Your information
Your tasks, lists or financial records are the contents. A backup is a copy of those contents, made so you can restore them later.
WHY WISP IS PRIVATE
Your data has a home.
You hold the key.
Your plans and financial records are personal. Wisp combines on-device storage, encrypted backups and optional connections to storage you choose. Here is what that means, without the jargon.
Start with the safe ↓ENCRYPTION, MADE FAMILIAR
Think documents.
Think safe. Think key.
Imagine your tasks and financial records as documents. When you create an encrypted backup, the app puts a copy of those documents inside a digital safe.
The encrypted backup
Encryption transforms readable information into unreadable data. The correct key lets the app turn it back into useful records.
Your recovery phrase
The phrase lets the app recover the key needed to unlock the matching backup. It is a way to recover access, not a copy of your documents.
WHEN A BACKUP LEAVES YOUR PHONE
A storage provider can hold the safe.
It does not need the key.
Wisp To Do encrypts exported archives and Nextcloud backups with AES-256-GCM. Wisp Finance encrypts portable backups and Nextcloud sync payloads using your recovery key.
Nextcloud is optional. You choose the server and supply its account credentials. Those credentials let the app access storage; your recovery phrase has a different job: unlocking the encrypted contents.
HTTPS protects the connection during transfer. Backup encryption protects the contents of the file itself. These are two different layers of protection.
Encryption does not hide every detail. A storage provider may still see your account, IP address, file sizes and transfer times. Keep your recovery phrase separate from your backup files.
PRIVACY COMES FROM DESIGN CHOICES
Less dependence.
More control.
A service that stores readable records on its servers has a different privacy model from an app that keeps working data on your device and sends encrypted backup files to storage you choose.
| Design choice | The Wisp approach | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Working data | To Do tasks and Finance’s working database are stored on your device. | Everyday records do not need to live in a central Wisp-hosted database. |
| Cloud storage | Nextcloud is optional and configured by you. | You choose whether to connect a server and which provider to trust. |
| Backup contents | Archives are encrypted and restored using the matching phrase. | Holding a backup file is different from being able to read it. |
| Source code | To Do and Finance publish their source under GPL-3.0-or-later. | The implementation can be inspected, discussed and improved. |
| Product direction | Wisp is designed around useful tools, not behavioral advertising profiles. | Your private routines should not have to become an advertising product. |
Closed-source software can also protect privacy. Open source makes inspection possible; it is not proof of an independent security audit. Compare what an app stores, shares and encrypts, rather than judging by its label alone.
KNOW WHAT THE SAFE PROTECTS
Clear boundaries.
No magic promises.
Does the recovery phrase encrypt everything on my phone?
No. Backup encryption and device storage are separate. Finance’s working database is in Android’s private app storage and is not encrypted with the recovery phrase. Its device-held recovery key is wrapped using Android Keystore. To Do’s encrypted-archive protection should not be read as a claim that its whole on-device database is encrypted with your phrase.
Can encryption protect an unlocked or compromised device?
An app must be able to read your data while you use it. Someone with access to your unlocked device, or malware with sufficient access, may reach readable information. Keep Android and your apps updated, use a screen lock and protect your recovery phrase.
Is Nextcloud the same in both apps?
No. To Do provides manual encrypted backup and restore through Nextcloud, not continuous two-way synchronization. Finance supports optional synchronization through your own Nextcloud server over HTTPS WebDAV. Check the controls and behavior in the version you install.
What if I lose the phrase or remove the app?
Do not rely on support to recover a lost phrase. Keep a secure copy separately from your encrypted backup, and check that you can restore it. In Finance, clearing app data or uninstalling removes the local database and device-held key. Save a backup and its matching phrase before doing either.
Is the Finance recovery phrase a cryptocurrency wallet seed?
No. Finance uses its own recovery format: 24 hyphenated English word pairs. It is not a BIP39 wallet seed and should not be entered into a cryptocurrency wallet. Never send it in support messages or issue reports.
Does this describe every Wisp app and the website?
The examples here describe To Do and Finance. Apps still in development or planning may implement different protections. Website hosting, email and browser preferences are covered separately in the website Privacy Policy.
Read the implementation
Features and security details vary by release. The project documentation explains the current behavior.