Questions, mostly about email.
Setting up your alerts
Brownstone does not search the portals for you. It reads the alert emails you already get from Zillow, StreetEasy, Apartments.com, and similar sites, and turns them into one merged feed.
1. Save searches on the portals
Sign in to Zillow, StreetEasy, or Apartments.com, run the search you want, and save it with email alerts on. Alerts only cover listings posted after you save the search, so a brand new search starts quiet. StreetEasy sends batched digests that can lag by hours; Zillow can send per-listing "instant" emails or one overnight batch.
2. Send those alerts to Brownstone
Pick whichever fits your mail setup. The app walks you through it and shows your private address.
- iOS Shortcuts automation (recommended). The app sets up a Shortcut that uploads only portal alert emails to Brownstone. Nothing else in your mailbox is touched.
- Forwarding to your private address. Every account gets one address like
u_<token>@getbrownstone.app. Add a rule in your mail provider that forwards mail from zillow.com, streeteasy.com and apartments.com there. iCloud Mail rules live in Settings > your name > iCloud > Mail. Gmail filters have to be created on a computer. - Outlook. You can let Brownstone create the inbox rule for you. We use the permission once, create one rule, and discard the access tokens.
You can always test by forwarding a recent alert email by hand. It should show up in your feed within a minute or two.
Does Brownstone read my email?
No. We only ever see the alert emails you route to us. With the Shortcut, only portal alert mail is uploaded; with forwarding, only mail your rule matches reaches us. Raw emails are kept 7 days for debugging and then deleted.
Nothing is showing up in my feed.
Usually one of three things: the saved search has not fired yet (they only cover new listings), the forwarding rule is not matching, or the alert address was typed wrong. Forward one alert by hand to check the path, then check Status in the app.
How does matching work?
Invite your partner or roommates, one to ten people in a group. Everyone decides on their own copy of the feed. When enough of the group likes the same place, it becomes a Match.
Why do I see the same apartment once when it was in two emails?
That is the point. We key listings by building and unit, so the same place from two portals collapses into one card with both links.
What are the Sponsored cards?
Free accounts get one labeled Sponsored card about every ten listings. They are never broker or landlord ads, and they never displace real listings. Brownstone Plus removes them.
What does Brownstone Plus include?
$4.99 per month with a 7-day free trial: no ads, 90 days of history instead of 30, alternate app icons, and price-drop watch on listings you passed. It renews automatically until you cancel.
Cancelling Brownstone Plus
Apple handles all billing, so cancellation happens in iOS, not in our app:
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap your name at the top, then Subscriptions.
- Tap Brownstone, then Cancel Subscription.
Cancel at least 24 hours before the period ends to avoid the next charge. You keep Plus until the period runs out. Deleting the app does not cancel the subscription. For refunds, go to reportaproblem.apple.com; we cannot issue them ourselves.
Deleting your account
- In the app, go to Settings > Account > Delete Account.
- Confirm. This permanently removes your account, feed, decisions, matches, and forwarding address.
- Turn off the Shortcut or mail rule you set up, so alert mail stops being sent to us.
- If you subscribe to Plus, cancel it separately in iOS Settings (see above). Deleting your account does not cancel Apple billing.
Stuck? Email support@getbrownstone.app from your account address and we will delete it for you.