Okaybird Privacy Policy
Effective date: October 26, 2026
App: Okaybird (iOS and Android)
Developer: Edmond Davis (individual developer)
Contact: support@okaybird.app
Summary
- Okaybird has no accounts, no analytics, no advertising, and no tracking. By default it uses no servers: the only exception is the optional automatic alerts feature, which is off unless you turn it on (see "Optional automatic alerts" below).
- Your emergency contacts, settings, and check-in notes are stored only on your device.
- Your location is read only when you confirm an SOS or a check-in timer runs out, and it is placed only in a message that you choose to send to your own contacts.
- The developer does not sell or share your data. With automatic alerts off, the developer receives none of it.
Information the app stores on your device
| Data | Why | Where it's kept |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency contacts (name, phone number, email; up to 3) | To address alert messages | On your device (app storage) |
| Check-in note and check-in type (e.g. "Date") | Included in alert messages you send | On your device until the check-in ends or is reset |
| Check-in timer state (start and end time) | So the timer keeps working if the app is closed | On your device |
| Settings ("Include my location in alerts" and "Automatic alerts" switches, onboarding completed) | App preferences | On your device |
| Your first name (only if you turn on automatic alerts) | So your contacts know who an invite or alert is from | On your device, and in texts sent for you |
| A random install ID (not linked to you, your device hardware, or any account) | Only used if automatic alerts are on, for the server's rate limit | On your device |
Unless you turn on automatic alerts, this information is not transmitted to the developer or to any third party by the app. It is removed when you delete the app. You can edit or remove contacts at any time in Settings, and Reset clears the current check-in. Device backups (for example iCloud or Google backups you have enabled) may include app data under your own backup provider's terms.
Location
- Okaybird asks for "While Using the App" location permission only the first time you confirm an SOS or a check-in timer expires. It never requests background location and never tracks your location over time.
- When an SOS is confirmed or a timer expires, the app reads your current location once and builds a Google Maps link (for example
https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=…). The coordinates are shown to you in the message preview and are not stored by the app. - The Include my location in alerts switch in Settings is on by default. If you turn it off, or deny the permission, the app never reads your location and alerts are prepared without a map link.
Messages you send
When an alert is prepared, Okaybird opens your phone's own Messages or Mail app with the text filled in. With automatic alerts off, nothing is sent unless you tap Send. Once sent, the message is handled by your carrier or email provider and by the recipients, under their own privacy policies. Anyone who opens the map link will be using Google Maps under Google's terms. The Call 911 button simply opens your phone's dialer.
Optional automatic alerts (applies only when you turn this feature on)
Automatic alerts are off by default. They work only if you switch on Settings > Automatic alerts and accept the consent screen. You can turn them off at any time, which stops all of the data flows in this section.
What is sent, and when
| When | What leaves your phone | Sent to |
|---|---|---|
| You confirm an SOS, or a check-in timer ends while Okaybird is open | Your contacts' phone numbers (and names), the alert text (check-in type, your note, and a map link to your location if "Include my location in alerts" is on), and the random install ID | The Okaybird alert server, then Twilio |
| You save a new contact | The contact's phone number, your first name, and the random install ID, so the server can text the contact a one-time invite to reply YES | The Okaybird alert server, then Twilio |
| You open Settings | Your contacts' phone numbers and the install ID, to show whether each one is Pending, Confirmed, or Opted out | The Okaybird alert server |
| You start a check-in | Your contacts' phone numbers, your first name, the check-in end time, a missed-check-in text (check-in type and note, no location), and the random install ID | The Okaybird alert server |
| You check in, cancel, or reset | The install ID and check-in ID, to cancel the pending alert | The Okaybird alert server |
| You don't check in in time | The missed-check-in text is sent by SMS to the contacts who replied YES | Twilio, then your contacts' carriers |
| You remove a contact, or turn automatic alerts off and withdraw consent | The install ID and the removed phone numbers, so the server deletes your link to them | The Okaybird alert server |
Your contacts' consent (SMS opt-in)
- Okaybird texts a contact automatically only after that contact replies YES to a one-time invite. The invite says who added them, what they will receive, that message and data rates may apply, and how to reply STOP or HELP. Contacts who don't reply, or who reply STOP, still get your alerts through your own Messages app.
- To honour these choices, the server keeps a consent record for each contact phone number: whether it is pending, confirmed, or opted out; for each Okaybird install that added it, the install ID, your first name and the invite times; and a log of the contact's replies (YES, STOP, START, HELP) with the time and the Twilio message ID. It does not keep the text of other replies.
- Anyone can reply STOP to stop all texts from the Okaybird number, START to opt back in, or HELP for help. Details of the text program are at okaybird.app/sms.
- **We do not sell, rent, or share mobile phone numbers or SMS consent with anyone for marketing or promotional purposes.** They are used only to deliver the safety texts described here. All the above categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information won't be shared with any third parties.
Who processes it
- The Okaybird alert server runs on Cloudflare Workers (Cloudflare, Inc. acts as our hosting provider). It passes the message to Twilio and does not log message text, names, or phone numbers.
- Twilio Inc. delivers the SMS as our processor. Twilio keeps message records (such as the destination number, message body, and delivery status) under its own privacy notice and retention settings.
- Your contacts' mobile carriers deliver the text. Anyone who opens the map link uses Google Maps.
How long it is kept
- A pending missed-check-in alert (phone numbers and text) is kept on the server only until you check in, cancel, start a new check-in, or it is sent, and is then deleted. At most about 13 hours.
- SOS and expiry alerts sent from the app are passed straight to Twilio and are not stored by the server.
- For rate limiting, the server keeps the install ID with send times (no content) for up to 1 hour (invite times for up to 24 hours), then deletes them.
- Consent records: an invite that gets no YES is deleted after 30 days. A confirmed link is kept until you remove the contact, turn automatic alerts off and withdraw consent, or the contact replies STOP. When no install needs a number any more, its record is deleted, except an opt-out: the number and the time it replied STOP are kept so it is never texted again unless it replies START. A contact can ask us to delete their record at support@okaybird.app.
- Twilio's retention of message records is governed by Twilio's own policies. Where Twilio offers settings that shorten how long message bodies are kept, we use them.
Location is still read only when an SOS is confirmed or a timer ends while the app is open, never in the background. The missed-check-in text that the server sends when your phone doesn't check in has no location.
Automatic texts can fail or be delayed. If sending fails, Okaybird opens your Messages app so you can send the alert yourself, and the manual buttons are always available.
Notifications
Okaybird schedules local notifications on your device (a reminder 1 minute before your timer ends and one when it ends). They are created on your phone; no push notification service or device token is used.
Third-party services and SDKs
The app is built with Expo / React Native. The current version does not include analytics, advertising, crash reporting, or any SDK that sends your data to the developer or a third party. If you turn on automatic alerts, the app talks to the Okaybird alert server (Cloudflare) and the server uses Twilio, as described above.
Children
Okaybird is not directed to children under 13 and does not knowingly collect personal information from anyone.
Your choices and rights
With automatic alerts off, the developer does not collect or hold your personal information, so there is nothing for us to access, export, or delete on our side. With them on, the server keeps only the data described above. You can delete a pending alert at any time by checking in or cancelling, remove a contact's consent link by deleting the contact, and remove all of them by turning automatic alerts off and withdrawing consent. Contacts can reply STOP at any time. You control all data on your device: edit or delete contacts in Settings, turn "Include my location in alerts" or "Automatic alerts" on or off, revoke location or notification permission in your phone's settings, or delete the app. If you are in a region with privacy laws (such as the GDPR or CCPA/CPRA) and have questions, contact us at support@okaybird.app.
Important safety notice
Okaybird is not an emergency service. It does not contact 911, police, or any emergency service, and it cannot guarantee that a message is delivered. In an emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number.
Changes to this policy
If the way the app handles information changes, we will update this policy and its effective date, and describe significant changes in the app's release notes.
Contact
Edmond Davis — support@okaybird.app
Website: https://okaybird.app