User Guide
Everything you need to know to get the most out of Deletable.
Getting Started
Add your first item
Tap the + button in the bottom-right corner of the Vault tab. Choose Note or Photo, add your content, then pick a deletion timer. Tap Save — your item is encrypted and placed in the vault.
Pick a deletion timer
Every item needs a timer. Choose from 13 presets — 60 minutes up to 6 months — or pick an exact date and time. When the timer hits zero, the item is permanently and irrecoverably deleted, even if the app is closed.
Extend or edit anytime
Changed your mind? Open any item and tap the timer badge at the top of the card to choose a new expiry time. You can also edit note content at any time — your changes are re-encrypted on save.
📝 Writing Notes
Create a note
Tap + → Note. Give it a title (optional) and write your content. A toolbar above the keyboard lets you apply Bold, Italic, Underline, Strikethrough, Headings (H1 / H2), Bullet lists, and Numbered lists.
Use a template
When creating a new note, tap the template icon to start from a blank page, Title + Bullets, Title + Sub-bullets, or a Numbered List layout — so you're never staring at an empty screen.
Adjust the font
Tap the font controls to change the text size (12–32 pt), font family, or text color. These settings apply to the current note only.
Save & close
Tap Save. The note is AES-256 encrypted and stored locally. A short preview (first 80 characters) appears on the vault card so you can identify it at a glance.
📸 Storing Photos
Add a photo
Tap + → Photo, then choose Camera to capture a new shot or Library to import one from your device. Deletable encrypts the full image and generates an encrypted thumbnail immediately.
View & share
Tap any photo card in the vault to open the full-size viewer. From there you can share the photo to other apps, or tap the timer badge to extend its expiry.
Deletion is total
When a photo expires, both the encrypted file and its thumbnail are permanently removed from device storage — not just hidden.
⏱️ Deletion Timers
Preset durations
60 min · 3 h · 6 h · 12 h · 24 h · 3 days · 5 days · 7 days · 14 days · 30 days · 6 months. Tap any preset to apply it instantly.
Custom date & time
Need something more precise? Tap Custom to open a date/time picker and set an exact moment for deletion — useful for things that need to vanish after a specific event.
Background purge
Deletable registers an iOS background fetch task that checks for expired items every 15 minutes — even when the app is closed. Enable Background App Refresh for Deletable in iOS Settings to keep this running reliably.
Color-coded countdowns
Each vault card shows a live countdown. Green means plenty of time remains; yellow / orange means expiry is approaching; red means deletion is imminent.
🗂️ Categories
Create a category
Go to the Categories tab and tap +. Give the category a name, choose a color (red, orange, green, blue, purple, and more), and pick an icon from a set of SF Symbols.
Set a default timer per category
Each category can have its own default deletion time. Items added to that category automatically use that timer — no need to choose one every time.
Filter the vault
In the Vault tab, tap a category name in the filter bar at the top to show only items in that group. Tap All to return to the full vault.
Delete a category
Long-press a category to delete it. The category is removed but its items stay in the vault — they just become uncategorized.
🔐 Security & Lock Screen
AES-256 encryption
Encryption is always on — there's no toggle to disable it. Every note and photo is encrypted before being written to the local SQLite database. Your master key is stored in the iOS Keychain and never leaves your device.
Enable Face ID / Touch ID
Go to Settings → Security → Lock App and turn it on. Deletable will require Face ID (or Touch ID / device passcode as a fallback) every time you open the app.
Configure the lock timeout
Under Settings → Security → Lock After, choose how long Deletable waits before re-locking: Immediately, 1 minute, 5 minutes, 15 minutes, or Never. "Never" keeps the app unlocked until you close it.
No cloud sync of content
Your vault never leaves your device. Only anonymous, aggregated statistics (deletion counts, bytes freed) are synced — linked to a random UUID, not your identity.
🔔 Notifications & Reminders
Expiry reminders
Enable Expiry Reminders in Settings → Notifications to receive a push notification before an item is deleted. Choose to be notified 1 hour before, 24 hours before, or a custom interval.
Deletion confirmation
When an item is automatically deleted, Deletable can send a confirmation notification containing the item's title. Toggle this in Settings → Notifications.
Location-based reminders
When Location Context is enabled, you can tag a note with a physical place. Deletable creates a 150 m geofence and notifies you when you arrive at or leave that location.
Dynamic Island (iPhone 14 Pro+)
On supported devices, a Live Activity in the Dynamic Island shows a countdown to your next expiring item. Toggle this in Settings → Display → Dynamic Island.
⚙️ Vault Layout & Search
Switch between 1 and 2 columns
Tap the grid toggle in the top-right of the Vault tab to switch between a single-column list and a two-column grid. Your preference is saved automatically.
Sort your items
Tap the sort button to toggle between "Soonest" (items closest to deletion appear first) and "Newest" (most recently created items appear first).
Search
Pull down on the vault list or tap the search icon to reveal the search bar. Deletable searches note titles and content previews in real time — case insensitive.
🏆 Stats & Achievement Tiers
View your stats
The Stats tab shows your total items deleted, notes deleted, photos deleted, total storage freed, and an estimate of time saved. A progress bar shows how close you are to the next tier.
Achievement tiers
Delete items to climb through 8 tiers: Trash Panda → Bin Raider → Compost Connoisseur → Average Raccoon → Dumpster Diver → Route Raider → Landfill Legend → Distinguished Raccoonian (1,000+ items deleted).
Share your stats
Tap the Share button on the Stats tab to generate a styled PNG card showing your tier, items deleted, bytes freed, and more. Share it to social media, Messages, or anywhere else.
🛠️ Settings Overview
Default deletion time
Set a global default timer applied to every new item. You can override it per category or choose "Ask every time" to always be prompted when creating an item.
Theme
Choose Dark, Light, or System in Settings → Appearance. "System" follows your iOS appearance setting automatically.
Analytics
Anonymous stats sync is on by default but can be reviewed in Settings → Privacy. No personally identifiable information is ever collected.
Location context
Toggle location features on or off in Settings → Privacy → Location Context. Disabling this removes all geofence-related prompts and background tracking.