device Foundation Models to draft messages, summarise your last catch-up, and find dates in a spoken recap. The model runs on your device and the App sends nothing to Apple or anyone else for this.
• Photos: When you add a photo to a check-in, you pick it in Apple's photo picker, which shares only that one photo with the App. The App reads the date it was taken, to offer logging the check-in on that day, and keeps a copy of the photo in its storage on your device. Nothing else in the photo's details, such as where it was taken, is kept or sent anywhere.
• Journaling Suggestions: If you tap "From your recent moments", Apple's own picker shows your recent moments outside the App. Only the one moment you choose is shared with the App, which uses its date, place, title, photo and people to fill in the check-in. A chosen photo is copied into the App's storage on your device.
• Siri, Shortcuts and widgets: Siri, Shortcuts, the widget and Control Center read and write the App's database on your device. Apple handles what you say to Siri under its own privacy policy; the App receives only the request, such as which mate to log. While the App lock is on, the App answers no Siri or Shortcuts requests. A Lock Screen widget you add can be seen without unlocking the phone; it shows a mate's name, when they're due and the kind and date of your last catch-up, never a note. To show the mate you pinned, the App keeps a short list of names, due dates and last catch-ups where its widgets can read it, on your device only.
• Spotlight: On iOS 18 and later, the App adds each mate's name and rhythm to your iPhone's own search index so you can find them in Spotlight. The index is kept on your device by iOS and is not sent to us. Notes, check-ins and phone numbers are never added. The index is emptied when you turn off Show mates in Spotlight in Settings, or while the App lock is on.
• Share to Howdy Mate!: When you share a link, text or photo to the App from another app, it is saved in a folder on your device that only the App and its share sheet can read, until the App next opens and files it with the mate you picked. To list your mates, the share sheet reads their names and avatar letters from the same place. Nothing you share this way leaves your device. While the App lock is on, the share sheet lists no one.
• Sharing: Sharing a plan, your recap, or the App with a friend uses the iOS share sheet, and only when you tap Share. What you share goes where you send it. Some App Store links in shared text carry a campaign tag so App Store Connect can count how many downloads came from sharing; the tag identifies the placement, not you.
• 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, whether notifications are allowed, whether a reminder was opened and which of its buttons was used, which way you reached out, such as a call or a text, and how long the check-in screen stayed open). Each event carries only kinds, counts and yes-or-no values, never a name, note, phone number or anything you typed. 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.
• Pasting a list: Add mates reads text you paste into its search field (names, or dates, birthdays, notes and phone numbers from another app's CSV or a spreadsheet) and saves the people you choose on your device. The pasted text is read on your iPhone and is never uploaded to us.
• 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.
• iCloud Backup: Once a day, when you open the App, it copies its database (your mates, check-ins, notes, settings and everything else listed above) and your check-in photos into the App's private folder in your own iCloud Drive, so you can restore them on a new iPhone or after reinstalling. The copy is stored by Apple in your iCloud account under Apple's terms, protected like the rest of your iCloud Drive. We cannot see or reach it. You can turn it off in Settings > Data > iCloud Backup, and it does nothing if you are not signed in to iCloud or iCloud Drive is off.
• 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, with a daily copy in your own iCloud Drive while iCloud Backup is on. We do not have access to either. Your data is retained on your device for as long as the App is installed. Deleting the App removes the data on your device; the iCloud copy stays in your iCloud account, so it can be restored, until you delete it from your iPhone's Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Manage Storage > Howdy Mate!.

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. A deleted mate is kept on your device under Settings > Groups & Lists > Archived mates > Recently deleted for 30 days so a mistake can be undone, then removed for good. Delete now removes them at once.
• Erase everything on the device from Settings > Data > Reset All Data, which removes all friends, check-ins, and settings.
• Turn off the daily iCloud copy from Settings > Data > iCloud Backup, and delete the copy already in iCloud from your iPhone's Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Manage Storage > Howdy Mate!.
• Delete all data on the device by uninstalling the App, which permanently removes all information stored on it.

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 is never sent to PostHog. 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 is never sent to Sentry. 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, kinds, counts, yes-or-no values, 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. In version 1.0.1 and earlier, a check-in category you created yourself was sent by the label you typed. From version 1.1 it is 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, with iCloud Backup on, in your own iCloud account, where Apple decides where it is held. We never transfer it anywhere. 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].