On your phone
On iPhone and iPad, the apps you limit are anonymous tokens; we cannot see which apps they are. On Android, to keep track of your usage, app names are visible to the app, but that information stays local on your phone. No app related information is sent to our servers. If you use Android's own backup, your own Google account keeps an encrypted copy of your setup, so it returns when you reinstall or switch phones. On both, your limits, usage, and Insights live on your device, and nothing about them is sent to our servers.
The reasons you write
When you stop your limits, or ask for more time, Precursor asks you to write a short reason first. Your entries stay strictly on this device. They are never sent to our servers, they are not part of the optional usage analytics below, and no bug report carries them. You read them back on the Insights page, and they go with the app if you delete it. The same is true of your Parent Mode recovery answer: it is stored on your device only, as a scrambled one-way value we could not read even if we had it, which is also why nobody at Precursor can reset a passcode for you.
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 for Android can also use an optional read-only accessibility service, if you turn it on, so it can notice the moment a limited app comes to the front and block it instantly. This service is optional on Precursor for Android: it is off unless you enable it, and Precursor works without it. 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 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, we use RevenueCat, a company that validates purchases for apps. RevenueCat is contacted every time Precursor starts, on both iPhone and Android, because that is how the app knows on each launch whether Precursor⁺ is on. It receives a randomized anonymous identifier for your install, your device type and operating-system version, and the network address the request comes from. If you buy Precursor⁺, the receipt Apple or Google Play issues is added to that record. RevenueCat processes this only on our behalf as our service provider: it is never used for advertising and it is never sold. We never send it your name, your email, or anything about which apps you limit.
Bug reports you choose to send
If you send a bug report from inside 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, 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 analytics, only if you opt in
Precursor sends no usage analytics to our servers unless you turn them on. If you choose to help, you can turn on anonymous usage analytics 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.
When the app contacts our own server
Whenever Precursor contacts our own server, we store a one-way salted hash of the network address the request came from, so we can stop abuse. It cannot be turned back into an address, it is not linked to your install, and it is deleted daily.
The beta list
The email signup for the beta is closed and this site no longer collects email addresses. If you left your email with us while it was open, we kept it on our own infrastructure and used 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. We are deleting the list itself now that the beta has closed, and you can ask us to delete your address sooner: the Delete your data section on our support page explains how. Beta builds also registered one anonymous install identifier with us so we could 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 usage analytics, 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
We may update this policy at any time, and we will update the date at the top when we do. If what we collect changes, this page changes first, before the change ships, not after.
Questions? Email support@precursorlabs.info.