Dear Self Privacy Policy

Last updated: 7 October 2026

Dear Self is a private journaling app. It is built local-first and account-free: everything you write is kept on your own device. We collect no personal data.

The short version

• There is no account to make, so we never learn who you are.
• Your pages, letters, habits, reminders, and settings live only on your device.
• We show no ads and use no third-party analytics. We have nothing to sell.
• The app makes no network calls of its own.

What we collect

Nothing. Dear Self has no backend that receives your data. There is no sign-up, so we never ask for or store an email, a name, or any identifier.

Your writing stays on your device

Your pages, letters, and any content you write are stored locally on your device. They are never uploaded to us.

Speaking a page

If you choose to speak a page, Dear Self uses your device's own speech recognition, on the device only. It never falls back to a network service. No audio is recorded to disk or kept anywhere. Only the words are saved, as a normal encrypted page, like any other page you write. On Android, if the English speech pack is missing, your phone may offer to download it, and nothing you say is sent. Dear Self asks for microphone and speech access only when you choose to speak a page, and you can say no and keep writing as usual.

Backup goes where you put it

If you choose to back up (it is optional and off by default), Dear Self encrypts your content into a single file and hands it to your device's share sheet, so you can save it to your own cloud: iCloud, Google Drive, OneDrive, or anywhere you like. The file is encrypted with a passphrase only you hold. It goes only where you put it, and it never reaches us. We could not read it if it did. Restoring works the same way in reverse, on your device.

Exporting your pages

You can also export your pages as a PDF keepsake. That file is not encrypted, and it goes only where you send it. Dear Self never receives it.

Sending feedback

"Send feedback" opens your own mail app with a message addressed to us. The subject line includes the app version so we can help. Anything sent is an ordinary email that you choose to send, and nothing goes out unless you press send yourself.

What we do not collect

• Your journal pages, letters, or any content you write.
• Your name, email, location, contacts, photos, or microphone audio.
• Advertising identifiers. We serve no ads and run no analytics.

Notifications

Reminders you set are scheduled locally on your device. They are not sent from, or tracked by, any server.

Children

Dear Self is not directed to children under 13. Since we collect no data, we collect none from them either.

Changes

If this policy changes, we will update the date above and, for material changes, note it in the app.

Contact

Questions about your privacy: support@dear-self.org