Recovery guide

Are recovery apps safe and private?

How to tell whether a recovery app is safe and private: who can see your entries, what happens to your data, and what the app admits it cannot do.

"Safe and private" can mean several different things. An app might protect your data well and still leave you alone in a crisis, or feel supportive while sharing more than you expected. Check each part separately, because a good answer on one does not settle the others.

Five checks before you trust an app

NIMH’s guidance on mental health technology asks how an app maker guarantees privacy, and notes that no industry-wide standards exist for judging whether an app works. These checks apply that thinking to recovery apps. They are prompts for your own review, not a certification.

1. Who can see each thing I enter? Ask this separately for check-ins, journal entries, messages, and sobriety dates. Then ask it for each kind of person: other members, a sponsor or mentor, a treatment program, an employer, and an insurer.
2. Is my information sold or shared? Search the privacy policy for "sell," "share," "advertising," and "third parties." Look for named service providers rather than a vague mention of partners.
3. Can I leave and take my data out of use? Find the steps for deleting your account before you need them, and check what the company says it keeps afterward.
4. Is AI reading my entries? If an app includes an AI coach or AI reflection, look for a plain statement about what is processed and whether the feature is optional.
5. Does it say what it cannot do? A trustworthy app says it is not clinical or emergency care and shows crisis resources where you can find them quickly.

Safety is more than data

Consider how the app treats you on a hard day. Look for moderation, blocking, and reporting tools in any community or messaging feature. Be careful with an app that promises a cure, predicts relapse, or uses scores that punish a bad day. Do not assume a consumer app follows the same rules as your doctor’s office. Read what it actually says, and ask the developer if the answer is unclear.

Warning signs

• No privacy policy, or one that allows selling or broadly sharing your data
• "Private" with no explanation of who is excluded
• No way to delete your account
• No crisis information anywhere in the app
• Pressure to post publicly or share progress before you are ready

For the wider comparison, see how to choose a recovery app. For hard moments, keep a personal safety plan that does not depend on any app.

How My Recovery Support answers these questions

My Recovery Support is coming soon for iOS and Android, so these answers describe the current pre-launch build and privacy policy.

• Other members: Journal entries and urge logs are private from other members by default. You choose a display name, and other members do not see your email or phone number.
• Sponsors and mentors: If a sponsor or mentor accepts your connection request, they can see a summary of your check-ins. This guide lists exactly what they see. They cannot see your journal entries or written reflections.
• Treatment programs: The partner portal shows code and seat status, not personal recovery content.
• Selling and storage: The policy says MRS does not sell personal information. Data is encrypted in transit, and private messages and your email or phone identifier are also encrypted at rest.
• AI: The Recovery Coach and optional AI reflection process what you submit in order to reply.
• Leaving: You can delete your account in the app under Settings, and the privacy policy explains what happens next.
• Limits: MRS is supportive technology, not clinical or emergency care. It cannot monitor emergencies.

No checklist can prove an app is safe. It can show you whether a company answers plainly, and that is a reasonable place to start.

This guide shares general recovery information and is not medical advice or a substitute for professional care. My Recovery Support is supportive technology, not emergency or clinical care. If you are in immediate danger, contact local emergency services or call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline).