01Contact
Email support@hackerwire.app. HackerWire is independently maintained, so please be patient — responses typically arrive within two business days.
When emailing about a bug, include your iOS version, device model, and the app version (found in the app's Settings screen). That cuts the back-and-forth in half.
02Buying the app
HackerWire is a one-time paid app — there's no subscription to manage and no in-app purchases. You pay once on the App Store and every feature is included, including on-device AI summaries.
03Refunds
All HackerWire purchases are processed by Apple, and refunds are handled through Apple's standard refund process. We can't issue refunds directly.
To request a refund, visit reportaproblem.apple.com, sign in with your Apple ID, find the HackerWire purchase, and choose "Request a Refund."
04Re-downloading on a new device
Because HackerWire is a paid app, there's nothing to "restore." If you get a new device or reinstall, re-download it for free from the App Store while signed in to the same Apple ID you bought it with — open the App Store, tap your account, and find HackerWire under your purchases.
05Frequently asked
Is this affiliated with Hacker News or Y Combinator?
No. HackerWire is an independent third-party client. It reads Hacker News's public API and, if you sign in, writes on your behalf using your own HN account.
Do I need a Hacker News account?
No — you can read the whole site without one. Sign-in is only required if you want to vote, comment, or submit.
Where are my bookmarks stored?
On your device, in iOS UserDefaults. If you have iCloud enabled, bookmarks sync to your other devices through your own iCloud — not through any HackerWire server.
How do AI summaries work?
Tap to generate a summary of an article or a discussion. Summaries are produced entirely on your device by Apple Intelligence — nothing is sent to a server, and they work offline. The feature requires a recent iPhone with Apple Intelligence (iOS 26 or later); on other devices it's simply hidden.
Why can't I vote or comment?
You need to sign in with your Hacker News account. Brand-new HN accounts sometimes lack voting privileges until they accumulate a bit of karma — that's an HN rule, not ours.
The app feels rate-limited.
Hacker News applies its own rate limits to heavy requests (especially votes and comment submissions). If you're hitting them, wait a minute and try again.
06Reporting bugs
Email support@hackerwire.app with:
- What you were doing when it happened.
- What you expected versus what actually happened.
- iOS version, device model, app version.
- A screenshot or screen recording if visual.
Crash data is not automatically collected — so if the app crashed, please tell us. We can't see it otherwise.
07Requirements
HackerWire runs on iPhone and iPad on iOS 17 or later. An internet connection is required for browsing; saved articles are available offline.