Spiral is built to help you through a hard moment without adding to it — including how it handles your information. This policy explains, in plain language, what Spiral collects, what stays on your device, what only ever leaves it if you choose Coach, and how to get in touch or ask us to delete anything.
Everything you type into Settle, Check the Thought, Empty It, Pause, and Say It — and anything you park or paste in for message support — stays on your device by default. Nothing is uploaded, analysed centrally, or sold. If you turn on Patterns, your entries are still stored only on your device, just retained locally so patterns can be shown to you. You don't need an account to use any of the five tools.
The one exception is Coach (our paid feature). Subscribing to Coach is the one action that requires creating an account — just an email and password, used to keep your subscription recoverable if you reinstall or switch phones. A Coach conversation is sent to our AI processing partner to generate a response, the same way any AI assistant works. Crisis support information is always available, always free, and never requires an account or a network connection.
This policy applies to anyone who uses the Spiral mobile app ("Spiral," "the app," "we," "us"). Spiral is developed and operated as an independent app. If you're using Spiral through an organisation that provided it to you (for example, a workplace or service), that organisation's own privacy terms may also apply — check with them if you're unsure.
Spiral is designed to need as little from you as possible. Here's everything the app can collect, and what it's for:
| Data | What it is | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Tool entries | What you type into any of the five tools — situations, thoughts, feelings, drafts, pasted messages | To run the tool you're using, in the moment. Stored only on your device. |
| Patterns history | A record of past tool sessions, only if you turn on "Remember my entries for Patterns" (off by default) | So Spiral can show you patterns over time. Stored only on your device; you can delete it at any time from Settings. |
| Parked items | What you've asked Spiral to bring back later, and when | To show you the reminder and, if you opt in, send a generic local notification. Stored only on your device. |
| Coach account | Your email address and password, created only when you subscribe to Coach | To link your Pro subscription to you, so it can be restored if you reinstall Spiral or move to a new phone. Not linked to your tool entries. See §4. |
| Coach conversations | What you say to Coach, and the guided-tool context needed to respond helpfully (Pro subscribers only) | Sent to our AI processing partner to generate Coach's response. See §4. |
| Subscription status | Whether you have an active Pro subscription, managed by the App Store or Google Play | To unlock Coach. We don't receive your payment card details — Apple or Google handle billing directly. |
| Basic diagnostics | Anonymous crash reports and app performance data, if your device settings allow it | To find and fix bugs. This is not tied to your identity or your tool entries. |
Apart from the email address you give us if you subscribe to Coach, we do not collect your name, contacts, location, browsing history, or anything from other apps. Spiral does not use advertising, and we do not sell or rent your information to anyone, for any reason.
Coach is Spiral's optional, paid conversational layer. It's the only part of the app that needs an account, and the only part where your words leave your device before you choose to share them further.
Your tool entries, Patterns history (if enabled), and parked items are stored in an encrypted local database on your device. We do not operate a central server that stores your personal entries. If you delete the app, this data is deleted with it.
If you subscribe to Coach, your account details (email, password, and subscription status) are held securely by our account provider so your subscription can be restored on a new install or device. Deleting the app does not delete your account — see §8 for how to do that. Coach conversations are processed as described in §4 and are not permanently retained by us beyond what's needed to generate a response and maintain the safety of the service.
Spiral relies on a small number of service providers to operate. None of them receive more than what's needed to do their specific job:
We don't work with advertising networks, data brokers, or analytics companies that build profiles of you across other apps or websites.
You can delete your Patterns history, individual moments, or parked items at any time from within the app. Uninstalling Spiral removes all locally stored data with it.
Your Coach account is kept for as long as you have it, so your subscription stays recoverable. You can ask us to delete your account at any time — this removes your email, password, and the link to your subscription. Cancelling your subscription is separate and is done through the App Store or Google Play; deleting your account doesn't cancel billing on its own. If you'd like us to delete your account, confirm deletion of anything processed through Coach, or have a question about what's retained, contact us at the address in §13 and we'll respond directly.
Depending on where you live, you may have rights under data protection law (such as UK GDPR or the EU GDPR) including the right to access, correct, delete, or export your personal data, and the right to object to or restrict certain processing. Because most of your data never leaves your device, many of these rights are already in your hands directly — through the in-app controls in §7. For anything involving your Coach account, Coach conversations, or subscription data, contact us at the address below and we'll help. If you're in the UK and unhappy with our response, you can also complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ico.org.uk).
Spiral is not directed at children and is not intended for use by anyone under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has created a Coach account or provided information through Coach, contact us and we will address it.
Locally stored data is encrypted at rest on your device. Data sent to Coach, our account provider, or our subscription provider is encrypted in transit. Coach account passwords are never stored in plain text. No method of storage or transmission is perfectly secure, but we design Spiral so that the least amount of information possible ever needs to leave your device in the first place.
If we make a material change to this policy, we'll update the "Last updated" date above and, where appropriate, let you know in the app before the change takes effect.
Questions, requests, or concerns about your privacy in Spiral — reach the developer directly: