Who can use Precursor
Precursor is not directed at children under 13, and you must be at least 13 years old to use it. If you are under 18, use Precursor only with a parent or guardian's permission. Permissions on managed child accounts are governed by Apple's Family Sharing rules or by Google's Family Link rules, not by us.
Your license
We grant you a personal, non-transferable, non-exclusive license to use Precursor on any Apple or Android device that you own or control. For copies obtained through the App Store, this license is also subject to the App Store Usage Rules in Apple's Media Services Terms and Conditions; for copies obtained through Google Play, it is also subject to the Google Play Terms of Service. You may not sell, rent, sublicense, or redistribute the app, and you may not copy, modify, reverse engineer, or attempt to extract the source code of the app except to the limited extent the law allows. The app, its design, and the Precursor name and marks remain the property of Precursor Labs LLC; these Terms give you a license, not ownership.
Free and paid features
Precursor is free to use, with a full core experience at no cost. An optional upgrade, Precursor+, unlocks additional features and is available as a monthly or yearly subscription or as a one-time Lifetime purchase.
- Payments. All purchases are processed by Apple (through your Apple ID) or by Google Play (through your Google account). We never receive or store your payment details; a record of what you unlocked is validated for us by RevenueCat, as described in the Privacy Policy. Current prices are shown in the app before you buy and may vary by region.
- Auto-renewing subscriptions. Monthly and yearly Precursor+ subscriptions renew automatically. Your Apple ID or Google account is charged at confirmation of purchase, and the subscription renews for the same period at the then-current price unless you turn off auto-renew at least 24 hours before the current period ends. You can manage or cancel a subscription any time in your Apple ID settings or in Google Play's subscription settings; cancelling stops the next renewal and does not refund the current period.
- Free trials and offers. Precursor+ subscriptions currently include a free trial. Its length, and any promotional offer we are running, are shown in the app and on the App Store or Google Play before you subscribe, and they can change over time. A free trial is granted once per store account across both plans, not once per plan, so switching plans does not earn a second one. A free trial converts to a paid subscription when it ends unless you turn off auto-renew before then. Any unused portion of a trial is forfeited when you buy a subscription.
- Lifetime. The Lifetime option is a one-time purchase, not a subscription, and does not auto-renew. What it covers is set out under What “Lifetime” means below.
- Refunds. Purchases are handled by Apple or Google Play, and refund requests are managed by the store you bought through, under its terms. We cannot issue refunds directly.
What “Lifetime” means
Lifetime is a one-time purchase of a permanent licence to use Precursor+ in this app. It does not renew, and we will not charge you for it again. Like every app on the App Store and Google Play, what you buy is a licence to use the software, not ownership of the software itself.
- How long it lasts. Lifetime lasts for as long as we offer this app, during your lifetime. It is the lifetime of the product, not of a device, not of a phone, and not of an operating-system version. We say this plainly because the alternative is you assuming one thing and us meaning another.
- What it covers. Every Precursor+ feature in this app, Precursor: Hourly Screen Time. It includes updates to the app, new features included: if we add something to Precursor+ later, Lifetime holders get it at no extra cost, and we will not take a feature that Lifetime already included and put it behind a further payment.
- What it does not cover. Other products Precursor Labs may release in future, including any separate app, browser extension, or desktop application, are not included. Those would be their own products with their own prices.
- Whose it is. Lifetime belongs to the one store account that bought it. It is personal to you, and it cannot be sold, shared, or transferred to another account.
- One store, not both. Precursor has no user accounts, so an entitlement cannot follow you between stores. Lifetime bought on the App Store unlocks Precursor+ on Apple devices signed in to that Apple Account; Lifetime bought on Google Play unlocks Precursor+ on Android devices signed in to that Google Account. A purchase on one store does not unlock the app on the other. To use Precursor+ on both platforms you would need to buy it on both.
- Getting it back. Because there are no accounts, a fresh install does not know what you own until you tap Restore purchases, which asks Apple or Google Play on your behalf. Use the same store account you bought with.
- If we ever retire the app. We do not plan to, and we are not going to pretend a one-person studio can promise the far future. If we ever stop offering Precursor, we will give notice on this website and inside the app. We will not remotely switch off a feature you have already paid for, and the version installed on your device will keep working for as long as your device and its operating system allow. What nobody can promise is that a future iOS or Android update will not break an app that is no longer being maintained.
- If we sell or transfer the business. Your Lifetime licence goes with it. We will not treat a change of ownership as a way to stop honoring what you bought, and any buyer takes the business with these obligations attached.
- If these terms change. See Changes below. The short version: a change will never reduce what Lifetime already covered for someone who bought it before that change.
What Precursor is, and is not
Precursor is a self-management tool that helps you set your own limits on how you use your apps. It is not medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and it is not a substitute for professional care. You are responsible for the limits you set and for your own use of your device.
How the app works, and its limits
On iPhone and iPad, Precursor is built on Apple's Screen Time technology (the Family Controls, Device Activity, and Managed Settings frameworks); on Android, it is built on the system's usage-access and accessibility services. Because enforcement depends on the operating system, the permissions you grant, and your device's behavior, Precursor cannot guarantee that limits will always apply exactly, on time, or without interruption, and Apple's or Google's own updates may affect how limits work. The app is provided "as is" and "as available", without warranties of any kind to the fullest extent permitted by law. Deleting Precursor removes all of its limits from your device; the optional passcode protects your settings from impulsive changes, not your ability to leave.
Two optional settings deserve to be spelled out before you turn them on. Parent Mode makes the passcode required and replaces the 24 hour passcode-reset wait with a security question you choose. Precursor has no accounts and stores your answer on your device only, so if the passcode and the answer are both lost, we cannot restore access for you; deleting the app remains the way out. Uninstall protection uses the operating system's own restriction to hide Delete App from the home screen, and that restriction applies to every app on the device, not only to Precursor, for as long as it is on. Turning it off requires your Precursor passcode. Neither setting reports anything anywhere, and neither lets one device manage another.
Acceptable use
Use Precursor only for your own lawful, personal purposes. Do not use it to interfere with or gain unauthorized access to any system, to work around Apple's or Google's rules, or in any way that could harm Precursor, Apple, Google, or other people.
Privacy
Our Privacy Policy explains what the app does and does not collect. In short: there are no accounts, and we never receive the identities of the apps you limit. On iPhone and iPad that is because Apple hands the app anonymous tokens rather than app names; on Android the app does read app names, but it reads them on your device and never sends them to us. Your limits, usage, and Insights stay on your phone unless you explicitly choose to share something with us. Two exceptions are described in the Privacy Policy and are worth naming here: our purchase-validation service is contacted whenever the app starts, and on Android your own Google backup may hold an encrypted copy of your setup under your own account.
Third-party services
A few optional surfaces are run by others: the in-app feedback board is hosted by Featurebase, and this site may link to other sites. Those services have their own terms and policies, and we are not responsible for their content or practices.
Apple's and Google's role
Apple and Google are not parties to these Terms and are not responsible for Precursor. Where you obtain the app through the App Store, Apple's standard Licensed Application End User License Agreement also applies to your use of the app, and to the extent these Terms conflict with it on the points it covers, that agreement governs. Apple and its subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of these Terms and may enforce them. Where you obtain the app through Google Play, the Google Play Terms of Service also apply to your download and use of the app.
Limitation of liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, Precursor Labs will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages, or for any loss arising from your use of, or inability to use, the app. To the same extent, our total liability for all claims relating to the app will not exceed the greater of the amount you paid Precursor Labs in the twelve months before the claim arose or fifty US dollars ($50). Nothing in these Terms limits any rights you have that cannot be limited under the law that applies to you.
Your responsibility for misuse
If your breach of these Terms or unlawful use of Precursor causes a claim against Precursor Labs, you agree to cover the resulting losses and reasonable costs to the extent the law allows.
Termination
You can stop using Precursor at any time; deleting the app ends your license and removes all of its limits from your device. We may suspend or end your license if you materially breach these Terms, and unless the breach is unlawful or puts other people at risk, we will tell you what the problem is and give you a fair chance to put it right first. We will not use this section as a way around What “Lifetime” means. Sections that by their nature should continue (including the disclaimers, limitation of liability, and governing law) survive termination. Ending the license does not by itself refund purchases; refunds stay governed by the rules of the store you bought through.
Changes
We may update these Terms at any time, and we will update the date at the top of this page when we do. Reasons we would: a legal, regulatory, security, or app-store requirement, a change in how the app works, a new feature, or a change to what we charge new customers. For anything that meaningfully affects your rights we will say so in the app at least 30 days before it takes effect, in plain language, so you can decide what you want to do about it.
What we will not do is use this section to take back something you already paid for. A change to these Terms will not reduce the Precursor+ features covered by a Lifetime purchase made before that change, and it will not convert a Lifetime purchase into anything that renews or charges again. If we ever wanted to make a change that would, we would have to ask you and you would be free to say no.
Governing law
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, United States, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules, except where the law that applies to you as a consumer provides otherwise. Any dispute that is not subject to a consumer-protection rule giving you a different forum will be resolved in the state or federal courts located in California.
About these Terms
These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, Apple's standard EULA where it applies, and the Google Play Terms of Service where they apply, are the entire agreement between you and Precursor Labs about the app. If any part of these Terms is found unenforceable, the rest remains in effect, and not enforcing a provision is not a waiver of it. You may not assign these Terms; we may assign them as part of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, and if we do, the obligations we owe you under them, including everything under What “Lifetime” means, go with the business.
Notice to California users
Under California Civil Code Section 1789.3, California users are entitled to the following notice: Precursor is provided by Precursor Labs LLC, 440 N Barranca Ave #8656, Covina, CA 91723, United States, telephone +1 (619) 214-7530. If you have a question or complaint, email support@precursorlabs.info. You may also contact the Complaint Assistance Unit of the Division of Consumer Services of the California Department of Consumer Affairs in writing at 1625 North Market Blvd., Suite N 112, Sacramento, CA 95834, or by telephone at (800) 952-5210.
Questions? Email support@precursorlabs.info.