On your phone
On iPhone and iPad, the apps you limit are anonymous tokens even to us; we cannot see which apps they are. On Android, Precursor can see the names of the apps you limit so it can watch them for you, but that list never leaves your phone. On both, your limits, usage, and Insights live on your device and go with the app if you delete it.
On Android
Precursor for Android needs a few permissions to do its job, and all of them work on your phone only. Usage access is how Precursor measures the time you spend in the apps you limit; those measurements never leave your device. Display over other apps is how the block screen appears. Precursor also runs a read-only accessibility service so it can notice the moment a limited app comes to the front and block it instantly. That service is restricted to window-change events: it cannot read the contents of your screen, it never acts on your behalf, and it collects nothing. You are asked to turn it on, and you can turn it off at any time in Android's settings.
Purchases
If you upgrade to Precursor⁺, Apple or Google Play processes the payment; we never see your card, your Apple ID, or your Google account. To know what you have unlocked and to restore it when you reinstall, we use RevenueCat, a company that validates purchases for apps. RevenueCat receives the purchase receipt Apple or Google Play issues, a randomized anonymous identifier for your install, and basic device information (device type and operating-system version). It does not receive your name, your email, or anything about the apps you limit; your choices stay on your phone, as always. RevenueCat processes this only on our behalf and does not use it for advertising or sell it.
Bug reports you choose to send
If you send a bug report from the app, we receive the description you write, a technical log (timestamps and internal limit events), your app version and operating-system version, your device type (like “iPhone”, “iPad”, or an Android phone), and a randomized anonymous install identifier. Reports are used only to fix problems and are deleted within 90 days. A short excerpt is sent to our own private team chat (hosted by Discord; the excerpt is the start of your description, your app and operating-system version, and a random report number, never your install identifier); the full report stays on our Cloudflare systems. (None of this includes personal information or the names of apps you limit.)
Anonymous usage statistics, only if you opt in
By default Precursor shares nothing; everything stays on your phone. If you choose to help, you can turn on anonymous statistics about how Precursor gets used. Today that means counts and rates tied to a random identifier: how windows go, dates, a coarse time-of-day bucket (morning, afternoon, evening, or night), your plan tier, and which of Precursor's own screens and steps get used, like finishing setup, opening Insights, or seeing the upgrade screen. That means screens inside Precursor itself, never anything about other apps. It does not include clock times, the names of the apps you limit, anything you type, or what you buy. It stays off unless you turn it on, you can switch it off or delete everything you've shared at any time from inside the app, and if what we collect changes, this page changes first.
The beta list
If you leave your email on this site, we keep it on our own infrastructure and use it only for your beta invite, your founding-tester code if you are one, and a small number of launch updates. No newsletters, no sharing, no ad tools. To stop signup abuse we also store a salted, one-way hash of your network address, never the address itself, and it cannot be turned back into it. Reply to any email or write to us and we delete it. Beta builds also register one anonymous install identifier with us so we can honor the founding-tester promise; it says nothing about you or your apps, and we delete it on request.
Feature requests
The feedback board in the app is hosted by Featurebase and opens only when you tap it. Anything you post there is voluntary and covered by their terms; the app hands them no information about you.
Children
Precursor is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13. If you believe a child has sent us personal information (for example a beta-list email), write to us and we will delete it.
Where your data lives
The little that does reach us (bug reports, opt-in statistics, beta-list emails) is stored in our own systems, hosted on Cloudflare's infrastructure in the United States, and encrypted in transit. If you use Precursor from outside the US, that information is transferred to and processed in the US. Purchase records are processed for us by RevenueCat on their infrastructure in the United States. We use Proton Mail to send and receive our email; it does not use your messages for advertising. We use Discord for our own private team notifications, which include a short excerpt of any bug report you send us.
Your rights
Most of your data never reaches us; it lives on your phone and is yours to delete with the app. For what does reach us, Precursor Labs LLC is the controller, and you can ask us to show, correct, or delete it at any time by emailing support@precursorlabs.info. We do not sell personal information and we do not share it for advertising, ever. If you live in the EU, UK, or a US state with a privacy law, these cover the core rights those laws give you (and we honor requests under the rest of them the same way); EU and UK residents can also complain to their local data protection authority.
This site
This site sets no cookies and runs no analytics. Your light or dark theme choice is stored only in your own browser.
Changes
If what we collect changes, this page changes first, along with the date above.
Questions? Email support@precursorlabs.info.