diff --git a/bun.lockb b/bun.lockb
index a89fb6b..d4f8a20 100755
Binary files a/bun.lockb and b/bun.lockb differ
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 2f64333..0f0fcbd 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
     "@tauri-apps/api": "^1.6.0",
     "@types/lodash": "^4.17.7",
     "lodash": "^4.17.21",
+    "lowdb": "^7.0.1",
     "next": "14.2.5",
     "react": "^18",
     "react-dom": "^18"
diff --git a/src/components/HeaderBar/Settings.tsx b/src/components/HeaderBar/Settings/Settings.tsx
similarity index 100%
rename from src/components/HeaderBar/Settings.tsx
rename to src/components/HeaderBar/Settings/Settings.tsx
diff --git a/src/contexts/SettingsContext.tsx b/src/contexts/SettingsContext.tsx
index abfa944..184e6d2 100644
--- a/src/contexts/SettingsContext.tsx
+++ b/src/contexts/SettingsContext.tsx
@@ -1,24 +1,19 @@
-import { merge } from "lodash";
 import {
+  createContext,
   FC,
   ReactNode,
-  createContext,
   useContext,
   useEffect,
+  useMemo,
   useState,
 } from "react";
 import { defaultSettings, SettingsType } from "../lib/defaultSettings";
 import { logcat } from "../lib/logcatService";
+import { LowDB } from "../lib/lowDB";
 
 // settings context
 type SettingsContextProps = {
   settings: SettingsType;
-  fetchUserSettingsLocal: () => Promise<void>;
-  fetchUserSettingsCloud: () => Promise<void>;
-  updateSettingsLocal: (settings: SettingsType) => void;
-  updateSettingsCloud: (settings: SettingsType) => Promise<void>;
-  deleteSettingsLocal: () => void;
-  deleteSettingsCloud: () => Promise<void>;
   settingsLoading: boolean;
 };
 
@@ -33,163 +28,46 @@ export const SettingsProvider: FC<{ children: ReactNode }> = ({ children }) => {
   const [settings, setSettings] = useState<SettingsType>(defaultSettings);
   const [settingsLoading, setSettingsLoading] = useState<boolean>(true);
 
-  // fetch user settings from localStorage
-  const fetchUserSettingsLocal = async () => {
+  // initialize a new lowdb instance for settings outside of state
+  const settingsDB = useMemo(() => {
+    return new LowDB<SettingsType>("settings.json", defaultSettings);
+  }, []); // empty dependency array ensures this is only created once
+
+  // function to update settings
+  const updateSettings = async (updates: Partial<SettingsType>) => {
     try {
-      logcat.log("Fetching user settings from localStorage...", "INFO");
-      const userSettings = localStorage.getItem("userSettings");
-
-      if (userSettings) {
-        // deep merge user settings with default settings
-        const mergedSettings = merge(
-          {},
-          defaultSettings,
-          JSON.parse(userSettings),
-        );
-
-        setSettings(mergedSettings);
-
-        logcat.log("User settings fetched from localStorage", "INFO");
-        logcat.log("User settings: " + userSettings, "DEBUG");
-      } else {
-        logcat.log(
-          "User settings not found in localStorage, using default settings",
-          "WARN",
-        );
-      }
-      setSettingsLoading(false);
+      await settingsDB.updateData((data) => {
+        Object.assign(data, updates);
+      });
+      const newSettings = await settingsDB.readData();
+      setSettings(newSettings);
+      logcat.log("Settings updated successfully", "INFO");
     } catch (error) {
-      logcat.log("Error fetching user settings from localStorage", "ERROR");
-      logcat.log(String(error), "ERROR");
-      setSettingsLoading(false);
+      logcat.log(`Failed to update settings: ${error}`, "ERROR");
     }
   };
 
-  // fetch user settings from Firestore
-  const fetchUserSettingsCloud = async () => {
-    try {
-      if (user) {
-        logcat.log("Fetching user settings from firestore...", "INFO");
-        const userSettings = await firestoreRetrieveDocumentField(
-          `users/${user.uid}`,
-          "settings",
-        );
-
-        if (userSettings) {
-          // deep merge user settings with default settings
-          const mergedSettings = merge({}, defaultSettings, userSettings);
-
-          setSettings(mergedSettings);
-
-          logcat.log("User settings fetched from firestore", "INFO");
-          logcat.log("User settings: " + JSON.stringify(userSettings), "DEBUG");
-
-          // and then save to localStorage
-          updateSettingsLocal(mergedSettings);
-        } else {
-          logcat.log(
-            "User settings not found in firestore, using default settings",
-            "WARN",
-          );
-        }
-        setSettingsLoading(false);
-      } else {
-        logcat.log("User not logged in, using default settings", "WARN");
-        setSettingsLoading(false);
-      }
-    } catch (error) {
-      logcat.log("No such field", "ERROR");
-      logcat.log(String(error), "ERROR");
-      setSettingsLoading(false);
-    }
-  };
-
-  // push new settings to localStorage
-  const updateSettingsLocal = (settings: SettingsType) => {
-    try {
-      // apply settings into state
-      logcat.log("Applying settings...", "INFO");
-      setSettings(settings);
-      logcat.log("Settings applied", "INFO");
-
-      // save settings to localStorage
-      logcat.log("Saving user settings to localStorage...", "INFO");
-      localStorage.setItem("userSettings", JSON.stringify(settings));
-      logcat.log("User settings saved to localStorage", "INFO");
-    } catch (error) {
-      logcat.log("Error saving user settings to localStorage", "ERROR");
-      logcat.log(String(error), "ERROR");
-    }
-  };
-
-  // push new settings to firestore
-  const updateSettingsCloud = async (settings: SettingsType) => {
-    try {
-      // apply settings into state
-      logcat.log("Applying settings...", "INFO");
-      setSettings(settings);
-      logcat.log("Settings applied", "INFO");
-
-      // save settings to firestore
-      logcat.log("Saving user settings to Firestore...", "INFO");
-
-      // push entire settings object to firestore
-      if (user) {
-        firestoreCommitUpdate(`users/${user.uid}`, "settings", settings);
-        await firestorePushUpdates();
-
-        logcat.log("User settings saved to firestore", "INFO");
-      }
-    } catch (error) {
-      logcat.log("Error saving user settings to firestore", "ERROR");
-      logcat.log(String(error), "ERROR");
-    }
-  };
-
-  // delete settings from localStorage
-  const deleteSettingsLocal = () => {
-    try {
-      logcat.log("Deleting user settings from localStorage...", "INFO");
-      localStorage.removeItem("userSettings");
-      logcat.log("User settings deleted from localStorage", "INFO");
-    } catch (error) {
-      logcat.log("Error deleting user settings from localStorage", "ERROR");
-      logcat.log(String(error), "ERROR");
-    }
-  };
-
-  // delete settings from cloud
-  const deleteSettingsCloud = async () => {
-    try {
-      logcat.log("Deleting user settings from Firestore...", "INFO");
-
-      if (user) {
-        firestoreCommitDelete(`users/${user.uid}`, "settings");
-        await firestorePushDeletes();
-
-        logcat.log("User settings deleted from Firestore", "INFO");
-      }
-    } catch (error) {
-      logcat.log(String(error), "ERROR");
-      throw new Error("Error deleting user settings from Firestore");
-    }
-  };
-
-  // fetch user settings from local on first load everytime
+  // fetch user settings from local on first load every time
   useEffect(() => {
-    fetchUserSettingsLocal();
-  }, []);
+    const fetchSettings = async () => {
+      try {
+        await settingsDB.init();
+        const storedSettings = await settingsDB.readData();
+        setSettings(storedSettings);
+      } catch (error) {
+        logcat.log(`Failed to load settings: ${error}`, "ERROR");
+      } finally {
+        setSettingsLoading(false);
+      }
+    };
+
+    fetchSettings();
+  }, [settingsDB]);
 
   return (
     <SettingsContext.Provider
       value={{
         settings,
-        fetchUserSettingsLocal,
-        fetchUserSettingsCloud,
-        updateSettingsLocal,
-        updateSettingsCloud,
-        deleteSettingsLocal,
-        deleteSettingsCloud,
         settingsLoading,
       }}
     >
diff --git a/src/lib/defaultSettings.ts b/src/lib/defaultSettings.ts
index a8094e6..0e6d4f5 100644
--- a/src/lib/defaultSettings.ts
+++ b/src/lib/defaultSettings.ts
@@ -9,16 +9,6 @@ export const defaultSettings = {
     font_family: "monospace" as string,
     font_scaling: 100,
   },
-  timings: {
-    auto_refresh: false as boolean,
-    auto_refresh_interval: 30 as number,
-    eta_as_duration: true as boolean,
-    military_time_format: true as boolean,
-    timings_bus_expanded_items: 3 as number,
-    timings_train_expanded_items: 3 as number,
-    favourites_bus_expanded_items: 0 as number,
-    favourites_train_expanded_items: 0 as number,
-  },
 } as const;
 
 export type SettingsType = typeof defaultSettings;
diff --git a/src/lib/lowDB.ts b/src/lib/lowDB.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ad2dcd6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib/lowDB.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+import { merge } from "lodash";
+import { Low } from "lowdb";
+import { JSONFile } from "lowdb/node";
+
+// define a generic interface for json structure
+interface Database<T> {
+  data: T;
+}
+
+type UpdateCallback<T> = (data: T) => void;
+
+export class LowDB<T> {
+  private db: Low<Database<T>>;
+  private defaultData: T;
+
+  constructor(filePath: string, defaultData: T) {
+    const adapter = new JSONFile<Database<T>>(filePath);
+    this.db = new Low(adapter, { data: defaultData });
+    this.defaultData = defaultData;
+  }
+
+  // initialize the json file and merge with default data if needed
+  async init() {
+    await this.db.read();
+    if (!this.db.data || !this.db.data.data) {
+      // initialize with default data
+      this.db.data = { data: { ...this.defaultData } };
+    } else {
+      // merge existing data with default data to fill in missing properties
+      this.db.data.data = { ...this.defaultData, ...this.db.data.data };
+    }
+    await this.db.write();
+  }
+
+  async readData(): Promise<T> {
+    await this.db.read();
+    // ensure that the data is merged with default values every time it is read
+    this.db.data!.data = merge({}, this.defaultData, this.db.data!.data);
+    return this.db.data!.data;
+  }
+
+  async writeData(data: T): Promise<void> {
+    this.db.data!.data = data;
+    await this.db.write();
+  }
+
+  // update a specific part of the json file
+  async updateData(callback: UpdateCallback<T>): Promise<void> {
+    await this.db.read();
+    callback(this.db.data!.data);
+    await this.db.write();
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/pages/_app.tsx b/src/pages/_app.tsx
index 6fb4c69..b91cc5f 100644
--- a/src/pages/_app.tsx
+++ b/src/pages/_app.tsx
@@ -18,8 +18,8 @@ export default function MyApp(props: MyAppProps) {
   return (
     <CacheProvider value={emotionCache}>
       <Head>
-        <title>WhensApp</title>
-        <meta name='viewport' content='initial-scale=1, width=device-width' />
+        <title>Stort</title>
+        <meta name="viewport" content="initial-scale=1, width=device-width" />
       </Head>
       <UserThemeProvider>
         {/* CssBaseline kickstart an elegant, consistent, and simple baseline to build upon. */}