Birthday Time Machine
Privacy Policy
Effective July 6, 2026
Birthday Time Machine is an iPhone app for composing birthday cards and a website that displays them. It is built to need as little of your data as possible: there are no accounts, no sign-ups, and no server database of cards or people. This page describes everything the app and website do with information, in plain language.
The short version
Your people list, drafts, and card history live only on your iPhone. A card you send is encoded entirely in its link. We keep no copy. We use cookieless, aggregate analytics to count opens and app usage, and Apple processes all payments. We do not sell data, show ads, or use cross-site tracking of any kind.
What's in a card link
When you send a card, the first name, birth date, optional sender name, and song choice you entered are encoded in the link itself, along with a random card ID and a signature that prevents tampering. The link is the card: anyone you share it with (and anyone they forward it to) can open it, just like a paper greeting card can be shown around. Our server reads those details from the link to display the card and its preview image, and does not store them afterward.
On your iPhone
The people list, birthdays, drafts, scheduled reminders, and sent-card history are stored on your device using Apple's on-device database, and ride along in your normal device backups. They are never uploaded to us. If you import birthdays from Contacts, that import happens entirely on your device after iOS asks your permission; contact information is never transmitted anywhere. Reminders use local notifications scheduled on your phone.
Purchases
The one-time unlock is processed by Apple through the App Store. We receive Apple's standard aggregate sales reporting; we never see your payment details, and your purchase restores through your Apple account.
Analytics
On the website, we use privacy-focused, cookieless analytics to count card opens in aggregate: things like number of views, country or region, device type, and which song a card used. No cookies are set, no personal profile is built, and recipient names and dates are never sent to analytics. In the app, we record anonymous usage events (for example, "a card was sent" or "a purchase completed") with no personal information attached, to understand which features matter. None of this data is sold or shared for advertising.
What we never do
No accounts. No ads. No selling or renting data. No cross-site or cross-app tracking. No reading your Contacts beyond the import you explicitly trigger. No storing your cards or people on our servers.
Data retention and deletion
Deleting the app deletes your people list, drafts, and history (they are only on your device). Because card content lives in links rather than in a database, we have no server-side record of your cards to delete. Aggregate analytics cannot be traced back to an individual card sender or recipient.
Children
The app is intended for adults sending cards. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children; cards contain only what a sender chooses to type.
Changes and contact
If this policy changes, the new version will be posted at this address with an updated effective date. Questions or requests: support@birthdaytimemachine.app.