Privacy Policy

Appcognito is built privacy-first, and this policy is short because we collect very little. Appcognito is a focus and app-blocking app for Android, published by Seozial. The guiding rule is simple: the data that reveals your habits and weak spots stays on your phone.

The short version: Appcognito has no account and no servers. Your block lists, activity and settings stay on your device. We do not track you, show ads, or sell data. There is nothing to leak, because your information never reaches us.

1. Our privacy principles

• On-device by default. The features that need to understand your behaviour run locally on your phone.
• No account. You never create a login, so there is no profile of you on a server anywhere.
• Data minimisation. We do not request information a feature does not strictly need.
• No surveillance economy. No ads, no third-party trackers, no selling or sharing of personal data.

2. Information handled on your device

The following is created and used entirely on your phone and is never transmitted to us:

• Block lists and settings: the apps, sites, keywords and limits you choose, plus preferences like theme and your first name.
• Activity and streaks: focus sessions and your Aurith streak, shown only to you.
• On-screen text: if you enable keyword blocking, on-screen text is checked locally in real time. It is never saved or sent. Keyword blocking reads visible text only. It does not read or process the contents of images, photos or video, so content shown only as a picture or video is not detected by keyword blocking.
• Installed apps and usage: read locally so you can choose what to block and see your screen time.

3. Permissions, and exactly why each is used

Android asks for your consent before any sensitive capability is used. We request only what a feature needs, when you turn it on. None of these permissions send your data to us or anyone else.

Optional permissions stay off until you enable the feature that uses them, and you can revoke any permission at any time in your Android settings.

4. Processed on your device, never collected

This is the heart of how Appcognito works. To block distractions, the app does need to look at some things on your phone in the moment, but that processing happens entirely on the device and the result is never stored by us or sent anywhere. We do not "collect" this data in any meaningful sense, because it never leaves your phone.

• Which app is open is checked locally so a block can be applied, then discarded. We never receive it.
• On-screen text, only when keyword blocking is on, is scanned locally in real time to decide whether to block. It is never saved, screenshotted or transmitted. It reads visible text only; images, photos and video are not read or processed, so keyword blocking cannot detect content shown only as a picture or video.
• Your usage and screen time are calculated on-device for your own insights. The numbers stay on your phone.
• Your Wi-Fi network or location, only for automations you create that depend on a network or place, is checked live on-device. With your permission this includes the background, so a rule can switch blocking on or off when Appcognito is closed or after a restart. It is matched against your own rules and then discarded. It is never recorded, mapped, or sent anywhere.
• Your name, block lists and settings live in local storage on your device, not on a server.

And there are things we simply never touch at all: no contacts, no photos, no messages, no advertising identifiers, and no third-party analytics or ad SDKs. There is no Appcognito server receiving your personal data, so there is nothing for us to collect, profile or sell.

5. Purchases

Appcognito Pro is sold through Google Play Billing. Google processes the payment and tells the app whether you have an active entitlement. We never see or store your payment details, and we keep no backend record of your purchase. Google's handling of payment data is governed by the Google Privacy Policy.

6. This website

This marketing website is separate from the app. The only personal details it stores are ones you choose to give us, and only for the purpose you gave them:

• Email sign-ups are opt-in. If you enter your email, it is because you asked to hear from us, so we use it only to send Appcognito news, launch updates and the occasional promotion or newsletter. It is never used to track or profile you, never sold, and you can unsubscribe or ask us to delete it at any time.
• Feedback you send through our feedback form is stored only so we can read it, act on it, and reply if you chose to add your email. We use it to improve Appcognito, not to track you, and sending feedback does not sign you up for any marketing.

Both are stored with our database provider, Supabase, and you can ask us to delete either at any time.

To understand how the site performs, we use Google Tag Manager, which can load analytics such as Google Analytics. How these analytics cookies behave depends on where you are, and you are always in control:

• In the EU and UK, analytics cookies are off by default. We show a cookie banner and load them only if you choose "Accept".
• Elsewhere, analytics cookies are on by default to help us improve the site, and you can turn them off at any time using the "Cookie preferences" link in the footer.

Whatever your region, you can change your choice at any time with the "Cookie preferences" link, and if you decline, no analytics or advertising cookies are set. Essential cookies needed for the site to work are always allowed. This applies to the website only; it never has access to anything inside the app, which stays on your device. Our hosting provider may also keep standard technical request logs (such as IP address and user agent) for security and reliability.

7. Data security

Your data is protected by your device's own security, including its lock screen and encryption. Sensitive values such as your app-lock PIN are stored using Android's secure keystore. Because nothing is uploaded, there is no central database of users for an attacker to breach.

8. Data retention and deletion

Your app data lives on your device for as long as the app is installed, and uninstalling removes it. You can also clear specific data from within the app. If you sent us your email for updates, email us and we will delete it.

9. Children's privacy

Appcognito is for general audiences, including parents who set it up on a child's device. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children, because we do not collect personal information through the app at all.

10. Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct or delete personal data, or to object to its processing. Since your app data never leaves your device, you already hold and control it directly. For the limited case of an email you sent us, contact us to exercise any of these rights.

11. Changes and contact

We may update this policy as Appcognito grows, including making it stricter or clarifying how something is handled. When we do, we will revise the date above, and any material change to how data is handled will be made clear. Continuing to use Appcognito or this website after a change means you accept the updated policy. Questions? Email apps.help@seozial.com.