Storage and access

Keeping the messages you leave does not require an ongoing subscription. Here is how local saving and sync work for Moments, how Letters are delivered and accessed, and the status of planned data downloads.

When do Moments sync after I save?

Saving first stores the entry and its photos and audio on your iPhone for the current account, then uploads them automatically. Returning to the timeline confirms the local save; it does not mean every attachment has finished uploading.

Pending content stays on the phone if the connection is interrupted. Sync resumes automatically when the network returns or you reopen the app, provided your account is signed in, the connection is available, and the app can run. You do not need to create the entry again. iOS decides how much background upload time is available. Uploads do not continue after you force quit the app; reopen it to resume.

Publishing and withdrawing in a space

A local save does not make an entry visible to members. The full two-minute window starts after server readiness and confirmation. Once started, closing the app or going offline does not stop that server schedule. Cancelling or changing visibility requires confirmation from the server; local action alone does not establish success.

Space content and media remain subject to current membership and access checks. The offline behavior for personal records below does not grant continued access after leaving a space.

Can I look back without a connection?

While your current account remains signed in with a valid local session, Moments text, full photos, and audio already on the phone can be viewed offline. While running online, the app automatically prepares photos and audio from your historical Moments without requiring you to open each entry. Attachments that have not finished downloading still need a connection. Signing in on a new phone does not mean all historical media is already downloaded.

After you manually clear media caches, those historical attachments are not immediately downloaded again automatically. Opening the relevant content online can fetch them again. iOS may also reclaim cached files, so a cache is not an independent backup.

Before changing phones or uninstalling

Open DearWith online on your old phone, resolve any notices about changes needing attention, and allow time for uploads to finish. The absence of a notice does not confirm that every attachment has uploaded. On the new phone, sign in to the same account and load your entries and media online. Confirm the content you need is available there before clearing the old phone.

Unsynced content may exist only on the original phone. Recovery cannot be guaranteed after uninstalling the app, clearing app data, or losing the phone. Clearing media caches in Settings preserves drafts and pending uploads; uninstalling the app is different.

Who can access Moments, and what happens when VIP expires?

Moments belong to their author. Only Me entries are private; entries shared with a space are visible to its current members, including members who joined after publication. Friendship does not automatically share them.

Leaving, being removed, or dissolution withdraws the author’s entries from that space to Only Me. Devices need to connect to receive access changes; withdrawal cannot retrieve copies already saved. See Family Moments.

VIP expiry does not trim saved photos or audio. You can still view entries, edit text and tags, reorder photos, or remove content. Adding photos or re-recording audio follows your current limits. For example, an existing 30-photo Moment stays intact, but a free account must reduce it to 8 photos or fewer before adding another. Deleting an entry or your account starts the corresponding deletion process.

Will my Letters be deleted if I stop subscribing?

No. DearWith continues to keep your existing Letters if you stop subscribing or VIP expires, including all photos and longer recordings saved while you had VIP. Expiry does not trim saved content or stop delivery under the original settings. New letters follow your current entitlements.

See Free & VIP for current benefits.

Who can receive and view a saved letter?

A letter is for yourself or one selected friend.

Removing a friend cancels undelivered letters between you. Delivered letters remain viewable and playable while their content remains available. Becoming friends again does not restart cancelled deliveries.

Choose a fixed date and time, or write an Open When letter. Open When letters go to the selected recipient’s inbox for them to open when appropriate.

“Delivered” means the letter is available to its recipient under Letters → Received. It does not mean the recipient has read the letter, played it, or listened to it in full.

What if I delete a letter or my account?

Deleting content is different from ending a subscription. Deleting a letter stops future delivery and starts the content deletion process. Completing account deletion also starts deletion of the account’s letters.

Content and backup deletion are governed by the Privacy Policy. Deleting a letter does not delete the recipient’s separate conversation history or retrieve copies already saved.

Media cached on your iPhone

DearWith keeps local copies of photos and audio to make repeat viewing and playback faster. It may prepare media in advance when permitted, but receiving a notification does not guarantee that a download has finished. Opening a letter still requires an access check; a cached file does not grant access by itself.

Open Profile → Settings → Cache Management to see the current account’s image and audio cache usage and clear local copies manually. Clearing this cache does not delete your Letters or their server content. Viewing the content again may require another download. Local caching is not a separate backup or a data export.

Can I download my data now?

Data downloads are not available yet. No release date has been announced. Contact support for questions about your data.