Dear Ones
Your family's memories belong to your family.
Last updated: June 14, 2026
Dear Ones is made and published by Kinzi Herron, an independent app developer based in Tennessee, building under the name Next Frontier Builders ("we," "us," "our"). Next Frontier Builders is a name I build under, not a separate company. You can reach me at info@nextfrontierbuilders.com.
The entries you save (quotes, milestones, photos, videos, voice notes, and letters) are stored locally on your iPhone in the app's private container. They are not visible to us or to other apps. If you delete the app, this data is deleted with it.
If you sign in with Apple and keep iCloud on, Dear Ones uses Apple's CloudKit to back up your entries to your own private iCloud, so you can restore them if you reinstall the app or set up a new phone. We do not have access to your iCloud container. Your entries pass directly between your device and Apple's servers. iCloud backup is separate from family sharing (section 6): your backup always covers everything, while sharing covers only what you choose to share.
Photos, videos, and voice recordings you save stay on your device and back up to your private iCloud. Unless you turn on family sharing (section 6), they are never sent to us. Voice note transcription is performed on your device using Apple's on-device Speech framework. If you tag the people in your photos, the grouping and matching of faces is done entirely on your device using Apple's Vision framework — face data is never sent to us or to any other company, even when sharing is on.
Subscriptions are sold and processed by Apple through the App Store. We never see your card number, billing address, or Apple ID password. Apple reports a subscription status (active / trialing / expired) to the app, and we use that status to unlock or lock subscription features. That's all.
Starting with version 2.0, you can give family members a code that lets them see chosen timelines in their own copy of the app — and, if you allow it, add memories of their own. This is optional and off by default. When you turn sharing on:
Media is served through short-lived signed links, and access rules are enforced on the server for every request. Your full-resolution originals always stay on your device and in your own iCloud backup; the shared copies are compressed viewing copies.
Dear Ones communicates with Apple's services (iCloud for your private backup, the App Store for your subscription) and — only if you turn on family sharing — with our sharing servers as described in section 6. When you export a keepsake file, it is created on your device and handed to Apple's standard share sheet (AirDrop, Messages, Files), so you choose where it goes.
That's the entire list. We do not use Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, ad networks, attribution SDKs, crash-reporting services, or any other third-party tracker.
Dear Ones is intended for parents and guardians who are 18 and older. The app is designed to save a parent's memories of their own children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13. Access codes for children's own timelines are created and handed out by the parent who owns the keepsake — the parent decides who sees what, and can revoke any code at any time.
Your entries persist on your device until you delete them or uninstall the app. Your iCloud backup is governed by your iCloud storage settings with Apple. If you use family sharing, shared entries and media stay on our sharing servers until you delete them in the app, turn sharing off and delete your account, or remove a contribution. Deleted shared entries and their media are removed from our servers when you delete them.
To delete the data on your phone, delete the app. To delete your iCloud backup, manage your entries inside the app or through your iCloud settings. To delete your shared data from our servers, use Delete account in the app's Family tab (owners) or Leave this family in member settings (code holders). To cancel your subscription, go to Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions on your iPhone. If you live in a jurisdiction with specific data-rights laws and have a question or request, email us and we'll respond.
Your iCloud backup is protected by Apple's CloudKit encryption between your device and Apple's servers. Shared timelines are protected in transit by TLS and at rest by our hosting provider's encryption; the sharing database refuses all direct access and every request is checked against your codes on the server. Media links are time-limited and signed.
If we materially change how we handle data, we will update this page and revise the "last updated" date. Continued use of the app after a change means you accept the updated policy.
Questions, requests, or concerns: info@nextfrontierbuilders.com.