Super simple version
- Tend reads your messages on your Mac to help you manage relationships.
- Tend is local-only today: no cloud sync, no cloud AI path, and no hosted account system.
- Your full message history stays on your devices.
- We do not sell your data.
- The beta signup form on this website collects contact details so we can invite people manually.
The short version
- Tend reads your local Messages history on your Mac to build relationship signals. That processing happens on your Mac.
- Tend does not upload your full iMessage archive to a Tend-hosted backend.
- Tend currently runs in a local-only mode: no cloud sync and no cloud AI note generation path.
- We do not sell personal data.
What Tend accesses on your devices
Messages (macOS)
On the Mac, Tend reads Apple’s local Messages database so it can measure patterns (cadence, balance, timing, and similar signals) and, when you enable it, produce notes. Message bodies are processed to compute those signals locally. We do not describe this as “nothing from your messages ever leaves your Mac,” because optional features can send portions of text to cloud AI when you choose that mode.
Contacts (Mac and iPhone)
Tend asks for Contacts permission so phone numbers and emails can be matched to names and so your directory looks human instead of raw handles. Contact data is used for matching and display in the app experience on your devices.
Full Disk Access (macOS only)
macOS requires Full Disk Access for Tend to read the local Messages database path (~/Library/Messages/chat.db). That permission is used for local analysis tied to app functionality, not for unrelated file browsing.
Cloud usage
Tend currently does not use cloud sync for relationship data and does not use a cloud AI pipeline for note generation. Core app behavior is local-only.
AI features (relationship notes)
Relationship notes run locally in the current release. Tend does not send message excerpts to a cloud AI provider in this mode.
Beta website data
When you apply for the beta on this website, we collect the form fields you submit (email and qualification answers), plus basic abuse-protection metadata (hashed IP and user agent). We store this in Supabase and send onboarding email through Resend.
We use this data only to operate the beta waitlist and communication flow.
Data we do not sell
We do not sell your personal information. We do not use your Messages or Contacts for targeted advertising brokers.
Security and retention
- Local data on your Mac or iPhone remains under your device controls until you remove the app or delete data through normal OS mechanisms.
- Beta waitlist data is retained only as long as needed to run invites and beta communications.
Children
Tend is not intended for children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 in a targeted way.
Changes
We may update this policy. When we do, we will change the Last updated date at the top. Continued use of the app after changes means you accept the updated policy.
Contact
Questions about this policy:
Email: blake@tendapp.io