What Thaw sends over the network
Every network call Thaw makes, what each is for, and how to switch it off.
Thaw has no analytics and no tracking. It goes online for two things: updates, and the release notes that come with them. You can switch both off.
Switch it all off
Thaw 3
- Right-click Thaw’s icon in the menu bar and choose Settings….
- Choose Privacy.
- Under Network access, click Turn Everything Off.
Thaw 2
- Right-click Thaw’s icon in the menu bar and choose Settings….
- Choose About.
- Turn off Automatically check for updates.
With these off, Thaw makes no network calls. You then update by hand, with Homebrew or from the releases page.
What each call is
| Call | Goes to | Thaw 3 | Thaw 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Update check | thaw-app.github.io | Automatic updates in Privacy: Off, Check only, or Check and download | Automatically check for updates in About |
| Update download | GitHub, from the address the update check returns | The same setting | Automatically download updates in About |
| Release notes shown with an update | thaw-app.github.io | Follows the Automatic updates setting. It has no switch of its own. | Part of the update check |
| What’s New notes | raw.githubusercontent.com | What’s New notes in Privacy | Not in Thaw 2 |
Thaw 2 asks whether to check for updates the first time it opens. Thaw 3 asks during setup.
When What’s New notes is off, Thaw 3 shows the last copy it fetched, if it has one.
What does not count
Links that open in your browser, such as the repository or the sponsor page, are your browser’s request and not Thaw’s.
Every update is signed, and Thaw checks the signature before installing it. See Releases and updates for how that works.