HintsIs it private?
Yes. Your notes stay yours.
The short answer
Hints has no accounts and no servers of its own. Each note is read by Apple Intelligence, on your iPhone or on Apple's Private Cloud Compute, and what Hints files from it is kept on your iPhone and in your own iCloud. We can't read your notes, because they never reach us.
Where a note goes
Apple Intelligence
On your iPhone, or on Private Cloud Compute. It reads the note, answers, and keeps nothing.
Hints on your iPhone
You type or say the note. It is saved straight away, then sent to Apple Intelligence to be read.
Your iCloud
Your people and hints sync to your own private iCloud database, so your devices match.
Hints servers
There aren't any. Nothing you write is sent to us.
Who reads your note
When you save a note, Hints asks Apple Intelligence to turn it into a gift hint: who it's for, what they want, and when the occasion is. That happens either on your iPhone or on Apple's Private Cloud Compute.
Private Cloud Compute runs on Apple silicon servers. It uses your note only to answer that request, doesn't store it, and is designed so that no one, Apple included, can read it. Apple publishes the software so independent researchers can verify those promises. Hints sends your notes nowhere except Apple Intelligence.
Where it's kept
Your people, hints, sizes and dates are stored on your iPhone. If you use iCloud, they sync between your devices through Apple's CloudKit, in your own private iCloud database. We have no way to open it.
A note you've saved but not yet checked stays on the iPhone where you wrote it until you review it.
Contacts and voice
If you allow it, Hints looks through your contacts on your iPhone to match "Anna" in a note to the right Anna. Your contact list is never uploaded. You can say no, and add people by name instead.
If you dictate a note, Apple's speech recognition transcribes it on your iPhone. The audio isn't saved.
What we see
Nothing you write. The app contains no advertising or tracking software and no analytics today. If we add anonymous usage counts, such as how many notes were saved, they will never include note text, names, or gift ideas, and the privacy policy will say so before that version ships.
The one exception is an email you choose to send us yourself. We see what you send, and nothing else.
This website
This site sets no cookies. It counts visits with Cloudflare Web Analytics, which doesn't identify you. If you join the waitlist, your email address is stored by our email provider, Loops, so we can invite you to the beta, tell you when Hints launches, and now and then send news. Every email has an unsubscribe link. The privacy policy has the full details.
Questions
Can Apple read my notes?
When a note goes to Private Cloud Compute, Apple's servers use it only to answer that one request and keep nothing afterwards, and the system is built so that no one at Apple can read it. Apple publishes the software those servers run so independent researchers can check. Apple explains how it works.
What happens when Private Cloud Compute isn't available?
Hints asks Apple Intelligence on your iPhone instead. Either way, the note goes only to Apple Intelligence.
Does Hints sell or share my data?
No. We don't hold your notes, so there is nothing to sell or share.
How do I delete everything?
Delete people and hints in the app, or delete the app. To remove the synced copy, go to Settings → your name → iCloud and delete the Hints data there.
Who do I ask about privacy?
Write to support@tryhints.app.