Privacy, without the fine-print feeling.

Who we are

FocusForge is an Android study companion maintained by MufasaXz, the developer identity associated with the public project. Contact the developer for privacy questions at focusforgehelp@gmail.com. This notice covers FocusForge and this website; third-party services have their own policies.

Information on your device

Focus-session history, per-app usage history, subjects, goals and app settings are stored locally using SharedPreferences-backed storage. Linked accounts also back up the study records described below. Screen-time and app-usage history, Shield events and Accessibility screen contents stay on your device. We do not claim local storage is encrypted. Remove app storage through Android settings or uninstall to remove app-local records; device backups may be governed separately by your device settings.

Clear local analytics removes local focus history and progress. It does not delete your linked account’s private cloud study backup, so those study records can return when you recover that account. Use Delete account to remove the associated cloud records.

Accounts and Firebase

Choose Skip for now to begin with a local guest profile without waiting for Firebase sign-in. Linked email/password and Google accounts use Google Firebase Authentication when the backend is active. Authentication can process account identifiers, email, display name, authentication credentials and service-related technical information. Existing anonymous Firebase sessions may still contact Firebase; using the app without an email account is not a promise of no network activity. A display-name change may update Firebase Authentication.

Firebase Authentication and Cloud Firestore, provided by Google, process information to authenticate users, recover private study data and power the chosen sharing features below. See Firebase privacy information for service practices, infrastructure and international processing.

Private backup and optional sharing

• Private study backup: linked accounts store their profile, including display name and any chosen profile-photo thumbnail, completed setup, subject catalog, custom plan library, goals, study totals and dated completed focus sessions in private Firestore records under the account ID. These records let the same account restore its study setup and history after signing in again or reinstalling. A retained login continues syncing in the background after an app update. Recovery on a new installation depends on a completed backup; uninstalling can remove changes that have not synced. Guest study remains local unless you link it to an account. Screen time, per-app usage history, Shield events and screen contents are excluded.
• Private achievement backup: linked accounts store earned badge identifiers and original earned dates in a separate private Firestore record under the account ID. This lets the same account recover its badges after signing in again or changing devices. Guest profiles keep badges locally until linked.
• Private study groups: group names, targets, owner/member identifiers, invitation information and timestamps. Membership records include display names, weekly completed study minutes, an active timer deadline, and join/update timestamps. These details support group membership and shared goals and are visible to authorized group participants.
• Optional public leaderboard: display name, any chosen profile-photo thumbnail, level, weekly focus minutes and an update timestamp are stored under your account identifier. Published entries are visible to other signed-in users, including after you sign out, while they qualify for that week’s top 100. Turn sharing off in the leaderboard’s Sharing options menu to withdraw your published weekly entries, or delete your account. Signing out or uninstalling does not turn sharing off.

Private study and badge backups do not depend on public leaderboard consent. Only use sharing features if you are comfortable with the information disclosed to the relevant people. Parent control has been removed from the study-only release; it no longer uploads installed-app lists or study summaries for monitoring. Older cloud records become inaccessible when the owner publishes the updated rules and are removed by trusted retirement tooling, account cleanup or verified support requests.

Profile photos and name changes

Choosing a photo is optional. The app opens your device’s image picker for an image you select; it does not upload your gallery. It creates a 128 × 128-pixel square JPEG thumbnail and removes embedded metadata, such as location tags, before saving it. The original full-size photo is not uploaded. Choosing a photo does not enable leaderboard sharing.

Guest profiles keep the thumbnail locally. For linked accounts, Google Cloud Firestore stores the thumbnail with the private profile backup. If you enable leaderboard sharing, the thumbnail is also included in your published weekly entry and visible to other signed-in users. Study-group membership records do not include this photo.

You can change your name, remove the photo or use an icon or initials from your profile in the app. Changes update the private backup and any current-week leaderboard entry when syncing succeeds. Older published weekly entries may retain an earlier name or photo. Turn sharing off to withdraw your published entries, or delete your account to remove the private backup and associated leaderboard records. Previously viewed or copied information cannot be recalled from other people’s devices.

Installed apps and app usage

FocusForge reads the list of apps installed on your phone, and how long you used each one today, to let you choose apps to block or limit in Shield and to show your screen time on Home. It reads them only while you use those features, and only after you agree to the in-app disclosure shown on the Shield tab and before Usage Access is requested. Choosing Not now, pressing Back or leaving the disclosure is not consent, and nothing is read.

The app list and usage times stay on your device. FocusForge does not upload them, store them on a server or share them with anyone, including study groups, the leaderboard or your private account backup. Each app is read for its package name, label and whether it is a system app; versions and install dates are not read. Withdraw consent at any time in You → Account & privacy → App list access; focus timers work without it.

Sensitive Android access

• Usage Access: detects which app is in the foreground for selected-app shielding and reads per-app screen time for budgets and usage views. These checks run locally; foreground-app history is not sent to Firebase. It can be revoked in Android’s special app access settings.
• Draw over other apps: displays the pause screen over an app you choose to limit. This permission does not detect which app is open, so normal-app shielding also needs Usage Access. It can be revoked in Android’s special app access settings.
• Accessibility: Accessibility is only used for supported YouTube Shorts and feed filtering. It checks YouTube screen identifiers and visibility to distinguish supported Shorts and feed screens from ordinary videos. These screen checks stay on the device and are not retained or uploaded. It does not read messages, passwords or text you type. YouTube updates can change these identifiers and interrupt filtering until FocusForge is updated. While a YouTube pause is visible, it checks application window package names to close that pause when you leave YouTube; it does not inspect other apps’ contents. Normal-app shielding does not require this service. This is not an accessibility tool for people with disabilities. Grant access only after reviewing the in-app disclosure and consent prompt; revoke it in Android Accessibility settings.
• Notifications: support timer reminders and the foreground notification while app boundaries are running. Stop shielding with the notification’s Stop action; resume it from FocusForge when you choose. Android controls where foreground-service notices appear when notification access is disabled.
• App visibility: launcher-app queries identify selectable apps on the device. The app does not request access to the entire installed-package catalog through QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES. Normal-app pause screens use an application overlay; supported YouTube filters use an Accessibility overlay.

App boundaries start from the app after you enable the required access. Background checks pause while the screen is locked or asleep and stop if the required access is revoked. Device battery management or Android restrictions can still interrupt blocking. Permissions support the described features, not advertising. Website text does not replace the app’s prominent permission disclosure and explicit consent.

Advertising, analytics and the website

The current app does not integrate an advertising or third-party analytics SDK. This website uses Firebase Authentication and Cloud Firestore on the account-deletion page so you can sign in and remove your account. Website authentication and cloud records are held in memory rather than persistent browser storage; reloading or closing the page ends that website sign-in. Google sign-in opens a Google/Firebase authentication window, where those providers may use their own cookies. We add no analytics or advertising trackers. Fonts and product images are self-hosted.

The website hosting providers, GitHub Pages and Vercel, may process IP addresses, request metadata, device/browser information and access/security logs to deliver and protect their hosted versions of the website. We do not control all provider retention settings and cannot promise zero logging. See GitHub’s privacy statement and Vercel’s privacy policy. Following GitHub or other external links subjects you to that service’s practices.

Why information is used and who receives it

Information is used to run timers and budgets, display progress, authenticate accounts, support chosen social features, answer support requests and protect the services. Recipients include Google/Firebase, the website host, people you choose to share with, and email providers when you contact us. Data may also be disclosed when legally required. FocusForge does not use your data to serve ads.

Retention and deletion

Local records stay until removed through app/device controls. Cloud records are maintained for the features you use until removed through supported controls or a verified request, subject to technical and legal constraints. A fixed provider backup-expiry schedule has not been verified. Direct account deletion is confirmed on the deletion page when cloud cleanup and removal of your login both complete.

Sign out keeps your account, private backups and published leaderboard entries. Delete account is available in the app and on the website: sign in with your password or Google account, confirm permanent deletion, and keep the page open while your private study and badge backups, associated sharing records and then your login are removed. Rules, indexes and the legacy cleanup migration must be active. Failures preserve your login for retry, though some cloud records may already be removed. A minimal account-ID security record and request time remain to prevent old sessions recreating data, with no name, email or progress. Other devices’ local history is not remotely erased; clear local app storage when you no longer need it. Contact support if you cannot sign in or need help with a data request.

Support email and related correspondence may remain with email providers while a request is handled; limited records may need to be retained to meet legal obligations or resolve disputes. We will explain any applicable retention when responding, rather than promising every backup or record is immediately erased.

Security and your choices

Use a secure device and protect your account. Access to cloud features depends on authentication and configured access rules; no system is perfectly secure. We make no end-to-end encryption claim. You can revoke optional permissions, leave groups, stop sharing and request access, correction or deletion of information by email. Rights may vary by location.

Age and cloud accounts

FocusForge is a self-directed study tool. Parent monitoring and remote device management are not available. No region-specific child-consent program or verified age policy is represented here. If you are under the age at which you can independently consent in your location, involve a parent or guardian before using cloud accounts or sharing features. Contact us if you believe a child’s information needs to be removed.

Changes and questions

Changes will appear on this page with an updated date. For privacy concerns, access requests or corrections, contact focusforgehelp@gmail.com. We do not claim this notice alone guarantees Google Play acceptance or compliance in every jurisdiction.