Effective Date: April 5, 2026
Last Updated: April 5, 2026
Hey Wrist ("we," "us," or "our") built BetterChannels as a native iOS and Apple Watch companion for Claude Code sessions. This Privacy Policy describes what information BetterChannels accesses, how it is processed, and what rights you have regarding your data.
In short: BetterChannels communicates only with a local MCP server running on your own machine. We have no cloud servers, no accounts, no analytics, and no tracking.
1. How BetterChannels Works
BetterChannels connects to a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that you run locally on your laptop or workstation. This MCP server bridges your active Claude Code sessions to your iPhone and Apple Watch over your local network via HTTP and WebSocket. All communication stays within your local network — no data is routed through external servers, cloud services, or our infrastructure.
2. Information We Access
2.1 Microphone & Speech Recognition — Optional
BetterChannels offers voice input for dictating instructions to Claude Code sessions. This uses Apple's on-device Speech Recognition framework (SFSpeechRecognizer) and requires your explicit permission for both microphone access and speech recognition. Audio is processed entirely on your device — we never receive, store, or transmit your audio recordings. You can revoke these permissions at any time from Settings → Privacy & Security.
2.2 Local Network Access
BetterChannels communicates with the MCP server on your local network via HTTP and WebSocket connections. iOS may prompt you to allow local network access. This connection is used exclusively for sending messages to and receiving progress updates from your Claude Code sessions. No external network requests are made by the app itself.
2.3 Notifications
BetterChannels may request permission to send local notifications for session status changes (e.g., when Claude is waiting for input, or when a task completes). Notifications are triggered entirely on-device based on WebSocket events — no external push notification servers are involved.
2.4 Information We Do NOT Collect
BetterChannels does not collect, access, or request:
- Your name, email address, or any personally identifiable information
- Your source code, file contents, or repository data (this stays between Claude Code and your MCP server)
- Location data, contacts, photos, calendar, or health data
- Device identifiers for tracking purposes
- Any data for analytics, advertising, or profiling
3. Data Stored on Your Device
BetterChannels may store the following locally:
- Session metadata — project names, session IDs, and status (active/waiting/completed)
- Progress timeline — status messages and progress updates received from the MCP server
- Sent messages — instructions you sent to Claude Code sessions
- App preferences — mute settings, connection configuration
This data is stored in the app's sandboxed container and is deleted when you uninstall the app.
4. Data Storage & Security
BetterChannels operates no proprietary servers, no cloud databases, and no remote analytics endpoints. The MCP server runs on your own machine under your control. All communication occurs over your local network. No user accounts or sign-ups are required. Your data never passes through our infrastructure.
5. Data Sharing
We do not share, sell, rent, trade, or disclose any data to any third party. The only data exchange is between the BetterChannels app on your device and the MCP server running on your own computer.
6. Third-Party Services & SDKs
BetterChannels does not include any third-party:
- Analytics or telemetry SDKs
- Advertising or ad-tracking frameworks
- Crash reporting services that transmit user data
- Social media SDKs
- Cloud service SDKs (no Firebase, no AWS, no Azure)
The app uses Apple's native frameworks exclusively: SwiftUI, AVFoundation, Speech, ActivityKit, WidgetKit, and WatchConnectivity.
7. Live Activities & Widgets
BetterChannels provides Live Activities on the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island to show real-time session progress (project name, status, completion percentage). This data comes from your local MCP server and is rendered entirely on-device via ActivityKit. Widgets display session summaries from locally cached data — no network requests are made by widget extensions.
8. Apple Watch Integration
BetterChannels includes an Apple Watch app that displays sessions and allows quick replies and voice dictation. Data syncs between iPhone and Apple Watch via Apple's WatchConnectivity framework — no external servers are involved. Voice dictation on Watch uses Apple's built-in dictation service.
9. Text-to-Speech
BetterChannels can read progress updates aloud using Apple's AVSpeechSynthesizer (on-device text-to-speech). No audio data is transmitted externally. You can mute speech globally or per-session.
10. Claude Code & Anthropic
BetterChannels is a third-party companion app and is not developed by or affiliated with Anthropic. Claude Code, Claude, and the Model Context Protocol are products/standards of Anthropic. Your use of Claude Code is governed by Anthropic's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. BetterChannels only communicates with the local MCP server — it does not connect to Anthropic's APIs directly.
11. Data Retention & Deletion
You are in full control of your data:
- Session data is ephemeral and tied to active MCP server connections
- Revoke microphone or speech recognition permissions from iOS Settings
- Stop the MCP server on your laptop to end all data flow
- Delete all app data by uninstalling the app
12. Children's Privacy
BetterChannels is a developer productivity tool not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.
13. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date. Continued use of BetterChannels after changes constitutes acceptance.
14. Contact Us
Questions about this Privacy Policy? Contact us at:
Email: founder@heywrist.com
Developer: Hey Wrist