KillSwitch – Privacy Policy

Effective date: 18 December 2025

KillSwitch is a digital wellbeing and productivity app that helps you reduce time spent on distracting apps by monitoring usage and optionally blocking or limiting access to certain apps.

This Privacy Policy explains what information the app processes, how it is used, and your choices. It is intended to be used both inside this project and as the basis for your app-store privacy policy.

1. Information We Collect and Process

KillSwitch does not require you to create an account and does not intentionally collect information that directly identifies you (such as your name, email address, or phone number).

However, in order to provide its core functionality, the app processes the following categories of data:

1.1 Device and App Usage Information

• Installed apps and package names: We query the list of installed applications and their package names to allow you to select which apps to monitor or block.
• App usage statistics and foreground app: Using Usage Access permissions, we monitor which app is in the foreground and how long you spend in each selected app.
• System events (e.g., boot completed): We listen to certain system events so that monitoring can continue after a device restart.

This information is processed on your device to decide when to block or allow apps and to show you usage history.

1.2 Accessibility and On-Screen Content

If you enable the accessibility-based features (such as AI-powered content analysis for “Potential Time Waste” monitoring), the app’s Accessibility Service can access text content that appears on your screen in other apps.

• Your screen content stays on your device: All screen text data is processed locally on your phone and never leaves your device. No screen content or text data is transmitted to external servers, cloud services, or third parties.
• We read text from the current screen to understand the type of content you are viewing (for example, whether it looks like social media, entertainment, or productive content).
• This text may incidentally contain personal or sensitive information if it is visible on the screen (for example, messages, names, or other content displayed by another app). We do not use accessibility data to capture passwords, bank details, or other credentials and we do not intentionally target such content.

1.3 Data Sent to OpenAI for App Categorization

For app categorization features, KillSwitch sends limited app metadata to OpenAI, L.L.C.:

• App metadata such as app name and package name is sent to OpenAI's API to classify apps into three categories: "No Time Waste" (productive apps), "Pure Time Waste" (entertainment/social apps), and "Potential Time Waste" (apps that may be distracting depending on usage).

This data is used only to obtain app category classifications that help KillSwitch determine blocking behavior. We do not send device identifiers, your name, screen content, or contact information to OpenAI as part of these requests.

1.4 Local Preferences and Configuration

• Blocked / protected apps you configure.
• Feature settings and schedules, such as whether monitoring is enabled, passwords/PINs to unlock, and your custom configuration values.
• Recent analysis results, including a short snippet of the last analyzed screen text and whether it was classified as distracting.

This information is stored locally on your device (for example, in shared preferences or local files) and is used to apply your chosen settings.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the data described above for the following purposes:

• Providing core functionality: Monitoring app usage, determining when to show a lock overlay, and blocking or allowing apps based on your configuration.
• AI-based classification: Using OpenAI's API to classify apps into categories (No Time Waste, Pure Time Waste, Potential Time Waste) and local AI models to analyze screen content for time-wasting behavior, so we can block distracting content if you enable those features.

We do not use your data for advertising, marketing, or building advertising profiles.

3. Data Storage, Retention, and Security

• On-device storage: Most data (usage history, preferences, last analysis results) is stored only on your device.
• No app-specific backend server: KillSwitch does not maintain its own cloud backend that stores your personal data.
• Hybrid processing: Screen content analysis is performed locally on your device using pre-trained models. App categorization uses OpenAI's API (see section 1.3 above).
• Retention: Data is retained for as long as needed to provide the app’s functionality (for example, your usage history, preferences, and cached analysis results). You can delete this data by clearing the app’s data in system settings or uninstalling the app.

We take reasonable technical measures to protect data within the app (for example, avoiding unnecessary data collection and using secure network protocols), but no system can be perfectly secure.

4. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell your personal data.

We share data only in the following limited circumstances:

• OpenAI (AI service provider): When you enable app categorization features, KillSwitch sends app metadata (such as app name and package name) to OpenAI's API to classify apps into categories (No Time Waste, Pure Time Waste, Potential Time Waste). OpenAI's processing of this data is governed by their own terms and privacy policy. Screen content text is never sent to OpenAI.
• Legal compliance: We may disclose information if reasonably necessary to comply with applicable law, regulation, legal process, or enforceable governmental request, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of the developer, users, or others.

5. Age Restrictions and Parental Control

KillSwitch can be used in two ways: (1) by adults for personal productivity and device management, or (2) by parents/guardians as a parental control tool to monitor and manage children's device usage.

5.1 Adult Use

For personal use, KillSwitch is intended for adults (18 years and older) who want to manage their own device usage and productivity. By "adults," we mean individuals who are 18 years of age or older.

5.2 Parental Control Use

Parents and guardians may install and configure KillSwitch on devices used by their children for parental control purposes. In this mode:

• The app monitors and controls children's device usage according to parental settings.
• Parents are responsible for obtaining any necessary consent and complying with applicable child privacy laws.
• Usage data collected may include information about children's app usage patterns and screen time.

5.3 Children's Privacy

• We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without parental consent when the app is used for parental control.
• If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child under 13 has used this app without proper consent, please contact the developer using the email address listed on the app's store page so that any data can be removed.
• When used as parental control software, parents should ensure compliance with all applicable child privacy laws and platform policies (such as COPPA and Google Play's Families and User Data policies).

Important: Parents are responsible for configuring the app appropriately for their children's age and ensuring that usage complies with applicable laws and regulations.

6. Your Choices and Controls

You have several options to control how KillSwitch processes your data:

• Permissions: You can grant or revoke permissions (Usage Access, Accessibility, overlay permissions, etc.) at any time in your device’s system settings. Some features will not work without their required permissions.
• AI features: Local screen content analysis uses pre-trained models on your device. App categorization features send app metadata to OpenAI's API.
• Configuration: You can adjust which apps are monitored or blocked, change schedules, and update other preferences within the app.
• Delete data / uninstall: You can clear app data from system settings or uninstall the app entirely, which removes locally stored app data from your device.

7. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the "Effective date" at the top of this document. The latest version of this policy will be available with the app (for example, via a hosted copy of this Privacy.html) and can be used for the app-store listing.

8. Contact

If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or about how KillSwitch handles data, please contact the developer using the contact email address provided on the app’s store listing.