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Privacy Policy

Effective Date: July 4, 2026 | Last Updated: July 4, 2026

1. Introduction

HabitGuard ("we", "our", or "us") is dedicated to protecting the privacy of parents and children who utilize our application. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, and handle data within the HabitGuard Android application, with particular emphasis on our compliance with the Google Play Developer Policies (including those governing child protection and sensitive permissions).

We operate under a local-first, offline-first privacy architecture. Unlike traditional parental control apps that sync your child's data, search histories, and app usage logs to cloud servers, HabitGuard is designed to operate completely locally on the device on which it is installed.

2. Prominent Disclosure: Accessibility Service API

⚠️ Crucial Accessibility Disclosure (Google Play Policy Compliant)

HabitGuard utilizes Android's Accessibility Service API. This API is used exclusively to detect the package name (ID) of the app currently active in the device's foreground. This detection is critical to allow HabitGuard to check if the active app is subject to parental limits, and to automatically display the block screen overlay if the child's daily or session allowance has expired.

Data Collection and Transmission Limit: The Accessibility Service API is used solely for real-time window tracking. HabitGuard does not read, intercept, record, or transmit any user inputs, keystrokes, personal details, messages, or screen content. No accessibility data is ever saved to the disk or transmitted over the network.

3. Information We Collect and How It is Handled

Because HabitGuard runs entirely on the child's device, we collect only the minimum necessary data to perform parental control duties, which remains fully on the device:

  • Profile Information: During setup, the parent may optionally enter a child's name and parent's name. This info is used only for display purposes in the parent dashboard.
  • App Watchlist & Restrictions: The list of apps selected by the parent for monitoring and their designated daily/session limits.
  • Usage Logs: Historical records of screen-time duration per monitored app. This allows the app to know when limits are hit and resets automatically at midnight.
  • Parent PIN: A cryptographically secure SHA-256 hash of the 4-digit PIN is stored locally. This PIN is required to unlock block screens and modify settings. The raw PIN is never stored.

Storage: All of the above data is stored locally in a private SQL database (Android Room DB) that cannot be accessed by other applications. We do not maintain any external servers, and we have no ability to access or view this data.

4. Android System Permissions Utilized

To enforce restrictions and prevent workarounds, HabitGuard requires the following sensitive permissions:

  1. Accessibility Service (BIND_ACCESSIBILITY_SERVICE): Used to monitor the foreground application and trigger the blocking overlay when limits are reached.
  2. Usage Stats Access (PACKAGE_USAGE_STATS): Used as a supplementary method to calculate accurate daily screen-time statistics for monitored applications.
  3. System Alert Window (SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW / Display Over Other Apps): Required to show the full-screen "Time's up!" overlay blocking window directly over restricted apps.
  4. Device Administration (BIND_DEVICE_ADMIN): Optionally enabled by the parent to prevent the child from uninstalling the application through Android settings. Disabling admin privileges requires entering the Parent PIN.

5. Third-Party Services (AdMob Integration)

HabitGuard integrates the Google AdMob SDK to display advertisements. AdMob may collect and share advertising IDs and diagnostic information for personalized or non-personalized ad delivery, compliance, and developer payouts.

We recommend reading Google's privacy details:
Google Privacy Policy & Terms

6. Children's Privacy (COPPA & GDPR Compliance)

HabitGuard is designed as a parental control utility and is intended to be configured and managed solely by parents or legal guardians.

In compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), we do not collect or request any personal identification details from children, nor do we track children's online browsing or activities. Our local-first approach ensures children's data remains entirely offline and securely isolated on their own physical hardware.

7. Data Security and Retention

All screen time rules, logs, and PIN hashes are kept on the device. When you uninstall HabitGuard from the device, all stored logs, configuration values, and local databases are permanently erased from the local storage.

8. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our app's features or changes in Google Play Policies. Any updates will be posted directly to this web page, with the "Effective Date" at the top modified accordingly.

9. Contact Us

If you have any questions or feedback regarding our privacy practices, please contact us at:
Email: adrsolutionsngp@gmail.com