Last updated: September 5, 2026
The short version: How Long keeps your data on your device. We do not collect personal information, run analytics, or sell your data to anyone. Three optional features move data off your device, and each one is your choice: sharing places with friends, backing up to your own iCloud, and sending your own events to an automation service you configure. Even then, the data goes through Apple or to a destination you pick, not to us.
How Long ("the App") is developed by GDW Entertainment, LLC. This policy describes how the App handles your information.
All of the following is stored locally on your device. None of it is sent to GDW Entertainment, ever. Some of it can be shared through Apple's iCloud if you turn on Friends or iCloud backup, which are described below:
How Long uses your device's location services to detect when you arrive at or leave a saved place. The App uses geofencing, significant location changes, and Wi-Fi matching to do this efficiently with minimal battery impact.
Your location history is not sent to GDW Entertainment. It stays on your device unless you turn on one of the optional features below.
You can revoke location access at any time in your device's Settings. The App will tell you when a device setting is preventing it from detecting your arrivals.
Friends is optional and off until you invite someone or accept an invitation. It uses Apple's CloudKit, which runs on your iCloud account. GDW Entertainment cannot read any of it.
When you share a place with a friend, the following becomes visible to that specific friend:
Places you have not shared are never visible to anyone. Sharing is per place and per friend, you can see exactly what each friend can see, and revoking a share or removing a friend deletes the shared records. Nothing about your location is shared with a friend who has not been given a specific place.
Pro users can back the App's data up to their own private iCloud database. When enabled, this happens automatically after your data changes. The backup contains your places, visits, categories, preferences, any automation endpoints you have configured, and your place photos.
The backup is stored in your personal iCloud account, under Apple's privacy terms. GDW Entertainment has no access to it and no ability to read it. You can turn the feature off or delete the backup from within the App.
Pro users can configure the App to send an HTTPS request to a web address of their choosing when they arrive at or leave a place, when Travel Mode saves a new place, or when a weekly goal is met. This is off unless you add an endpoint.
If you enable it, the place name, category, times, and visit duration are sent directly from your device to the address you entered, such as Zapier, IFTTT, or Home Assistant. That destination is a third party you have chosen, and its own privacy policy governs what it does with the data. We never see these requests. Only secure https addresses are accepted.
The App includes an optional feature request board powered by Apple's CloudKit. If you choose to submit or upvote a feature request, the following is stored in Apple's public CloudKit database:
An iCloud account is required to submit requests. Browsing approved requests does not require sign-in. No personal information is associated with submissions.
Purchases are processed entirely by Apple through StoreKit. GDW Entertainment does not collect or store any payment information. Purchase records are managed by Apple and your Apple ID.
How Long does not include any third-party analytics, advertising, or tracking SDKs. The App uses only Apple-provided frameworks. The only data that reaches a non-Apple third party is what you send yourself through Automations, described above.
You can export your visit data as a CSV file or create a full backup file, including images, at any time. These files are generated on your device and go only where you send them, such as AirDrop, Files, or email. Exporting uploads nothing on its own.
If you unlock Pro by redeeming an invite code rather than purchasing, the code and an identifier for your iCloud account are recorded in Apple's CloudKit so the code cannot be reused by someone else. No other personal information is stored with it.
You can delete individual places, visits, or all data from within the App at any time. Uninstalling the App removes all locally stored data. Shared places are withdrawn from your friends when you stop sharing or remove the friendship, and an iCloud backup can be deleted from the App's backup screen.
How Long is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.
We may update this policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated date.
If you have questions about this policy, contact us at social@gdwentertainment.com.