No phone number. No email. Only a username and PIN.

Most apps ask for your phone number first. Then the OTP. Then the email. Then permission for contacts. Then permission for location.

You only wanted to write a note.

When we built Hi Boards we asked one question. What does a notes app really need to know about you?

The answer was nothing.

So Hi Boards does not ask for your phone number. It does not ask for your email. It does not read your contacts. You choose a username and a 6 digit PIN. That is your account.

A notes app does not need to know who you are. It only needs to keep your notes safe and show them on all your devices.

Some people asked us how we keep it safe without a phone number. Here is how.

How we keep it safe

1. Your PIN is never stored as it is. We keep only a locked form of it. Even we cannot read your PIN.
2. A recovery code resets a forgotten PIN. You get it once when you make the account. Write it down and keep it safe.
3. You can see every device that is logged in. If you see a device you do not know you can log it out.
4. One tap logs out all devices. Useful when you lose a phone or when you used a shared computer.

Please remember

• Using your birth date as the PIN
• Sharing your PIN with anyone
• Forgetting to log out on a cyber cafe or office computer
• Throwing away the recovery code

Wrong PIN tries are limited. If someone tries again and again the account gets locked for some time.

Boards are private. Only the people you add can see them. There are no public links.

What to do in the next 7 days

• Day 1: Make your account with a username and a PIN that is hard to guess.
• Day 2: Write the recovery code on paper and keep it in a safe place.
• Day 3: Open Security and devices and see which devices are logged in.
• Day 4 to 7: Use it on a shared computer once and log out from there to see how it works.

Try it free: hi.kvai.in

Do you feel comfortable giving your phone number to every new app? Tell us what you think.