Privacy policy

GoodBully on iPhone

Screen Time

With your permission, GoodBully uses Apple’s Screen Time framework to see which apps you choose to limit and how long you use them each day. It uses this to count your time against your limits, show the shield, and show your progress. This information is stored on your iPhone and is not sent to us.

Apple Health

If you set a Moving goal, GoodBully asks to read your exercise minutes, workouts and steps from the last two weeks in Apple Health, to count them toward that week’s goal. It only reads; it never writes to Health. Daily totals are stored on your iPhone, are not sent to us, and are not used for advertising or analytics. You can decline and use the rest of the app.

Location

If you make a rule at a place, such as “social apps are locked at Work”, GoodBully asks for your location. With “Always” allowed, iOS tells GoodBully when you arrive at or leave a place you saved, even when the app is closed, so the rule can start and stop. GoodBully uses location for nothing else. Your places, and whether you are at one, are stored on your iPhone and are not sent to us or anyone else. The map and the place search in the place editor use Apple’s map service. You can decline, or turn location off in Settings, and use every other kind of rule.

Camera

If you choose the photo task for getting into an app you limited, GoodBully asks to use the camera so you can show it an everyday object, such as a cup. The picture is checked on your iPhone while the task is on screen. No photo is saved, and no image or what was recognized in it is sent to us or anyone else. You can decline and choose another task.

Your name and email

During setup GoodBully asks for a first name, which it uses to address you. You can also give an email address; this is optional. We may store your name and email on our servers and use your email to contact you about GoodBully. You can unsubscribe from non-essential email at any time.

Product analytics

GoodBully sends us usage events, such as which screens were reached and whether setup finished, through a third-party analytics provider. These events use a random identifier created on your device and do not include your Screen Time or Health data. We use them to understand how the app is used and to improve it.

Purchases and crash reports

Subscriptions are processed by Apple. We receive whether a subscription is active, not your payment details. If you share analytics with app developers in your iPhone’s settings, Apple may provide us with crash reports and aggregate usage statistics.

Stored on your iPhone

Your setup, limits and settings; daily minutes for each group of apps you limit, kept for up to 120 days; and a record of passes you took, kept for 30 days. Notifications are scheduled on the device.

GoodBully on Android

Permissions

• Usage access lets GoodBully see which app is open and how long you use each app, to count your time against your limits and to show your recent average during setup.
• Display over other apps lets GoodBully draw the shield over an app you have limited.
• Notifications show that shields are running, a running focus session or pass, reminders for a challenge you joined, and results such as a run of days ending. GoodBully runs a background service while your screen is on to enforce your limits.
• Health Connect, only if you set a Moving goal and allow it: see below.
• Location, including in the background, only if you make a rule at a place and allow it: see below.
• Camera, only if you use the photo task: see below.

GoodBully also reads the list of installed apps so you can choose which to limit. It does not use Accessibility Services.

Health Connect

If you set a Moving goal, a weekly goal such as 30 minutes on 3 days a week, GoodBully asks Health Connect for permission to read your exercise sessions. While GoodBully is open it reads the sessions from the last two weeks, to count your exercise minutes toward the goal. It only reads; it never writes to Health Connect. From those sessions it keeps one number per day, your total exercise minutes, on your phone, to show this week’s progress and your recent weeks. It does not keep the sessions themselves. Health Connect data is not sent to us or to anyone else, is not used for analytics or advertising, and is not sold. You can decline, or remove the permission at any time in Health Connect, and use the rest of the app.

GoodBully’s use of information received from Health Connect adheres to the Health Connect Permissions policy, including the Limited Use requirements.

Location

If you make a rule at a place, such as “social apps are locked at Work”, GoodBully asks for your location: first while you use the app, when you save a place or tap “Use where I am”, and then, after explaining why, all the time. With location allowed all the time, Google Play services on your phone tells GoodBully when you arrive at or leave a place you saved, even when GoodBully is closed, so the rule can start and stop. GoodBully uses location for nothing else.

Your places, whether you are at one, and your arrivals and departures from the last 30 days are stored on your phone. They are not sent to us or to anyone else and are not used for analytics or advertising. The map in the place editor loads map images for the area on screen from OpenStreetMap; when the map shows where you are, those images cover that area. Searching for a place sends the words you type to your phone’s address lookup service, without your location. You can choose No thanks, or remove the permission in Android’s settings, and use every other kind of rule.

Camera

If you choose the photo task for getting into an app you limited, GoodBully asks to use the camera so you can show it an everyday object, such as a cup. The camera runs only while the task is on screen, and the picture is checked on your phone by a model built into the app. No photo is taken or saved, and no image or what was recognized in it is sent to us or to anyone else. You can decline and get a task without the camera, or turn the photo task off in Settings.

Your name and email

During setup GoodBully asks for a first name, which it uses to address you. You can also give an email address; this is optional. On Android both are currently kept only on your phone. If we later offer email updates, we will ask before sending your address to our servers, and you will be able to unsubscribe at any time.

Product analytics

GoodBully sends us usage events, such as which setup steps were reached, whether setup finished, when a shield went up, a rule was made, a challenge or unlock task was finished or a run of days ended, and whether a purchase was started, through a third-party analytics provider (PostHog). Events carry the limits and choices you set, your device model, Android version, app version and language, and a random identifier created on your device; the provider also sees the IP address they are sent from, which it can use to estimate a country or city. They do not include which apps you use, how long you use them, your name, your email, your places or location, anything from the camera, or any Health Connect data. We use them to understand how the app is used and to improve it.

Purchases and crash reports

Subscriptions are processed by Google Play. We receive whether a subscription is active, not your payment details. If you share usage and diagnostics data with Google, Google may provide us with crash reports and aggregate app statistics.

Stored on your phone

Your setup, limits, rules and settings; your first name and email if you gave them; daily minutes for each group of apps you limit and each run of days, kept while the app is installed; daily exercise minutes if you connected Health Connect, kept while the app is installed; your places, and your arrivals and departures at them for 30 days; and a record of passes you took, kept for 7 days. This is kept in the app’s private storage and is excluded from Android backup.