Privacy Policy

Last updated: 26 October 2026

BriefMe is built to know as little about you as possible. This page explains, in plain words, what stays on your phone, what the app sends to our server, and why.

No account

There is no sign-up. We never ask for your name, email address or phone number, and the app does not use your contacts, photos, camera, microphone or GPS location.

What stays on your phone

• Stories you save to read later.
• Your tags, and any note you keep private.
• Your theme and display settings.

These never leave your phone. If you delete the app, they are gone.

What the app sends to our server

To work, the app talks to our server using a random id created when it is first installed. That id is not linked to your name, your phone number or any identifier from Apple or Google. With it, the app sends:

• Your chosen place: the country and state you picked, so we can show local news. Never your city and never GPS.
• What you switched off: the sources and categories you turned off.
• Reading signals: that a story was opened, liked, disliked or shared (never what you wrote when sharing, or to whom). These help rank stories for everyone.
• Notes you choose to share: only notes you mark as shared. Private notes and tags are never sent.
• Phone details: platform, OS version, whether it is a phone or tablet, and the maker. Never the model or any hardware identifier.
• Notifications: if you allow them, the push address Apple or Google gives the app, which kinds of alerts you want, and your time zone, so alerts stay quiet at night.
• A regular check-in: the app fetches its settings and tells the server it is still installed.

Usage statistics

When usage statistics are switched on, the app may also send how long sessions last, which screens are used, how far down the list you scroll, how the app was opened, which categories and places you read and for how long, how long a story stays open, and error messages if something fails. These are used only to improve the app, as counts and totals, and are never sold.

What we do not do

• We do not sell or rent your data.
• We do not show third-party ads or use ad trackers.
• We do not build a profile of you as a person.

How long we keep it

Stories are deleted from our server after 14 days. Data linked to an install id is kept while the app is in use, and you can ask us to delete it at any time.

Where it is stored

Our server and database run with Amazon Web Services and Supabase. Connections from the app to our server are encrypted (HTTPS).

Children

BriefMe is a general news app and is not directed at children under 13.

Your choices

• Turn notifications off at any time in your phone's settings.
• Delete the app to remove everything stored on your phone.
• Email brief.me@icloud.com to ask what we hold for your install, or to have it deleted.

Changes

If this policy changes, we will update this page and the date at the top.

Contact

Questions about privacy: brief.me@icloud.com