Show HN: I made a privacy friendly and simple app to track my menstruation

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Overall reception

  • Many commenters welcome a simple, local‑only period tracker, given how “bloated” and data‑hungry many existing apps are.
  • Several say they or their partners avoided period apps because of cloud use and are glad to see an offline option.
  • Some praise that a woman built an app for women and note the value of representation in tech.

Privacy, law, and trust

  • Strong focus on sensitive reproductive data, especially in jurisdictions where cycle data could be weaponized (e.g., pregnancy/abortion patterns, bounty laws).
  • Some argue a closed‑source app marketed as “privacy‑friendly” is hard to trust because claims can’t be independently verified; others say closed source can still be privacy‑respecting, just less easily audited.
  • There is technical discussion of inspecting network traffic, certificate pinning, and the difficulty of verifying behavior on each release.
  • Debate over using Google for backups: some see it as acceptable optional convenience; others say involving Google undermines the core privacy goal because of legal data‑request risks.

Open source and distribution

  • Many advocate open‑sourcing and publishing on F‑Droid to reinforce the privacy story, enable audits, and build trust.
  • Others caution that “open source” doesn’t have to mean actively maintained community project; just publishing code (even with a strict or ethical license) can help.
  • Some note F‑Droid policies require open source, though self‑hosted F‑Droid repos are possible.

Monetization and in‑app purchases

  • The app includes optional in‑app purchases for extra themes; core functionality is free.
  • Some see any IAP/Play Services integration as a privacy red flag and deanonymizing; others argue optional cosmetic IAP is reasonable and devs need income.
  • Broader suggestions: donations, Patreon, “free on F‑Droid / paid on Play Store”, subscriptions for sync services, or consulting.

Features and UX

  • Requested additions: ovulation prediction (for conception or avoiding pregnancy), basal temperature tracking, mood and symptom tags, CSV/XLS export, better graphs (e.g., GitHub‑style heatmaps), and imports from other apps (e.g., Clue).
  • Some critique cycle “clock face” UIs as misleading for irregular cycles and propose visual alternatives or uncertainty ranges.

Alternatives and ecosystem

  • Multiple privacy‑oriented or open‑source alternatives are mentioned (Android apps, iOS Health built‑in tracker, a non‑profit app, self‑hosted baby trackers, and an end‑to‑end encrypted web app).
  • Several point to F‑Droid and specific privacy‑focused app publishers, and also recommend privacy‑respecting web analytics tools as alternatives to Google Analytics.
  • One comment notes trans men with periods might find strongly gendered branding off‑putting.