Privacy Policy

StowerMessages is a Mac app, distributed on the Mac App Store, that shows you which conversations you owe a reply to. It is built so your messages stay on your device. Here is exactly what it does and does not do.

The short version

• StowerMessages reads your Messages and contacts entirely on your Mac.
• The content of your messages and contacts never leaves your device. We can’t see it.
• The app makes no network connections at all. There are no analytics, no crash reporting, no telemetry, and no server communication of any kind.
• If you send feedback from inside the app, that message goes to the developer’s email. Nothing is sent unless you choose to send it.
• We never sell your data. There is no advertising.

Your messages and contacts stay on your Mac

With your permission, StowerMessages reads your local Messages database and your contacts to work out who you owe a reply. All of that analysis runs on your device using Apple’s on-device models. StowerMessages does not upload, transmit, store, or share the contents of your messages or your contacts. There is no StowerMessages server that receives your data, because there isn’t one.

No analytics, no crash reporting, no networking

The Mac App Store version of StowerMessages is privacy-first. It contains no analytics framework, no crash reporting service, and no networking code that sends data from your machine. The app does not track how you use it, does not report crashes, and does not phone home. Nothing ever leaves your Mac.

Feedback you send us

StowerMessages has an in-app feedback form. When you use it, your message is emailed to the developer so it can be read and replied to. It is only ever sent when you tap send. Along with your message, it includes the app version, your macOS version, plus your email address only if you choose to add one so we can reply. It does not include your messages or contacts.

Buying StowerMessages

StowerMessages is purchased through the Mac App Store. Payments, refunds, and any associated handling of your personal information are governed by Apple’s standard App Store terms and privacy practices. We do not receive your payment information. We may receive an anonymized receipt indicating that you purchased the app.

This website

stower.app uses PostHog for website analytics, so we can see which parts of the page help people decide. It records events like which pages you visit and which buttons you click, and, like most web analytics, it uses a cookie to recognize return visits and may process your IP address for coarse location. We don’t tie any of this to your identity: we never call PostHog’s identify feature, and we don’t collect your name or email through it. It respects your browser’s Do Not Track setting, it is never used for advertising, and we don’t sell it. This is separate from the StowerMessages app.

If you’d rather not be counted, your browser’s Do Not Track setting and standard ad-blockers (uBlock Origin, etc.) will block it.

We don’t sell your data

We do not sell, rent, or trade your information to anyone, and we do not use it for advertising. The data described above is used only to run StowerMessages, fix bugs, and improve the product.

Children

StowerMessages is not directed to children under 13, and we don’t knowingly collect their information.

Changes

We’ll post any updates here and revise the “last updated” date above.

Contact

Questions? Email emily@emilykang.dev.