Privacy Policy

Unstare is developed and published by Umair Hassan, an individual developer in Spain (“we”, “us”). This policy covers the Unstare app for iPhone and iPad and the website at unstare.com. You can reach us at contact@unstare.com.

The app stores the following only on your device, inside its own storage. It is never sent to us and isn’t synced to iCloud. Like other app data, it can be part of your own iPhone or iPad backup, and it is deleted when you delete the app:

• The apps, categories and websites you choose. Apple’s Screen Time framework gives these to Unstare as private tokens, so Unstare can’t tell which apps or sites they are or what you do in them. iOS shows you their names and icons.
• Usage timing events from Apple’s DeviceActivity framework. Unstare uses them only to decide when to lock apps.
• Your settings: modes, schedules, App Sets, timer, daily limit, how you unlock, and emergency passes.
• Your onboarding answers, such as how much time you spend in social apps each day and the mode you picked. They are used only to suggest a mode and personalize text in the app.
• Your break history, used for Progress: eye breaks, bonus breaks, rest minutes, steps walked to unlock, streaks, skipped rests and emergency passes. For each break, Unstare saves only its length, how you unlocked (for example “camera” or “timed”) and the exercise type. No camera or face data is saved.
• A short technical log of app events, such as when monitoring started or apps locked, used to keep locking reliable. It contains no app tokens and no camera or face data, and the app has no way to send it to us.
• A random installation ID created on the device.

Unstare’s widget, Live Activity, Shortcuts and Focus filters read this data on your device to show your timer and modes. They send nothing to us.

What. The front camera runs only during an eye break and during the optional 5-second eye check in onboarding. On devices that support Apple’s ARKit face tracking, ARKit gives the app numbers describing: how closed each eye is; where your eyes are looking; the position and angle of your head; whether a face is being tracked. ARKit uses the TrueDepth camera on iPhone and iPad models that have one, and the regular front camera on other recent models. If you turn on the “Camera with face mesh” visual, ARKit’s 3D outline of your face is also drawn over the camera view. On older devices without ARKit face tracking, Apple’s Vision framework finds your face and the points around your eyes in each camera frame. During the break, a small live preview of the camera lets you see yourself.

Why. These values are used only to decide, in real time, whether your eyes are closed, blinking or looking away, so the break can count down, and to animate what you see on screen during the break. They are never used to identify or authenticate you, or for advertising, marketing, profiling or data mining.

Storage and retention. Frames and face values are processed in memory on your device, one frame at a time, and discarded immediately. Nothing is saved, logged, backed up, synced to iCloud or added to your photos. The camera stops the moment the eye-break screen closes or the app moves to the background. When a break ends, Unstare keeps only its length and how you unlocked (for example “camera” or “timed”) for your Progress screen. That record contains no face data.

Sharing. Camera and face data never leave your device. They are never sent to us or shared with anyone else, including third parties.

Your choice. You can unlock with a timed rest instead of the camera (Modes → Eye break → Check with → Timed rest). You can also turn camera access off at any time in iOS Settings → Unstare.

When a rest asks you to walk or to put your phone face-down, Unstare reads your step count and your device’s orientation from Apple’s motion sensors on your device. These readings are used only to count the rest down and to show steps walked in Progress. They stay on your device and are never sent to us. You can turn off Motion & Fitness access at any time in iOS Settings → Unstare.

Unstare uses Apple’s FamilyControls framework (with individual authorization), DeviceActivity and ManagedSettings to lock the apps and websites you choose. A Device Activity Report extension shows your own screen time inside the app. Apple keeps that report inside the extension, so not even the rest of the app can read it. This data stays on your device. You can turn off Screen Time access at any time in the Screen Time section of iOS Settings. Unstare then stops counting and locking apps.

Notifications are scheduled on your device. There is no push service, and nothing is sent to us.

Apple processes payments under its own privacy policy. We never receive your name, email or payment details. The app checks your subscription on the device with Apple’s StoreKit and attaches its random installation ID to purchases so it can recognize your own transactions. We don’t link that ID to you. Apple gives us aggregated sales reports.

If “Share With App Developers” is turned on in iOS Settings → Privacy & Security → Analytics & Improvements, Apple may share crash logs and usage statistics with us that don’t identify you. We use them only to fix bugs. You can turn this off there at any time.

When you email us, we receive your email address, your message and anything you attach. We use them only to reply and help you. Our legal basis is our legitimate interest in answering you, or taking steps you ask for about your subscription (GDPR art. 6(1)(f) and (b)). We keep this correspondence for up to 24 months after our last exchange, then delete it, unless we need it longer for a legal claim or obligation. Namecheap hosts our email on our behalf.

The website sets no cookies and uses no analytics, ads, trackers or third-party embeds, and the fonts are self-hosted. If you pick a theme, it’s saved in your browser’s local storage and never sent to us; clearing site data removes it. Our host, Namecheap, processes technical data (your IP address, browser type, the page requested and the time) to deliver the site and protect it from abuse, under its own retention rules. The contact page sends nothing; your email app does. Links to the App Store, Instagram and TikTok are governed by those services’ own policies.

We don’t sell or share personal information, including as those terms are defined by US state privacy laws. We never share camera or face data with anyone. Our email and hosting providers act on our behalf under contracts that require the same protection as this policy. We disclose information only when the law requires it.

Where a provider processes data outside the European Economic Area, it relies on an adequacy decision (such as the EU–US Data Privacy Framework) or on Standard Contractual Clauses.

You have the right to access, correct, delete, restrict and port your data, and to object to or withdraw consent for its processing. Email us and we’ll reply within one month. Most of your data lives only on your device, so you control it directly. You can also complain to your data protection authority; in Spain, that is the Agencia Española de Protección de Datos (AEPD). US residents have the rights to know and to delete; we don’t sell or share your data.

The app collects no personal data from anyone. If a child has emailed us, a parent or guardian can ask us to delete the message.

Your data stays in the app’s sandbox, protected by iOS. We run no servers for the app.

We post updates here with a new date and mention material changes in the app’s release notes too. If Unstare ever starts collecting data, for example through an optional feedback or configuration service, this policy and the App Store privacy label will change first.

Umair Hassan, contact@unstare.com. Please use the subject “Privacy request”.