Privacy

Effective 16 November 2026. Plain-language summary first; details below.

What the app reads

• The Messages database on your Mac (~/Library/Messages/chat.db), a copy of it you choose, or an iPhone backup. For an encrypted backup, you enter the backup password when asked.
• Your iPhone, through a backup the app makes over a USB cable, when you choose that option.
• WhatsApp data and phone and FaceTime call records, on your Mac or in an iPhone backup, when you choose those sources.
• Contact names from Contacts on your Mac, or from the iPhone backup, to show names instead of numbers.
• Attachment files, when you include photos or copy attachments.

What the app writes

• A temporary private copy of the database while a source is open. It's deleted when you remove that source or quit the app.
• Copies pulled from this Mac and from your iPhone, in the app's folder under ~/Library/Application Support, until you delete them from the app. With attachments these can take many gigabytes. A one-time iPhone copy is deleted when you close the app.
• Records of changes between copies, in the same folder, until you delete them from the app. These can include the text of messages that are no longer in a newer copy.
• People you merge or mark as not the same person, and nicknames you give them: their numbers, addresses and nicknames, no messages.
• Saved export settings, so an export can be run again.
• A license file, license.json, with your license details, including the email address used to buy it.
• Your exports, only in the folder you choose.

With the password lock on, saved copies, the records of changes between them, merges and saved export settings are kept encrypted. Your exports, one-time iPhone copies and the license file are not.

The app never changes, deletes or sends a message, on your Mac or your iPhone.

What the app sends over the internet

• License check: when you enter a license key, the key and a one-way fingerprint of this Mac are sent to our payment provider, Lemon Squeezy, to confirm the purchase. The fingerprint stays the same for this Mac, but the Mac's serial number or hardware ID can't be worked out from it. Lemon Squeezy links the key to your purchase, and like any web request, the check reaches their server with your IP address. The app checks the license each time it opens. Offline, it keeps working for 30 days after the last successful check; after that, exports larger than the trial wait until it can check again.
• Update check: when it opens and once a day, the app downloads one small file from our website that names the newest version. The request carries nothing about you or your messages; like any web request, it reaches our web host with your IP address. An update is installed only when you choose to, and only if it is signed with our key.

The app sends no analytics, usage data or crash reports, and has no account system.

When you buy

Purchases are handled by our payment provider, Lemon Squeezy, which acts as the merchant of record. They receive your name, email address, payment details and country to process the sale, tax and refunds, under their own privacy policy. We receive your name, email address and what you bought, and use them to send your license and answer support requests.

When you email us

We keep your emails to answer you. Please don't send message contents or exports unless we ask for something specific to fix a problem; a description or a screenshot with private details covered is usually enough.

This website

This website uses no cookies, analytics or third-party scripts. Like any web host, our host keeps standard request logs, which include IP addresses.

Your rights and contact

You can ask what we hold about you, ask us to correct or delete it, or ask any privacy question at support@messagemammoth.com. Message Mammoth is made by Nicolas Zawadzki.