Your history. Your choice.

Who operates the app

Better Saunum is an independent companion app operated by Nicholas Gattuso. Saunum is a trademark of its owner. For privacy questions, contact nick@collectsoftware.org. Last updated October 23, 2026.

Local control and your choice

The app connects directly to a compatible sauna controller on your local Wi-Fi network. Pairing and controls work without cloud history. Cloud history is optional and starts only after you choose Enable cloud history. Existing beta installations must also make this choice before further readings are collected or uploaded.

What cloud history stores

If you enable history, the app sends observed temperature, target temperature, observation and upload timestamps, session status and durations, fan setting, light status, heating-element count, door status, and controller alarms. Readings are associated with random installation and controller identifiers. We use these records to provide your history and graphs, analyze sauna temperature and operation, and maintain the service. We do not collect body temperature, health records, or sauna-account credentials. The controller’s local IP address and Wi-Fi name are not included in history uploads.

What stays on your phone

Your remembered controller address, history preference, and any readings waiting to upload are stored on your phone. An installation credential is stored in device-only secure storage to protect access to your history. Each installation has separate history; there is currently no account sign-in, sharing, or recovery across phones. Uninstalling the app does not itself delete server history. Delete history in the app before uninstalling if you want those records removed.

Hosting and technical information

Render hosts the history API and PostgreSQL database in the United States. Requests necessarily expose network addresses and technical request information to the hosting infrastructure, which may retain security and operational logs. Expo provides app build and update delivery and receives the network and update information needed for those services. These providers process information to operate their services. We do not sell history, use advertising SDKs, or track you across other companies’ apps or websites.

Pause, delete, and retention

Pause saving in History settings stops new collection and uploads, including scheduled background collection; existing history and queued readings remain until you resume or delete them. Delete history from this phone clears queued readings and asks the server to remove this installation and its readings. Saving stays off after deletion. If the server cannot be reached, deletion remains pending, collection stays off, and you can retry when online. We retain active history until you delete it or request removal. Deleted data may remain in infrastructure backups until the hosting provider’s normal backup retention expires; backups are used for service recovery, not ongoing analysis.

Permissions and background collection

Local Network permission lets the app discover and communicate with your controller. With history enabled and the controller reachable, the app saves at most one observation per minute while open. Background collection is occasional and scheduled by your phone; it is not continuous monitoring and stops after force-quitting on iOS until you reopen the app. Missing readings remain gaps. Demo mode uses simulated data and does not control a sauna or upload demo readings.

Contact and changes

You can contact nick@collectsoftware.org about access, correction, or deletion. Server records are associated with the installation credential rather than your name or email, so use in-app deletion while you still have the installation whenever possible. Do not email your credential. We update this policy when practices change and request a new in-app choice before expanding optional history collection.