Privacy Policy

Last updated: April 28, 2026

If You Read This ("we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your information when you use our mobile application.

Information We Collect

We collect information you provide directly to us, including:

  • Your name and email address when you create an account
  • The personal messages you write within the app
  • Contact information for the recipients you designate
  • Check-in activity and timestamps
  • Device push notification tokens

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

  • Operate and maintain the dead man's switch functionality
  • Send reminder notifications to you via push, SMS, or email
  • Deliver your messages to your designated contacts if a check-in deadline is missed
  • Authenticate your account and keep it secure
  • Respond to your support requests

SMS Communications

By providing your phone number and creating an account, you expressly consent to receive SMS text messages from If You Read This, including:

  • One-time passcodes for account authentication
  • Check-in reminder messages before your deadline
  • Account alert notifications

Message frequency varies based on your check-in interval and reminder settings. Message and data rates may apply.

To opt out of SMS messages, reply STOP to any message at any time. Reply HELP for support. You may also contact us at ryanjakob@ifyoureadthis.app. Opting out of SMS reminders may prevent you from receiving check-in alerts.

We do not share your phone number with third parties for marketing purposes. Phone numbers are used solely to deliver the SMS messages described above.

Message Encryption

Your messages are encrypted on your device using AES-256 before being stored. This means your messages are not stored as readable text in our database. However, this is encryption at rest, not end-to-end encryption.

When a check-in deadline is missed and an alert needs to be sent, our servers decrypt your message in order to deliver it to your contacts by SMS. This is an unavoidable part of how the service works: automatic delivery requires the server to know what to send. Your encryption key is stored securely in our database and is only accessed at the moment of alert delivery.

What this means in practice: your messages cannot be read from a raw database export, but If You Read This as a company has the technical ability to access message content. We do not access, read, or use message content for any purpose other than delivering alerts on your behalf.

An Important Limitation You Should Understand

You should never fully trust any online service to store information you consider extremely high value or sensitive. No cloud service can guarantee absolute security. Databases can be breached, service providers can be subpoenaed, and software can have vulnerabilities. This is true of every app and every company, including us.

If You Read This is designed for personal safety check-ins and heartfelt messages to the people you love. It is not intended to store:

  • Passwords or login credentials
  • Financial account numbers, PINs, or banking information
  • Legal documents or signed agreements
  • Information whose disclosure could put you or others at physical or legal risk
  • Any information you would not want a third party to potentially access under court order

Write the things you wish the people who love you could hear. Use a different tool for everything else.

Information Sharing

We do not sell or rent your personal information. We share information only in the following circumstances:

  • With your designated contacts: only when a check-in deadline is missed, as the core function of the service
  • Service providers: we use Twilio for SMS, Resend for email, and Supabase for data storage, all bound by confidentiality agreements
  • Legal requirements: if required by law or to protect the rights and safety of our users

Data Retention

We retain your data for as long as your account is active. You may delete your account and all associated data at any time through the app's settings. Upon deletion, your data is permanently removed from our systems within 30 days.

Children's Privacy

Our service is not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new policy in the app and updating the date above.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at ryanjakob@ifyoureadthis.app.