Questions & answers
Straight answers about what Patch does, how it protects your privacy, and how to handle the moment something feels wrong.
Chrome says my password was found in a data breach. What should I do?
It means that password showed up in a known data breach, so any account using it could be at risk. The fix is to change it everywhere you've reused it, starting with the accounts that matter most, like your email and banking.
Patch is built for exactly this moment. It checks your saved passwords against known breaches, finds the ones that were exposed or reused, and walks you through changing them one at a time, on your Mac and iPhone. Your passwords never leave your device.
What is Patch?
Patch is a personal security app for Mac and iPhone: a security center that checks your saved passwords for breaches and reuse, helps you freeze your credit and remove yourself from data-broker sites, and includes a security advisor that answers your questions and helps you tell whether a message or photo is a scam. It's made for people who'd rather do anything than deal with internet security.
Does Patch work on both Mac and iPhone?
Yes. Patch is available for both, so your security picture is with you on your desktop and in your pocket. Patch can sync your data directly between your devices over your own local Wi-Fi — it never goes through the cloud or our servers. The Mac app is a direct download from this site; the iPhone app is on the App Store.
Does Patch send my passwords anywhere?
No. Your saved passwords never leave your device. Breach checks use a privacy-preserving method that only sends a scrambled fragment of a password, never the password itself, and the match happens on your device. Patch is a flashlight, not a safe: there's nothing stored on our servers for anyone to steal.
Is my data stored on Patch's servers?
No. Patch keeps essentially nothing on its servers. The scanning happens locally on your device, and when you sync between your devices, the data goes directly from one to the other over your own Wi-Fi — never through Patch. There's no database of your passwords or personal data on our infrastructure.
Can Patch tell me if a message or photo is a scam?
Patch's advisor helps you think it through. Paste in a suspicious message, email, or screenshot and the advisor points out the red flags and explains why something looks off, so you can decide. It won't pretend to be certain; it helps you be careful and spot the next one.
Is Patch safe to use?
Yes. The Mac app is signed with an Apple Developer ID and notarized by Apple, so macOS verifies it hasn't been tampered with every time it launches. Your data stays on your device, and because your passwords and personal data never leave your device, there's nothing for Patch to leak.
Is Patch free?
Patch has a free tier you can use to check things and get started, with paid features for people who want the full security center and ongoing help. You can try it without paying.
What do I need to run Patch?
The Mac app requires an Apple Silicon Mac (M1 or later), which is most Macs from 2020 onward; Intel Macs are not supported. The iPhone app requires a recent version of iOS. Both install quickly.
Who is Patch for?
For everyday people who got a breach notice, a scam text, or an "is this real?" moment and didn't know where to start. You don't need to be technical. Patch is designed to feel warm and reassuring rather than alarming, and to walk you through each step.