Privacy Policy
The short version: How Long does not collect any data about you. There are no accounts, no analytics, no ads, and no tracking. What you enter stays on your iPhone and, if you use iCloud, in your own private iCloud account. We (the developer) cannot see any of it.
How Long is made by Rudolph Schmitz LLC ("we", "us"). This policy explains what the app stores, where it is stored, and what you can do about it.
What the app stores
To work, How Long keeps the things you create in it: your tasks, your time guesses, the sessions you time, and your progress (levels, achievements and stats). This is stored:
- On your iPhone. The app's own storage, plus a shared area on the same device so the widgets, Live Activity, Control Center control and Siri shortcuts can show and control your timer.
- In your private iCloud database, if iCloud is on. When you are signed in to iCloud, How Long uses Apple's iCloud (CloudKit) to sync your data between your devices. It is stored in your own iCloud account, under Apple's privacy policy. We have no access to it.
Nothing is sent to any server run by us. We do not operate a server for the app.
What we do not do
- No account or sign-up.
- No analytics, crash-reporting or advertising tools in the app, and no third-party code libraries that collect data.
- No tracking across other apps or websites, and no selling or sharing of data.
This is why the App Store lists How Long as "Data Not Collected."
One thing Apple does on its own: if you turn on sharing with app developers in Settings > Privacy & Security > Analytics & Improvements, Apple may send us anonymous crash reports and usage statistics. Apple controls this, it contains none of your tasks or history, and you can turn it off there at any time.
Purchases
How Long Pro is an optional one-time purchase made through Apple's App Store. Apple handles the payment; we never see your name, card or Apple Account details. The app asks the App Store on your device whether Pro is active.
Notifications
If you allow notifications, How Long can send two kinds of reminders. Both are scheduled on your iPhone.
- Timer reminder: a reminder when a timer has been running for a while, in case you forgot to stop it.
- Habit reminder (How Long Pro): an optional reminder when you haven't timed anything for a number of days you choose. It is off until you turn on "Habit reminder" in Profile > Settings > Reminders. Its text is always the same and never includes your tasks. Its settings stay on that iPhone and are not synced.
You can turn off the habit reminder with that switch, or turn off all reminders at any time in Settings > Notifications > How Long.
Exporting and deleting your data
- Export: with How Long Pro, you can export your session history as a file from the Profile tab. The file goes wherever you choose to save or share it.
- Delete a session: open a task and swipe left on a session to delete it.
- Removing a task: swiping a task off your list archives it. It disappears from the list, but its history is kept (and keeps counting toward your stats).
- Delete everything: the app does not yet have an "erase all data" button. Deleting the app removes its data from that iPhone. If iCloud is on, a copy stays in your iCloud account and comes back if you reinstall. To remove that copy too, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Manage Account Storage, choose How Long, and delete its data.
This website
This website does not use cookies or analytics. Like any website, our hosting provider may keep standard technical logs (such as IP addresses) to run and protect the service.
Children
How Long does not collect personal information from anyone, including children.
Changes to this policy
If how the app handles data ever changes, we will update this page and the date at the top before that version of the app is released.
Contact
Questions about privacy? Email support@howlongapp.com.