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Help

What igotchu is

What is igotchu?
A private home for the kind words between you and your people. Someone writes you one specific, kind thing, in their own words. You open it like a letter and keep it in your bank, where it’s always within reach. Nothing on igotchu is public, and nobody sees how many messages anyone has. It’s for people 18 and older with a US phone number.

Do I need the app to read a message?
No. If someone texts you an igotchu link, you can open it and read it right there. To keep it, you get the app and sign in with your phone number once.

Does igotchu write anything for me?
No. igotchu never writes, suggests or rewrites your words. The ideas that sometimes appear when you pause only point at a moment; the words are yours.

Writing

How do I write to someone?
Tap Write, pick a type (Memory, Thanks, Thought, Wish or Note), then pick one or more people. Say something kind, in your own words, and tap Send.

How does it reach them?
After you pick someone, igotchu tells you. If they’re on igotchu, it goes straight to them in the app. If they aren’t yet, you send it by text or WhatsApp from your own phone, and they can open it from the link. Only the link and a short line go in the text, never your words. [needs build: the per-number check]

Why was my message stopped?
An automatic check stops messages whose words include slurs, threats, sexual content or encouragement of self-harm. It can miss things, so you can hide, block or report anything. It’s a word list, so it can also stop something it shouldn’t. The screen says which kind of rule it hit. If it got it wrong, tap “This is a mistake.” That sends us the draft’s id, never your words. Some messages get a gentler “Read it once more?” instead, and you can still send them.

Can I edit or take back a message?
You can edit it for 15 minutes after you send it, and each edit is checked again. You can take it back any time, even after it’s kept. Open it in Sent, then tap Take back. It leaves their bank and widget quietly and comes back to your Drafts, and you get 10 seconds to undo. Anything they saved to their phone is still theirs.

What do I see after I send?
You see “Sent,” and that’s all until they choose to do something. If they keep your first message, you see that they added you. If they react or add a note, you see that too. It’s alright if they don’t answer.

Receiving

Where did a message go?
Whoever wrote a message can take it back. Anything you saved to your phone stays yours. igotchu doesn’t tell anyone when that happens. If you hid it yourself, it’s in Settings > Hidden until you unhide it or delete it there. Changes can take a little while to show on your widget.

What does keeping do?
Keeping a message puts it in your bank. Keeping one from someone new also makes you and them friends on igotchu, both ways, and brings in everything else they’ve written to you.

What’s “Someone new”?
Messages from people who aren’t your friends yet wait at the top of your bank, one envelope per person. Open one and decide right there: Keep it and you’ll be friends, or Hide, Block or Report. If you leave without choosing, nothing changes: the envelope stays where it is. Hide moves it to Settings > Hidden; their next message still arrives here (Block is what stops them). They aren’t told either way.

Can I reply?
You can react, add a short note, or write back with a message of your own. Nobody expects a reply.

Your people and your choices

How do I stop someone from reaching me?
Block them from the “…” on any message from them, on their page, or under their envelope in Someone new. Their messages go nowhere and their links show you “not found.” They won’t be told. To stop their texts too, block their number in Messages. Without the app, open their link and tap Don’t contact me again.

What’s the difference between Hide, Block and Remove from friends?
Hide moves one message to Settings > Hidden, like moving something to the trash: you can unhide it any time, and only Delete there removes it for good. Block stops a person from reaching you on igotchu. Remove from friends ends the friendship both ways, quietly, and doesn’t change anyone’s bank. Nobody is told about any of them.

How do I report something?
Tap Report on the message or the person. Someone at igotchu reads every report and looks into it within 24 hours. The person you report isn’t told. If you or someone else is in danger, call 911.

Can people see that I’m on igotchu?
People who already have your number can see you’re on igotchu when they pick you to write to. There’s no list for anyone to browse. To turn it off, go to Settings, then Privacy, and switch off “Show me to people who have my number.” People who write to you will then send a link by text. [needs build]

Keepsakes

How do I add the widget?
In Keepsakes, tap “Add it to your Home Screen” and follow the steps. It shows one message at a time from the people who write to you. Anyone who can see your Home Screen can see the words. To keep a message or a person off it, use Keep off my widget on the message or the person’s page.

Can I save a message as a wallpaper?
Yes. In Keepsakes, pick a message and Save to Photos. Then open the photo, tap the share button, then Use as Wallpaper.

Your account

I got a new phone. How do I get my account back?
Sign in with your number and the code we text you, then with the Apple or Google account you added when you signed up. Without it, you can start fresh with a new account for your number; the old one stays locked so nobody else can open it, and messages sent to your number in the last 45 days come with you.

How do I change my number?
Settings, then Change number. We text a code to the new number.

How do I delete my account?
Settings, then Delete account. You choose what happens to the messages you’ve sent: Leave them, or Take them all back. Your account switches off right away and is deleted after 30 days. Signing in with your Apple or Google account before then turns it back on.

How do I get a copy of my data, or ask for a correction?
Write to privacy@igotchu.app. We answer within 45 days. This works whether or not you have an account.

Safety and images

How do I get an image removed?
Use Remove an image at igotchu.app/takedown. It works without an account. If you include the igotchu link, the image is hidden as soon as you send the request, and we confirm removal within 48 hours. If an image shows someone under 18, also report it to the CyberTipline at report.cybertip.org.

Money

Is igotchu free?
Yes. Writing and keeping are free. There are no ads, and we don’t sell your data or share it with advertisers. Tips go toward running igotchu. They’re optional and don’t unlock anything. Refunds for tips come from Apple. Request one at reportaproblem.apple.com.

Contact

How do I reach a person?

We reply within a day. Reports are looked at within 24 hours.

In case it’s useful

If you’d like to talk to someone now:

igotchu isn’t a counseling or crisis service.