Last updated: April 23, 2026
Sonder is made by a small team, and we read every message. This page answers the most common questions — if you don't see yours, email us at team@sonder.inc and we'll get back to you within 1–2 business days.
Email team@sonder.inc. To help us respond faster, include:
Requesting access
Sonder is students-only for now. Visit sonder.inc and enter a valid .edu email — we'll send a download link. If you're not a student, you can join the waitlist from the same page.
Installing on Mac
Open the download link from your email on your Mac and install the .dmg. The first time you open Sonder, macOS may show a security prompt; if it does, go to System Settings → Privacy & Security and choose Open Anyway.
Installing on iPhone
Open the link on your iPhone to download Sonder from TestFlight or the App Store (depending on your invite). Sign in with the same email you used to request access so your story syncs between your devices.
Granting permissions
Sonder needs access to your iMessages and photos to generate your story. On first launch, Sonder will guide you through granting:
You can review or revoke any of these later in System Settings → Privacy & Security (Mac) or Settings → Privacy (iPhone).
My download link didn't arrive
Check your spam or promotions folder. If it's still missing after a few minutes, request access again from sonder.inc. Some schools block external email — if that's happening, email us and we'll send the link manually.
My download link expired
Download links are time-limited for security. Request a new one from sonder.inc, or email us if you keep running into issues.
"Sonder can't be opened" on Mac
This is macOS's Gatekeeper warning for first-launch apps. Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll to the bottom, and click Open Anyway next to Sonder. You only need to do this once.
Sonder isn't reading my iMessages
Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access and make sure Sonder is enabled. If it was already enabled, toggle it off and on and restart Sonder.
My photos aren't showing up
Open Settings → Privacy → Photos (iPhone) or System Settings → Privacy & Security → Photos (Mac) and grant Sonder full access. Limited access will only surface a small subset of your library.
Story generation is slow or empty
The first pass over your iMessages and photos can take a while on a large library. Leave Sonder open and plugged in. If it still looks empty after an hour, email us the app version and approximate library size.
My Mac and iPhone aren't syncing
Make sure both devices are signed in to the same Sonder account and connected to the internet. Force-quitting and reopening the app usually resolves it. If not, email us.
Changing the email on my account
Email team@sonder.inc from your current account email with the new address you'd like to use.
Leaving the waitlist
Every email we send includes an unsubscribe link, or you can email us and we'll remove you right away.
Do I need both a Mac and an iPhone?
You can use Sonder with just one, but the full experience uses both: the Mac app does the heavy lifting of building your story from iMessages and photos; the iPhone app is for exploring and sharing it.
Your iMessages and photos are the raw material Sonder uses to generate your story. Full details on what we collect, how it's processed, and the third-party services involved are in our Privacy Policy.
Deleting your account and data
Email team@sonder.inc from the address associated with your account with the subject line "Delete my account." We'll confirm and remove your account and the personal data we hold for you within 30 days.
Requesting a copy of your data
Email us from your account address and we'll send you a machine-readable export of the data we have on you.
If you're on an older device or OS and not sure whether Sonder will run, email us.
We'd love to hear from you. Email team@sonder.inc with ideas, reactions, or things that felt off — we read everything.
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Sonder Interfaces, Inc. — team@sonder.inc