Privacy policy

Effective October 7, 2026

Count Downula doesn't collect your data. Your countdowns live on your devices and in your own private iCloud, where I can't see them. This website doesn't track you either.

This policy covers the Count Downula apps for macOS, iPhone and Apple Watch, and the website at www.countdownula.com. Both are made by Michael Lynn ("I", "me"). If anything here is unclear, email merlynn@gmail.com.

The apps

Count Downula has no sign-up, no analytics, no advertising and no crash reporting. It doesn't talk to any server of mine, and I never receive anything you put into it.

• Your countdowns. Titles, notes, dates, timers and photos are saved on each device where you use Count Downula. On a Mac they live in ~/Library/Application Support/Countdownula/. Photos are resized, and a small thumbnail is made for the menu bar, widgets and the watch.
• iCloud sync. From version 1.1, if you're signed in to iCloud, your countdowns and photos sync between your Mac, iPhone and Apple Watch through your private iCloud database. Apple runs this service under Apple's privacy policy. Data in your private database belongs to your Apple Account, and I can't access it. If iCloud is off or unavailable, Count Downula keeps working and saves everything on the device only.
• iPhone. The iPhone app stores your countdowns on the phone and syncs them through the same private iCloud database. Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets and Live Activities read a copy of your countdowns and photos that stays on the phone. Photos you add are chosen with the system photo picker, so the app only sees the photos you pick, never the rest of your library.
• Apple Watch. The watch app stores your countdowns on the watch and syncs them through the same private iCloud database. Watch face complications read a small summary of upcoming countdowns that stays on the watch.
• Notifications. Each device asks for permission to alert you when a countdown finishes. Alerts are scheduled and delivered locally by macOS, iOS or watchOS.
• Backups. If you use Time Machine or another backup tool, your countdowns are backed up along with the rest of your files, under that tool's own terms.

The website

The website is a set of static pages. It uses no analytics, no advertising, no tracking pixels, no embedded social media and no cookies. Fonts and images are served from this site, not from third parties. The "try it" countdown runs entirely in your browser, and nothing you type into it is saved or sent.

The site is hosted by Vercel. Like any web host, Vercel processes basic request information, such as your IP address, browser type and the page requested, to deliver pages and protect against abuse. See Vercel's privacy policy for how they handle it. I don't use this information to identify or profile you.

The download link goes to GitHub, which has its own privacy statement.

When you email me

If you write to me for support, I'll receive your email address and whatever you include in the message. I use it only to reply and to fix what you reported. I don't add you to a mailing list, and I don't share or sell it. You can ask me to delete our correspondence at any time.

Children

Count Downula doesn't collect personal information from anyone, including children under 13.

Your rights

Because I don't collect personal data through the apps or website, there is nothing to access, export or delete on my side apart from any emails you've sent me. Your countdowns are under your control:

• Deleting a countdown in the app deletes it everywhere it syncs.
• To stop syncing, turn off iCloud for Count Downula in your Apple Account's iCloud settings. Your countdowns stay on the device.
• To remove the iCloud copy, delete Count Downula's data under Manage Storage in your iCloud settings. To remove the copy on a Mac, delete the folder above. On iPhone, removing the app removes its copy.

Changes

If this policy changes, the new version will be posted here with a new effective date. Changes that affect how your data is handled will be noted in the app's release notes.

Contact

Questions about privacy: merlynn@gmail.com