Privacy
Your relationships are nobody's business but yours
Hearthen was built privacy-first. Here is exactly how it handles your information — in plain language.
The short version: Everything you enter stays on your own device and, if you choose, in your own iCloud or Google account. There is no account, no sign-up, and no ads — ever. Your relationships, your messages, your dates: we never see them, and they are never sold or shared. They live with you, not on any server of ours.
What Hearthen stores, and where — The people you add, their details, the dates you track, your settings, and your saved messages are all stored locally on your device and — when iCloud or Google account backup is on, which you can switch off in Settings — in your own private iCloud or Google account, protected by your Apple ID or Google account. Only you can access that backup; it is not readable by us or anyone else.
No account, no sign-up — Hearthen does not ask you to create an account or provide an email, name, or phone number to use it. Because there is no account, there is nothing for us to store about who you are.
No tracking of who you talk to — Hearthen does not track your behavior across the internet, does not sell data, and does not share your information with advertisers. Hearthen counts anonymous product usage — how often features are used, never by whom — and it never includes your relationships, your messages, or any personal detail. Your relationships are not a product.
How messages are sent — When you send a message, Hearthen prepares the text on your device and hands it to your own texting app. You send it yourself, from your own phone number. Hearthen does not send messages on your behalf and does not have access to your conversations.
Backups are yours to control — Hearthen can back your people up automatically to your own private iCloud or Google account, so a lost phone or reinstall can restore them. The backup belongs to your Apple ID or Google account; Hearthen and Magic Grits LLC have no access to it. On Android, it is kept in a private app folder in your own Google Drive that only Hearthen on your phone can open. You can turn iCloud or Google account backup off anytime in Settings, and your data then stays only on the device.
Premium subscriptions — If you choose Hearthen Premium, the purchase is handled entirely by Apple on iPhone, or by Google Play on Android, through your own account. We never see your payment details. To unlock your features, Hearthen checks your subscription with Apple; on Android, it passes Google Play’s purchase receipt to our server, which asks Google whether the subscription is active and does not store it. You will never be charged unless you choose to subscribe.
Family plan and referrals — If you use the Family plan or a referral code, that code and a random device number, not linked to your name, phone or people, are stored in Apple’s iCloud database so seats and credits can be checked. Nothing about your relationships goes with them.
Printed cards — To print and mail a card, Hearthen receives its design and the mailing addresses, and deletes them 30 days after mailing. Payment is handled by Stripe; we never see your card number.
Children — Hearthen is intended for general audiences and does not knowingly collect information from anyone, including children, because it does not collect personal information beyond what a card order needs to be mailed.
Changes to this policy — If Hearthen ever adds features that change how information is handled — this policy will be updated to describe them clearly, and any such change would be explained plainly before it affects you.
Contact — Questions about privacy? Reach out to Magic Grits LLC at hello@hearthenapp.com.
Last updated: October 2026. Hearthen is a product of Magic Grits LLC.
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One month free — every feature, nothing to cancel, nothing to remember. Never charged unless you choose Premium. Private by design.