HitchDaysIn short
HitchDays is an iPhone app, in the App Store's Lifestyle category, that counts the days until a rotation worker is home and shows the rotation on a month calendar. It is free to download with an optional subscription, HitchDays Pro. It is made by Jay Alcalde and sold on the App Store by Michael Alcalde.
Why it exists
The app started from one sentence: "My family keeps asking when I'm home and I keep counting on my fingers." People on a 14 and 14 or a 28 and 28 know their pattern by heart, but the people at home don't, and the calendar apps on the phone are built for meetings, not for "two weeks on, two weeks off, starting from a Tuesday last month". Shift planning apps exist, but they are built around a grid of shifts for a team. HitchDays is built around one number for one person and the people waiting for them: days until home.
Who it's for
- Oilfield hands on 14/14, 20/10, or 2 and 1 hitches.
- Offshore crews on 14/14, 21/21, or 28/28.
- FIFO miners on 2/1 or 8/6 swings, and anyone else who flies in and out.
- Fire crews and plant workers on 4 on 4 off.
- Postal carriers with a rotating day off, with the limit explained in the rotating day off guide.
- The partner, kids, or parents at home who want the same date.
Pidge
Pidge is a homing pigeon with a red bandana, and the one character in HitchDays. Homing pigeons are known for one thing: they find their way home from far away. Pidge asks the setup questions, each one in a speech bubble, and celebrates when your countdown appears. After setup, the app is just your rotation, your number, and your calendar.
How it is built
- On your iPhone. Every date is worked out on the phone. Your rotation and settings stay there, and the app works with no signal.
- No account. There is no sign-up, no login, and no server holding your rotation.
- One outside service. HitchDays Pro is bought through Apple. The app includes RevenueCat, which records purchases and subscription status under a random, anonymous ID. It never receives your rotation or dates.
- No ads, no tracking. No advertising or analytics SDKs in the app. The privacy policy lists exactly what leaves the phone.
- iPhone only. iOS 17 or later. There is no Android or web version of the app; the rotation calculator on this site works in any browser.
What it will not claim
HitchDays knows the pattern you give it. It is not your employer's roster, it does not hear about holdovers or weather, and it is not affiliated with any employer, union, or the U.S. Postal Service. When your real schedule changes, you change the app.
Contact
A person reads every message and replies, usually the same day. For help with a purchase or a countdown that looks wrong, the support page has step-by-step fixes.