Frequently Asked Questions

Download Good Contact from the App Store on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Launch the app and follow the onboarding flow to create your account and set up your encryption passphrase.

Good Contact requires iOS 17 or later (iPhone/iPad) or macOS 14.0 (Sonoma) or later. The app is built with SwiftUI for a native experience on all Apple platforms.

Yes! The free tier includes all core features: encryption, up to 10 contacts, relationship tracking, recurring reminders, and import/export. Premium adds unlimited contacts, engagement plans, iCloud sync, and more. Both Premium plans include a 14-day free trial.

When you first launch Good Contact, you'll be prompted to create a passphrase. This passphrase is used to encrypt your sensitive data (phone numbers, emails, notes, dates of birth, spouse details, children's names, and social media links) using AES-256-GCM encryption. Other fields like names, company, and tags are stored unencrypted to enable search and sorting, but are still protected by your device's built-in encryption. Choose a strong passphrase but remember it can NOT be recovered if forgotten. We recommend using a password manager.

Select multiple contacts, tap Edit Selected, and apply changes in bulk — update status, relationship type, or tags, and create staggered recurring reminders across all of them at once. It's the fastest way to get set up when you first import your contacts.

Good Contact uses AES-256-GCM encryption, the same standard used by governments and banks. Your passphrase goes through 600,000 PBKDF2 iterations to create an encryption key. Sensitive fields (phone numbers, emails, notes, dates of birth, spouse details, children's names, social media links) are encrypted with this key. Other fields like names, company, job title, and tags remain unencrypted to enable search and sorting, but are protected by your device's built-in storage encryption.

No. Your sensitive data (phone numbers, emails, notes, and more) is encrypted on your device before it goes anywhere. Only your passphrase can unlock it — we never have access to it and neither does anyone else. A secure backup of your encryption key is stored for device recovery, but it's useless without your passphrase.

Your passphrase never leaves your device and is never sent over the internet. It's used to create your encryption key, which syncs securely across your Apple devices via iCloud Keychain.

We practice data minimization, store data locally first, give you complete control over your data, and never sell or share your information. You can export most of your data or delete all your data at any time.

Only if you opt in. We collect minimal, anonymous crash reports and basic usage statistics to help improve the app. No personal contact data is ever included. You can disable analytics at any time in Settings.

The free version includes core features: encryption, up to 10 contacts, relationship tracking, recurring reminders, and import/export. Premium adds unlimited contacts, engagement plans, calendar integration, iCloud sync, and Apple Contacts sync. Both plans include a 14-day free trial. See our Pricing page for a detailed comparison.

iCloud sync (Premium) keeps your data in sync across all your Apple devices via your private iCloud database. Sensitive fields are encrypted with your passphrase before they leave your device, while other fields are protected by Apple's own encryption (TLS in transit, AES-256 at rest). Automatic conflict resolution ensures consistency.

Absolutely! Good Contact is local-first and works perfectly offline. All your data is stored locally on your device. iCloud sync is optional and only syncs when you have an internet connection.

Set custom reminders for each contact with flexible recurring intervals — weekly, fortnightly, monthly, quarterly, biannual, or yearly — available to all users. Good Contact integrates with system notifications and your Calendar app to remind you to reach out and maintain relationships.

Yes! Good Contact supports importing from vCard (VCF) and CSV files. You can import individual contacts or batch import multiple contacts at once. Sensitive fields are immediately encrypted upon import. Premium users can also sync with Apple Contacts.

Point your iPhone camera at a business card and Good Contact uses OCR to automatically fill in the name, email, phone number, company, and job title. No manual typing required — just scan and save.

Engagement plans are structured, multi-step plans you create for a contact — like “Build Relationship” or “Deepen Relationship”. Each step has a suggested activity and reminder interval so you can nurture relationships systematically over time. Engagement plans are a Premium feature.

Every active contact gets a health score (0–100) based on how recently and frequently you've interacted. Contacts are flagged as “at risk” when they go too long without engagement, so you always know which relationships need attention.

The Insights dashboard (Premium) gives you a bird's-eye view of your network: overall health score, activity streaks, at-risk contacts, weekly engagement charts, and your most-engaged relationships. It helps you understand how your network is doing at a glance.

We use AES-256-GCM (Galois/Counter Mode), which provides both confidentiality and authenticity. The encryption key is derived from your passphrase using PBKDF2 with 600,000 iterations. Keys are stored in the Keychain with iCloud Keychain sync enabled by default.

Your encryption key is stored in the Keychain on your device and syncs automatically across your Apple devices via iCloud Keychain. As an additional safety net, an encrypted backup is stored on our server when you create your account. If iCloud Keychain isn't available, you can recover your key by signing in and entering your passphrase. The server backup is useless without your passphrase — we can never access it.

Your contact data is stored locally on your device. If you enable iCloud sync (Premium), it also syncs to your private iCloud database — sensitive fields stay encrypted with your passphrase, while other fields are protected by Apple's encryption. Your account profile (name, email, and preferences) and an encrypted backup of your encryption key are stored on our server. Your encryption key backup is useless without your passphrase. No contact data is ever stored on our server.

Yes! Export your contacts as vCard or CSV files. You can export individual contacts or all contacts at once. You always own your data and can take it with you.

Unfortunately, there is no way to recover a forgotten passphrase due to our zero-knowledge architecture. This is by design for maximum security. You'll need to reset the app and lose access to encrypted data. Always store your passphrase securely.

Yes. Both the Monthly and Yearly Premium plans include a 14-day free trial. You get full access to every Premium feature — unlimited contacts, engagement plans, insights, iCloud sync, and more — and you won't be charged until the trial ends.

Premium starts at US$9.99/month or US$89.99/year. Prices vary by region and are set by the App Store in your local currency. Both plans include a 14-day free trial so you can try every feature before you're charged. See our Pricing page for full details.

You can upgrade directly from within the app. Go to Settings and look for the Premium subscription option. Subscriptions are managed through your Apple ID.

Yes! Premium is a subscription that you can cancel at any time through your Apple ID account settings. If you cancel, you'll keep Premium features until the end of your billing period, then revert to the free version. Your local data is never affected.

Premium subscriptions are handled through Apple's App Store, supporting all payment methods available in your region including credit cards, Apple Pay, and App Store gift cards.

Ensure you're signed into the same iCloud account on all devices, have Premium enabled, and are connected to the internet. Check that iCloud Drive is enabled in your device settings. Sync can take a few minutes initially. Note: the app requires a restart after enabling or disabling sync.

Go to Settings and use the Reset App option. You'll be prompted to confirm by typing a confirmation phrase. This will delete all local data and reset the app to its initial state. Make sure to export your data first if you want to keep it. This action cannot be undone.

Email us at hello@goodcontact.io with your question or issue. Include your device, OS version, and Good Contact version. We typically respond within 24–48 hours. Premium users get priority support.