Privacy policy

Who’s behind Hello From

Hello From is an iPhone camera and postcard app made by Joshua Tonga, part of Tiny Internet. This policy covers the app and this website, hellofrom.tinyinternet.dev. For privacy questions or requests, email hello@joshuatonga.com.

Your postcards stay on your iPhone

Hello From stores your imported or captured photos, previews, edits, postcard messages, dates, places, and preferences in the app’s local storage. Photo processing, postcard rendering, and export generation happen on your device. We do not operate a server that receives your photos or postcard collection.

There is no Hello From account, public feed, advertising, or app-managed cloud sync or backup service. Apple device backups may include app data according to your iCloud and device settings. Keep exported copies of anything you want to preserve before deleting the app or changing devices.

Photos, camera, and location permissions

• Camera: used when you choose to take a photo. Hello From does not request microphone access.
• Photos: used to browse and import the images you allow, including limited-library access. You can also choose a single photo using Apple’s photo picker. Imported photos may include a date and GPS coordinates; an iCloud-only original may be downloaded through Apple before it is copied into the app.
• Saving: permission to add to Photos is requested when you save an export to your library.
• Current location: requested when you choose to add your current place. Camera location tagging is off by default. Hello From does not track your route or request background location access.

You can change these permissions in iOS Settings. In Hello From, Settings → Permissions opens the relevant system settings.

Place names and Apple Maps

Hello From uses Apple’s services to turn coordinates into place names, search for places, and display maps. When an imported photo contains GPS coordinates, the app may automatically send those coordinates to Apple to look up the place name. This is separate from granting access to your current location. Place searches send the text you enter to Apple.

Requested map regions are provided by Apple MapKit. Photo pins are composed on your device; your photos are not uploaded to create map snapshots. Place lookup results and map images may be cached locally. Apple’s handling of these service requests is described in Apple’s privacy policy.

Pro purchases

Apple processes in-app payments. Hello From uses RevenueCat to check purchase status, unlock Pro, restore purchases, and understand purchase activity. RevenueCat initializes when the app opens and refreshes purchase information, including when the app returns to the foreground; it is not limited to the moment you make a purchase.

RevenueCat processes a randomly generated customer identifier, purchase and receipt information, and technical information such as app, device, and operating-system details. Hello From does not provide your name or email address to RevenueCat or configure advertising-identifier collection. We do not receive your full payment-card details.

See RevenueCat’s privacy policy and Apple’s privacy policy for their practices. These providers may process information in countries other than your own.

Sharing and deleting

When you share or save a postcard, collage, map, or print file, you choose the destination. Exported artwork can visibly include the place, date, and message you put on it. The service or person you share it with may retain that copy under their own practices.

Deleting a postcard removes its saved record and its app-owned photo, preview, and thumbnail. It does not delete the original in Apple Photos or copies you have already exported or shared. Locally cached place lookups and map images may remain. Deleting the app removes its local data from that installation; separately retained exports and device backups are managed through their respective apps and Apple settings.

Website hosting and analytics

This website is hosted on Vercel. Hosting infrastructure processes ordinary request information, such as your IP address, browser, and requested page, to deliver and protect the website.

We use Vercel Web Analytics to understand aggregate website use, including page views, referring sites, approximate geographic location, and browser, operating-system, and device categories. It does not use advertising cookies or track you across unrelated websites. Its visitor identifier is temporary and is discarded after 24 hours.

We remove query strings and URL fragments from page URLs before sending analytics events. We do not send your in-app photos, postcards, location history, or purchase details to website analytics, and we do not add custom analytics events for support emails. Learn more about Vercel Web Analytics and privacy and Vercel’s privacy policy.

If you contact us

If you email support, we receive your email address and whatever you include, such as a description of an issue, device details, or an optional screenshot. We use this information to respond and resolve your request. Please share only what is needed; you do not need to send private original photos.

Support messages are kept for as long as needed to handle the request, related follow-up, and applicable legal obligations. Purchase-related records may be retained by Apple and RevenueCat for restoration, fraud prevention, accounting, and legal requirements under their policies.

Your choices and rights

You can limit permissions, remove postcards, choose what to share, and manage your device backups. Depending on where you live, you may also have rights to access, correct, delete, or obtain a copy of personal information, restrict or object to its processing, or complain to a privacy authority. Contact hello@joshuatonga.com to make a request about information we hold. We cannot access the postcard collection stored only on your device.

We do not sell your personal information or use it for cross-app advertising. Where consent is required, you can withdraw it; this does not affect processing that has already taken place.

Children and policy updates

Hello From is intended for a general audience and is not directed at children under 13. If you believe a child has sent us personal information, contact us so we can review and address it.

We may update this policy when the app, website, or our practices change. The date above shows the latest revision. Material changes will be communicated as required by applicable law.