Privacy Policy

Timely is created and maintained by Rowan Strang. For privacy questions, data requests, or support, contact me through the Timely Support page.

Timely does not sell your personal information. Timely does not use your data for third-party advertising or cross-app tracking.

Timely uses Apple services for app distribution, purchases, iCloud, notifications, Live Activities, calendars, maps, Shortcuts, Siri, and Apple Intelligence features where available. Where available, Timely Plus also uses Firebase and Google Cloud services to provide backend identity, device routing, Cloud Functions, backend Cloud Firestore storage, and Firebase Cloud Messaging delivery.

Apple handles payments and payment information. Timely can see StoreKit purchase and entitlement information needed to unlock paid features, but Timely does not receive your payment card details.

Regional Availability of Paid Features

Timely Plus and paid Shortcuts unlocks are not available for purchase in some regions, including Europe and mainland China. Where Timely Plus is unavailable and no active Timely Plus entitlement exists, Timely does not use the Timely Plus Firebase/Google Cloud backend for that user. When Timely Plus is not active, countdowns and app settings remain on your device and, if iCloud sync is enabled for Timely, in your iCloud account.

Countdown Information

When you create, edit, view, or delete countdowns, Timely may handle:

• Countdown title.
• Countdown date and time.
• Countdown emoji.
• Theme color.
• Countdown identifier.
• Whether a countdown has an alarm or Live Activity.
• Travel time estimate and transport mode.
• Optional destination name, address, latitude, and longitude.
• Device identifiers associated with alarm or Timely Plus routing.

This information is used to show countdowns, power widgets and Live Activities, schedule reminders and alarms, support Shortcuts actions, and sync your countdowns through iCloud or Timely Plus where applicable.

Local App Settings

Timely stores settings such as selected theme preferences, calendar display preferences, Apple Intelligence preferences, keyboard/interface preferences, synced-device display state, widget snapshots, purchase entitlement cache, and similar app configuration values.

These settings are used to remember your choices and make the app work consistently across launches, widgets, extensions, and Shortcuts.

Calendar Information

If you grant calendar access, Timely can read event information from calendars you select. This may include calendar names, event titles, event dates and times, event locations, and related EventKit identifiers.

Timely uses calendar access to show upcoming calendar items and help create countdowns from them. Calendar event data is processed locally by the app unless you create a Timely countdown from that event. The resulting countdown may sync through iCloud. If you use Timely Plus, where available, only the limited scheduling fields described below are sent to the Timely backend; Timely does not send the original calendar record or its EventKit identifier.

Timely stores the identifiers of calendars you choose to show so it can remember your calendar visibility preferences.

Location and Maps Information

If you grant location access, Timely can use your current location, with the precision allowed by your iOS permission, to estimate travel time to a destination. If you add a destination to a countdown, Timely may store the destination name, address, latitude, longitude, travel time, and transport mode with that countdown.

Timely uses Apple MapKit and related Apple location services for place search, reverse geocoding, map previews, and directions. Apple may process search queries, locations, and route requests according to Apple policies and system settings.

Current location is used for travel features and is not used for advertising. Saved destination details may sync through your personal iCloud account as part of the countdown. In the current release, Timely does not send your current location or saved destination details, such as destination name, address, latitude, longitude, or transport mode, to the Timely backend. Where available, Timely Plus receives only the resulting travel-time value when it is needed for Live Activity scheduling.

Notifications, Alarms, Widgets, Live Activities, Shortcuts, and Siri

Timely uses system features to provide countdown behavior outside the main app. Depending on what you enable, Timely may handle:

• Local notification content such as countdown title, due time, reminder time, and deep link.
• AlarmKit alarm metadata such as countdown identifier, title, scheduled alert time, and optional Maps action details.
• Live Activity content such as countdown title, emoji, date and time, theme color, travel time, and alarm state.
• Widget snapshot data such as upcoming countdown title, date and time, emoji, and theme color.
• Shortcuts, Siri, App Intents, and widget configuration data needed to run requested actions.

These features are provided through Apple system APIs. Timely uses them to display countdowns, start and update Live Activities, open Timely to the correct countdown, schedule alerts, and run user-requested automations.

Purchases and Entitlements

Timely uses StoreKit to offer Timely Plus subscriptions and optional paid Shortcuts features, where available. Timely may handle:

• Product identifiers.
• Active entitlement and transaction status.
• Purchase verification information used to confirm eligibility for paid features.
• A local purchase cache used to unlock features.

Apple processes payments, billing, refunds, tax, and payment method information. Timely does not receive your payment card number, bank account details, or Apple ID password.

For Timely Plus backend access, where available, Timely verifies your purchase eligibility with Apple and stores a derived purchase account identifier so eligible Timely installations can be associated with the same Timely Plus account. Timely does not receive or store your payment card details.

Device and Timely Plus Backend Information

Where available, Timely Plus provides remote Live Activity scheduling, update, wake, and cleanup behavior. To do that, Timely may send or store backend records including:

• Firebase account identifier generated for Timely.
• Installation identifier generated by Timely.
• App attestation information, such as Firebase App Check data, used to help confirm requests come from a genuine Timely installation.
• Device trust information, such as a public key and related credential metadata.
• Device display name, device model, device category, system version, app version, and Live Activity capability.
• Last-seen and registration timestamps.
• Whether Live Activities are available and enabled.
• APNs device token, Firebase Cloud Messaging token, ActivityKit push-to-start token, and Live Activity update tokens.
• Countdown scheduling metadata needed to start, update, or end Live Activities, such as title, emoji, event time, theme color, travel time, alarm state, countdown ID, activation time, dismissal time, and routing preferences.
• Routing health, retry state, task status, failure information, and operational logs used to keep Timely Plus reliable.

Where available, Timely Plus uses this information to authenticate devices, route Live Activity pushes, wake eligible devices, attach Live Activity update tokens, avoid duplicate work, retry failed operations, deactivate removed devices, and diagnose service reliability.

Diagnostics and Operational Logs

Timely and the Timely backend may create limited diagnostic information, such as backend task status, route health, failure class, error summaries, timestamps, and non-sensitive technical metadata. These logs are used to operate, secure, debug, and improve reliability.

Timely does not currently use Firebase Analytics, Firebase Crashlytics, third-party advertising SDKs, or App Tracking Transparency tracking. Firebase and Google Cloud infrastructure used for authentication, app installation identity, messaging, Cloud Functions, security, and data transport may process limited technical and service metadata, such as app instance identifiers, device and app information, request metadata, delivery status, timestamps, error information, and abuse-prevention or security signals. Timely uses this information for app functionality, service reliability, security, and provider-required service analytics, not for advertising or cross-app tracking.

Apple Intelligence and Emoji Suggestions

If Apple Intelligence emoji suggestions are available and enabled, Timely may use Apple's Foundation Models framework on-device to suggest emoji and theme colors from your countdown title. The prompt is processed on your device by Apple's on-device model through system APIs. Timely uses the result only to help select countdown presentation details.

If Apple Intelligence is unavailable or disabled, Timely can use local emoji matching instead.

Timely receives information from:

• You, when you create countdowns, choose settings, buy features, grant permissions, or contact support.
• Your device, through Apple APIs such as SwiftData, UserDefaults, Keychain, ActivityKit, AlarmKit, WidgetKit, EventKit, Core Location, MapKit, StoreKit, App Intents, Shortcuts, Siri, and notifications.
• Apple, for purchase entitlement and AppTransaction verification.
• Firebase and Google Cloud services, where Timely Plus is available and active, for Timely Plus backend authentication, storage, messaging, and Cloud Functions.
• Timely backend systems, where Timely Plus is available and active, when they generate routing, scheduling, retry, and operational records.

If you contact me through the Timely Support page for support or a privacy request, Timely may handle the information you choose to provide, such as your name, email address, message contents, screenshots, diagnostic details, device or app information, and any identifiers needed to understand or respond to your request.

I use this information only to respond to you, troubleshoot issues, process privacy requests, keep records of the request, and protect Timely and its users. Please do not send sensitive information unless it is needed for your request.

Support and privacy-request communications may be retained as needed to respond to you, maintain records of the request, resolve disputes, comply with legal obligations, and improve support reliability.

Timely uses information to:

• Create, display, edit, delete, and sync countdowns.
• Show countdowns in widgets, Live Activities, Dynamic Island, Lock Screen, StandBy, Shortcuts, and Siri.
• Schedule local notifications and alarms.
• Estimate travel time and open directions.
• Show calendar events and create countdowns from calendar items.
• Provide remote Live Activity scheduling and cleanup for Timely Plus where available.
• Route Timely Plus activity pushes to eligible devices where available.
• Verify purchases and restore entitlements.
• Remember app settings and user preferences.
• Protect the service from replay, unauthorized access, and invalid device registration.
• Maintain reliability, diagnose issues, and respond to support requests.
• Comply with legal, security, and App Store obligations.

Where privacy law requires a legal basis for processing personal information, I rely on one or more of the following:

• Performance of a contract: to provide the app, paid features, subscriptions, synced countdowns, Live Activities, purchases, and support.
• Consent: when you grant permissions such as calendar access, location access, notifications, Apple Intelligence preferences, or optional Timely Plus actions.
• Legitimate interests: to secure the app and backend, prevent abuse, troubleshoot problems, maintain service reliability, and improve the app in ways that do not override your rights.
• Legal obligations: to comply with tax, accounting, consumer protection, App Store, platform, dispute, and legal process requirements.

You can withdraw many permission-based choices in iOS Settings or within Timely settings, although some features may stop working if the related permission is removed.

Timely shares information only as needed for the purposes described in this policy.

Apple

Timely uses Apple services and frameworks for iCloud, StoreKit purchases, App Store distribution, calendars, maps, location, notifications, alarms, widgets, Live Activities, Shortcuts, Siri, and Apple Intelligence where available. Apple may process related data under Apple's own privacy policies and system settings.

Google Firebase and Google Cloud

Where available, Timely Plus uses Firebase and Google Cloud services, including Firebase Auth, App Check, Cloud Functions, backend Cloud Firestore storage, and Firebase Cloud Messaging. These services process Timely Plus account, device, routing, push-token, countdown scheduling, and operational data so Timely Plus can work.

Service Providers

I may use service providers for hosting, backend infrastructure, monitoring, security, and support. Service providers are expected to process information only for the services they provide to Timely.

Legal and Safety Disclosures

I may disclose information if required by law, legal process, governmental request, or to protect the rights, safety, and security of users, Timely, service providers, or the public.

Business Transfers

If ownership or operation of Timely changes, information may be transferred as part of that change, subject to appropriate protections and this policy or a successor policy.

Timely does not sell personal information. Timely does not share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. Timely does not use your information for third-party advertising. Timely does not currently use dedicated third-party behavioral analytics or crash-reporting products. Firebase and Google Cloud infrastructure may process limited technical and service metadata as described above.

Timely uses push tokens and device identifiers to provide app functionality, not to track you across apps or websites owned by other companies.

Timely does not keep personal information longer than needed for the purposes described in this policy. Some retention depends on your choices, such as whether you delete a countdown, remove the app, manage iCloud sync, cancel Timely Plus, remove a synced device, or make a privacy request.

Countdowns and local settings remain on your device until you delete them, reset the app, remove the app, or change related settings. If iCloud sync is enabled, countdown data may remain in iCloud according to your iCloud account settings and Apple's retention practices.

The installation identifier and device trust key are stored using the iOS Keychain and may persist across an app reinstall unless they are removed by iOS or replaced by Timely's identity-repair process.

Calendar data read from EventKit is used to display calendar items and create countdowns, but Timely does not maintain a separate long-term copy of all calendar events. If you create a Timely countdown from a calendar event, the resulting countdown data is retained like any other countdown.

Timely Plus backend records are retained while needed to provide Timely Plus, route Live Activity pushes, maintain security, process retries, diagnose operational issues, support account/device association, satisfy legal obligations, or resolve disputes. After deactivation, cancellation, device removal, or deletion, some backend records may remain where needed to preserve security, audit, accounting, reliability, legal, or dispute-resolution records.

Support and privacy-request communications may be retained as described in the Support and Privacy Requests section above.

You can control many categories of data through iOS and Timely settings:

• Delete countdowns in Timely.
• Disable Timely Plus features by not subscribing, cancelling the subscription, or not using Timely Plus-enabled Live Activity features.
• Manage synced devices from Timely settings where available.
• Change notification permissions in iOS Settings.
• Change location permissions in iOS Settings.
• Change calendar permissions in iOS Settings.
• Choose which calendars Timely shows.
• Disable Apple Intelligence features in Timely settings where available.
• Manage Live Activity permissions in iOS Settings.
• Manage iCloud behavior through iOS and iCloud settings.
• Restore or cancel purchases through Apple systems.

Some deletion or permission changes may not immediately remove data from backups, logs, records required for security, or records retained for legal obligations.

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to request access, correction, deletion, portability, restriction, objection, withdrawal of consent, or an appeal of a privacy decision.

To make a privacy request, contact me through the Timely Support page. I may need information sufficient to verify your request, identify the relevant installation or Timely Plus account, and protect against unauthorized access. I will respond as required by applicable law.

If your request concerns data controlled by Apple, such as App Store purchases, Apple ID account information, payment details, iCloud data, or Apple Maps data, you may also need to use Apple's privacy tools or contact Apple directly.

Timely is a general-audience app and is not directed specifically at children. Timely does not knowingly collect personal information from children in a way that requires parental consent. If you believe a child has provided personal information to Timely in a way that requires deletion or parental consent, contact me through the Timely Support page.

Timely, Apple, Google Firebase, Google Cloud, and other service providers may process information in countries other than the country where you live. Those countries may have different data protection laws. Where required, I rely on appropriate safeguards such as contractual protections, standard contractual clauses, service provider data processing terms, or other legally recognized transfer mechanisms.

Timely uses technical and organizational safeguards appropriate to the nature of the information processed. Examples include iOS sandboxing, iCloud and Keychain storage where applicable, Firebase App Check, Firebase Authentication, device trust keys, signed StoreKit proof verification, server-side authorization checks, backend database rules that restrict direct access, and limited backend access through Cloud Functions.

No method of storage or transmission is perfectly secure. Timely cannot guarantee absolute security, but I work to protect information and limit collection to what is needed for the app and Timely Plus features where available.

I may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If I make material changes, I will update the effective date and provide notice where required. Continued use of Timely after an updated policy takes effect means the updated policy applies to your use of the app.

For privacy questions, data requests, or support, contact me through the Timely Support page.