HitchDaysHitchDays is made by one person, Jay Alcalde, and the address below goes straight to that person. Questions about your rotation, a purchase, or a bug all get a reply.
Expect a reply within one business day, usually the same day. If the countdown looks wrong, tell us your rotation (for example 14 and 14 or 2 and 1), the day your current hitch started, and what the app shows versus what you expected. For a bug, add your iPhone model and iOS version. You can find the app version at the bottom of Settings inside HitchDays.
Restore a purchase
- Make sure the iPhone is signed in to the Apple ID that bought HitchDays Pro (Settings, your name).
- Open HitchDays and tap the gear icon at the top right of the home screen to open Settings.
- Tap Restore Purchases. The paywall has the same button under the main button.
- Wait a few seconds. The lock badges and blurred months disappear when the subscription is found.
If it says no active subscription was found, check iPhone Settings, your name, Subscriptions. If HitchDays is not listed there, the purchase did not complete and you were not charged.
Cancel a subscription
- Open Settings on your iPhone.
- Tap your name (Apple ID) at the top, then Subscriptions.
- Tap HitchDays, then Cancel Subscription.
Cancel at least 24 hours before the trial or the current period ends to avoid the next charge. You keep HitchDays Pro until the end of the time you already paid for, and your rotation and the free countdown stay. Deleting the app does not cancel a subscription. Refunds are handled by Apple at reportaproblem.apple.com.
Common questions
My countdown is off by a day
The count depends on which day of the stretch today is. Open the home screen, tap Edit my schedule (or the pencil at the top), and check the date in First hitch day (or First work day, depending on your countdown words; it can be the first day of any hitch, past or future). The editor shows a preview of the next 14 days, so you can see exactly where today lands before you save. HitchDays counts whole calendar days on your phone's time zone, so a travel day counts as one day wherever you land.
My crew change got moved, or I'm staying out an extra week
The app only knows the pattern you gave it. If a hitch gets extended, open Edit my schedule and move the First hitch day so today sits on the right day, or set the days on and days off to match this hitch, then change them back when the normal rotation returns. If you added events to your iPhone calendar with Add to Calendar, delete the old ones there and add them again.
How do I set up a rotation that is not on the list?
In the editor, choose Days on, days off and set each number yourself, anywhere from 1 to 120, so 21 and 21, 10 and 4, or 5 on 2 off all work. For a weekly schedule with a moving day off, as many letter carriers have, choose Same days off each week, tick your fixed days off, turn on One weekday off that rotates, and pick this week's rotating day. It moves one weekday later each week, Monday through Saturday, then starts over.
How do I add the countdown widget?
Touch and hold an empty spot on your Home Screen, tap Edit, then Add Widget, and search for HitchDays. The small countdown widget is free. The medium widget with the next three changes and the Lock Screen widgets come with HitchDays Pro. If a widget shows an old number, open the app once; it refreshes the widget.
Can my partner see the same calendar on their phone?
There is no account or sync, so nothing updates on someone else's phone by itself. Your partner can install HitchDays and enter the same rotation, which takes about a minute. With HitchDays Pro you can also send a picture of any month from the Share screen, or add your next 12 changes to a shared iPhone calendar with Add to Calendar.
I'm not getting the evening-before reminder
Reminders are part of HitchDays Pro and are off until you turn them on in Settings inside the app, under Reminders. They arrive at 6 pm the evening before a change. If nothing arrives, check iPhone Settings, Notifications, HitchDays, and make sure notifications are allowed. Turning the switch off and on again reschedules the next 12.
I got a new iPhone. Where is my rotation?
Your rotation is stored on the phone, not on a server. If you restored the new iPhone from an iCloud or computer backup, it is already there. If you set the phone up as new, the quickest fix is to enter the rotation again, then tap Restore Purchases for HitchDays Pro.
Does the app need signal on the rig or offshore?
No. The countdown, the month grid, the widgets, and the reminders all work in airplane mode. A connection is only needed to buy or restore HitchDays Pro.