What is Known Names?
A small app with a big goal: helping people feel seen and remembered.
Browse Contacts View
See everyone you've met at a glance.
Known Names
Foster Genuine Connections. Never Forget a Name.
Why Build This?
Remembering someone's name shows you care. But for many of us, names slip away too quickly. I built Known Names to change that.
I’ve worked remotely for nearly a decade and have lived in six different countries and worked out of countless coffee shops and coworking locations. One of my favorite things to do is meet new people and hear their stories.
I think it's a great sign of respect that lets people know that you genuinely care about them when you remember their name and story, but names have often been quite difficult for my brain to hold on to.
That's why I decided to build Known Names. I've been an Apple user since I took my first graphic design class in college back in 2005. Since 2009 I've been recording names and stories of people I meet in a single note in my Apple Notes app and finally decided I needed a better solution. This served as the perfect catalyst for me to learn Swift, and develop my first iPhone app.
Now, after meeting someone, I pull out my phone and add an entry to Known Names. Next time I see them, I'm far more likely to remember their name just by virtue of having written it down. If I can't remember, I just search by where I met them and a list of everyone I've met at that location pops up for quick review.
Apple Native
Built to be fully Apple native with:
• Swift
• SwiftUI
• Swift Data
True Privacy
An app designed to actually respect users' privacy.
• No data ever leaves your device
• No 3rd party analytics or trackers
• No data used for training ML/AI
• No 3rd party code dependencies
Designed for Everyone
This app is designed inclusively for everyone, with full support for Apple's native accessibility features including:
VoiceOver, Dynamic Type, Voice Control, and system display preferences such as Dark Mode and Increased Contrast.
True Privacy
I'm the target user for Known Names, so I've added in the high level of privacy I wish all apps provided.
All Data Stays on Your Device
Your data never leaves your device.
The user is always fully in control of their data with no technical way for the app to see any of the data entered into the app.
When cross-device syncing feature is added, this will sync with the user's Apple account, ensuring all data stays private.
No Third Parties
This means no 3rd Party analytics collecting user data.
It also means there are no 3rd party dependencies (i.e. node, python, go packages) that could potentially be compromised and leak user data.
None of your data will ever be used for AI/ML training.
Opt-In
Our Privacy Policy and TOS confirm that future changes are opt-in (not opt-out).
This means if the app changes later, users still must give their explicit consent before their data could be used. Even if the app sells to another company, users stay protected. This locks in the user's privacy no matter what happens in the future.
A Global Outlook
The app is available worldwide in all App Store locations and is localized into over two dozen languages and language variants, ensuring users across the globe can enjoy the Known Names experience in their native language.
23
Languages
150+
Countries
4
Language Variants
Regional Profiles
As part of the global app launch, I put detailed thought into the App Store experience of users in each language region. The App Store screenshots and in-app onboarding experience for each region features a unique story about a chance meeting between a hypothetical user of the Known Names app and a local from the area.
This showcases not only the functionality of the app in their own language, but the specific people and locations shown inside the app are representative of their own culture and communities.
Accessibility
Technology should be inclusive. The app is designed and programmed to be accessible to the widest possible audience.
- Complete any app action with VoiceOver or Voice Control
- High contrast mode
- Dynamic Type integration
- Dark and Light Mode options
Future Vision & Roadmap
I truly believe Known Names is a great app. I've been using it on my iPhone for a few weeks now, and it's so much easier to use than my old notes system. As I've been using Known Names, I've noticed ways I can make the app even better in future releases. I have a clear roadmap to continue improving the app while maintaining accessibility and privacy as core tenets.
Upcoming Features
- Reminders: Birthdays & Anniversaries
- Location Support: Auto tagging or look up by current location
Ecosystem Expansion
- ⌚ Apple Watch integration
- 🔄 iPhone/iPad syncing
Global Growth
Localization work is underway to add support for seven additional languages:
- 🇨🇿 Czech
- 🇵🇭 Filipino
- 🇬🇪 Georgian
- 🇭🇺 Hungarian
- 🇮🇩 Indonesian
- 🇳🇴 Norwegian
- 🌍 Swahili
Who Built This?
I did. I'm Christopher Kilpatrick, a software engineer based out of Dallas, Texas. Before founding Jubulah Labs, I spent eight years in FinTech building enterprise banking software.
Known Names is a solo passion project to solve my own problem of truly remembering people well and to teach myself how to build iPhone apps.
When I'm not coding, I enjoy getting out into nature for hiking, camping, kayaking, bouldering, and traveling the world meeting people from different cultures. Known Names started as my own way to remember names, but my hope is that it helps others feel more connected, too.