Returner

Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 24, 2026
Contact: contact@returnerlabs.com

What changed on July 24, 2026: earlier versions of this policy said Returner made no network calls and used no telemetry SDK of any kind. Starting with the next release that is no longer strictly true: we added anonymous crash reporting, and only crash reporting. The reason is in Crash reports below. Nothing else about how your recovery data is handled has changed — it still never leaves your device.

What Returner stores, and where

Returner keeps your recovery profile (what you're quitting and since when), your daily check-ins, quest and milestone history, notes, savings tally, and settings in a local database inside the app's private storage on your device. This data never leaves your device unless you export it yourself.

We cannot see it, and neither can anyone else with access to our systems — because it is never on our systems. What you're working to change is nobody's business but yours; the app is built so it can't become anyone else's.

What Returner does not do

• No account or registration; we never learn your name or email.
• No product analytics — we do not track which screens you open, how often you use the app, which features you touch, or what you're quitting.
• No advertising, no ad identifiers, no tracking across apps or websites.
• No selling or sharing of personal data — there is nothing to sell.
• No cloud sync or server backups of your data.
• No network calls in normal use. The only data that ever leaves your phone without you pressing a button is an anonymous crash report, and only if something actually breaks.

Export — data you choose to move

Settings lets you export your history as a file and share it using your device's share sheet. Where that file goes is entirely your choice; once exported, it is outside the app's protection. The matching import restores a previous export.

Crash reports

If Returner crashes or hits a serious error, an anonymous crash report is sent to Sentry, an error-monitoring service, so the bug can be found and fixed. This is the only data Returner sends off your device on its own.

A crash report contains technical information only: the error message, the location in our code that failed, your device model, and your operating-system and app version. It does not contain your name, your email, or any of your recovery data — not what you're quitting, not your check-ins, notes, milestones, savings, or history. Sentry assigns a random installation identifier that is not your device ID or advertising ID and cannot be used to identify you. We never attach your identity to it, and it is never used for advertising or tracking.

On the App Store, this appears on Returner's privacy label as "Diagnostics — Crash Data — Not Linked to You — Not Used to Track You." That is the whole label; nothing else is declared.

Why we added it: Returner is built with React Native, and Apple's own crash reporting cannot see errors that happen in the app's JavaScript layer. A release in July 2026 crashed on launch for some testers while Apple's tools reported no crashes at all — we were flying blind on a bug that made the app unusable. Anonymous crash reporting is how we make sure that a broken release gets found and fixed in hours instead of weeks. We judged that a better deal for you than an app that silently breaks.

Notifications

Reminders are optional and scheduled locally on your device — no push servers are involved. Their wording never includes what you're quitting.

The ally message

If you choose to tell an accountability ally about a milestone, Returner only pre-fills a message and hands it to your device's share sheet. You pick the app and the recipient; nothing is sent by Returner itself.

Crisis line

The SAMHSA Helpline link opens your phone's dialer. That's all it does — no data is attached, and Returner never knows whether you called.

App lock and biometrics

The optional App Lock uses your device's Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode check via the operating system. The biometric data itself is handled entirely by your device; Returner only receives the OS's yes/no answer and never sees, stores, or transmits biometric information. App Lock is free — privacy is not a premium feature.

Purchases (if Returner Plus is available in your version)

Purchases are processed by Apple's App Store or Google Play. We receive no payment details, no card numbers, and no billing identity — only the store's anonymous confirmation that the purchase is valid, which is checked on-device.

Health information

Your substance choice, check-ins, Body Check answers, and notes are sensitive health-adjacent information — which is exactly why the app is built local-first. They are stored only on your device and are never transmitted, including in crash reports, which carry technical details about our code and never your content. Returner is a motivational tool providing general wellness information; it is not medical advice, medical treatment, or a medical device.

Children

Returner is intended for adults and is not directed at children.

Data deletion

Deleting your track, or uninstalling the app, erases the data permanently on-device. There is nothing to delete anywhere else.

Changes

If a future version of Returner ever changes what happens with your data (for example, an optional encrypted backup), this policy will be updated before that version ships, with the change stated plainly at the top.

Support

Questions, problems, or feedback about Returner: email contact@returnerlabs.com and a human will read it.

If you are in crisis, the SAMHSA National Helpline is 1-800-662-4357, free and confidential, 24/7.