Section P · Your privacy
Privacy Policy.
SoberWave — Sober Day Counter & Craving Support
This Privacy Policy applies to the SoberWave mobile application ("Application"), available on iOS, developed by the SoberWave Team. By using the Application, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.
Information Collection and Use
The Application may collect certain information automatically when you download and use it, including:
- Your device model and operating system version
- Usage data (features used, screens viewed, session duration)
- App settings and preferences
- Crash reports and diagnostic data for app stability
Recovery & Personal Data You Provide
What we collect
- Your sober start date, the name on your paper's masthead, and what you used to spend on drinking (to calculate money saved)
- Daily weather check-ins (your mood reports) and any notes you add
- Surf sessions, including when you used Surf and how many breaths you rode
- The letter you write to yourself
- Messages you write in Talk it out
- Photos you file on the Photo Desk, with their captions and beats
- Places and situations you mark as tricky, including their names and map locations
- Stickers collected, Mailroom items, and widget preferences
- Subscription and account information
- Feedback or support messages you send us
How we use this data
- To count your sober days and money saved, and publish your daily front page
- To show your weather reports on the Forecast, the Barometer, and the Sober Calendar widget
- To run Surf sessions and show your letter when you need it
- To generate replies when you use Talk it out
- To caption and file your photos and award stickers
- To warn you when you're near a tricky place
- To save your personal settings and preferences
- To improve app performance and feature quality
- To troubleshoot technical issues and enhance the user experience
- To process and manage your subscription
Camera, Photos & Menu Scanning
Photos and menus are read on your phone. When you file a photo or scan a drinks menu, SoberWave uses on-device text and image recognition to read it. SoberWave only accesses your camera or photo library when you tap to use them, and you can change this at any time in iOS Settings.
- Menu images are read on your device and are not uploaded to our servers
- Photos you file are stored in the app on your device, and in your own backup if you enable one
- Photos are never sold, never used for advertising, and never used to identify people in them
Location & Tricky Places
Location warnings are optional and off unless you turn them on. When enabled, SoberWave uses your device's location to notice when you're near a place you've marked as tricky, so it can give you an early warning. You can turn this off at any time in the app or in your device's Location Services settings.
- Your location is used only to compare where you are with the tricky places you've marked
- Tricky places are stored on your device, and in your own backup if you enable one
- Location data is never sold or used for advertising
- Location data is never shared by us with employers, insurers, family members, or authorities
Talk it out
When you use Talk it out, the messages you write are sent over an encrypted connection to our service provider to generate a reply. They are used only to provide that conversation, are never used for advertising, and are never sold. Talk it out is not a counselor, therapist, or crisis service.
Your Recovery Records Are Private
We know sobriety data is personal. Your day count, weather reports, letters, photos, and tricky places are:
- Stored on your device, and optionally in your own backup
- Encrypted in transit when synced or backed up
- Never sold to third parties, and never used to show you ads
- Never shared with employers, insurers, or anyone else unless you share them yourself
- Deletable at any time through the app or by contacting support
Sharing & Widgets
When you tap share on your front page, the image is created on your device. Once you send it to someone or post it, that copy is outside our control and is handled by whoever receives it. Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets, such as the Sober Calendar, show your streak to anyone who can see your screen, so add them only where you're comfortable.
Third-Party Services
We may use third-party services to help operate and improve the application. These services may have access to anonymized or aggregated data only, except where needed to provide the specific service listed.
The Application uses the following third-party services:
- RevenueCat (for subscription management)
- Apple Maps / MapKit (for showing your tricky places on a map)
- Apple Vision (for on-device text and image recognition; nothing is sent to Apple)
- An AI service provider (for generating Talk it out replies)
- Apple Analytics / Firebase (for app performance monitoring)
- Crashlytics (for stability reporting and bug tracking)
- iCloud (for backup and restore, if you enable it)
Platform-Specific Information
iOS (Apple App Store)
- Subscriptions are managed through your Apple ID and App Store account
- Location, camera, and photo permissions are controlled through iOS Settings → Privacy & Security
- Apple may collect diagnostic and usage data in accordance with its own privacy policy
- iCloud backup may include app data if enabled on your device
Data Storage and Security
Local & cloud storage
- Your journal, letters, photos, and tricky places are stored locally on your device and optionally backed up to the cloud
- We do not sell your personal or recovery data to third parties
- All data transmissions are encrypted using industry-standard protocols (TLS 1.3)
Data security
We take reasonable measures to protect your information from unauthorized access, alteration, or destruction. However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
Opt-Out Rights
You may stop data collection at any time by:
- Turning off tricky place warnings in the app or disabling location access in iOS Settings
- Turning off camera or photo library access in iOS Settings
- Disabling analytics in the app settings
- Uninstalling the application from your device
- Requesting account and data deletion via support (email below)
- Deleting individual check-ins, photos, letters, tricky places, or your entire history within the app
Data Retention
We retain your data as long as you use the app. If you delete the app, local data is removed from your device. Backups you created (for example in iCloud) remain until you delete them. You can request complete deletion of any data held by us by contacting support. Subscription data is retained by Apple for billing history in accordance with its policies.
Age Restrictions
Age requirement: SoberWave is intended for users aged 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from anyone under 18. If you believe a minor has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will take steps to delete it.
Your Privacy Rights
Depending on your location, you may have the following rights:
- Access to your personal data and recovery history
- Correction of inaccurate data
- Deletion of your data (including check-ins, letters, photos, and tricky places)
- Objection to data processing
- Data portability
- Restriction of processing
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at the email address below.
International Data Transfers
Your data may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your own. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable laws.
California Privacy Rights
If you are a California resident, you have specific rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), including the right to know what personal information is collected, the right to delete personal information, and the right to opt out of the sale of personal information. We do not sell personal information.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last updated" date. For significant changes affecting your recovery, photo, or location data, we will notify you through the app.
Contact us
If you have questions about our privacy practices or want to exercise your privacy rights, please contact:
- Email: support@soberwave.app
- Subject line: Privacy Policy Inquiry - SoberWave
- Response time: We aim to respond within 48 hours
For data deletion requests
Please include your account email and specify whether you want to delete:
- All account data and recovery history (full deletion)
- Specific check-ins, photos, letters, or tricky places only
- Talk it out conversation history only