Privacy policy

Last updated 24 October 2026

The short version. Buttercup stores your plan, your step totals and your progress so your quests, streak and island work across days and phones. Steps are read from Apple Health, Health Connect or your phone's motion sensor, read-only. We never collect your location. Nothing is sold, shared with advertisers or used for advertising, and there are no ads or tracking in the app.

What we store

Your account. You start as a guest with a random account ID. If you save your garden, we also store the email address you add, so you can sign in with a code.
Your profile and plan. Your first name if you add one, your buddy (name, colour, personality), daily step goal, waking hours, active days, quests a day, walking pace, the day your week starts, and your notification choices.
Your activity. Step totals per hour and per day, quest results, XP, level, streak, rest days, badges, and a backup of your island.
What you share. When you share a moment or invite a friend to walk, we store that share: your first name, the moment or walk, the note you picked, and (unless you choose Quiet) the steps on it. When someone joins your walk, you see their first name and whether they walked. You never see their steps, and they never see yours. Share links are public to anyone who has the link until they close: moments after 7 days, walk invites after 3 days or when you close them.
Messages you send us. Contact us messages, with the reply email and app details (app version, platform, OS version, step source) if you choose to include them.
Beta sign-ups. If you join the beta on this website, we store your email and whether you use iPhone or Android, only to invite you to test the app. To be taken off the list, write to us at the address below.
Error reports. When something goes wrong, the app records where it happened, the technical error, your platform, app version and account ID, so we can fix it.

Health data

With your permission, Buttercup reads your step count from Apple Health (on iPhone) or Health Connect (on Android). It reads Steps only and never writes to either. Step totals are stored with your account to run your quests, streak and island, and are never used for advertising or marketing, never sold, and never shared with anyone except the service providers that store data for us. You can turn off access at any time in the Health app (iPhone) or Health Connect (Android).

What we never collect

Your location or the routes you walk.
Your contacts, photos or microphone.
Advertising identifiers. Buttercup has no ads and no third-party analytics or tracking.

Your choices

Erase your data: You → Privacy & data → Erase all my data deletes your steps, quests, XP, badges, plans and island backup straight away.
Delete your account: to delete everything, including your account, email, name, shares and messages, write to us at the address below. We delete it within 30 days.
Notifications are local to your phone and can be changed in You → Notifications or your phone's settings.

Children

Buttercup is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect their data. If you think a child has given us data, contact us and we'll delete it.

Changes

If this policy changes, we'll update this page and the date at the top. For important changes, we'll also tell you in the app.

Contact

Questions or requests: support@buttercup-app.com, or You → Contact us in the app.