Stop Swarm Privacy Policy

1. Usage Access and screen state

When you grant Usage Access, Stop Swarm reads Android events indicating whether the screen is interactive and whether the keyguard is shown or hidden. It uses those events to calculate one aggregate amount of time during which the screen is both on and unlocked.

Stop Swarm does not capture the screen, read displayed text, monitor typing, use an Accessibility service, or create a per-app usage-time history.

2. App targeting

The Apps screen lists launchable applications available to Android, including their label, icon and package ID. If you choose apps, Stop Swarm stores only the targeting mode and the package IDs you explicitly select.

When the selected mode requires it, Stop Swarm briefly examines current or recent foreground activity events to decide whether the overlay should be visible. Observed foreground package identities remain in memory only. Stop Swarm does not store their duration, sessions or activity history. A selected package ID can remain stored while that app is uninstalled so the selection can work again after reinstall.

3. Information stored locally

Stop Swarm stores the following in Android app-private storage:

• the effective Stop Swarm day and aggregate screen-time total;
• the current goal and any higher goal scheduled for the next day;
• enabled, paused and temporary overlay-suppression state;
• the selected theme, local premium entitlements and onboarding state;
• the app-targeting mode and explicitly selected package IDs;
• local notification-permission prompt and observation state;
• up to 30 aggregate history records containing only date, total duration and applicable goal.

While tracking is active, the ongoing notification shows the current aggregate duration and goal and provides a local hide/show control. While tracking is paused, it shows only the paused status. The notification does not send that information elsewhere.

4. Local diagnostics

A local diagnostic journal retains the latest 400 technical transition events by count, with no time-based expiry. It can include timestamps, a random four-character process-session code and technical state such as service, permission, threshold, renderer and overlay decisions. It does not record screen content, typed text, a stable user identifier, per-app usage history, or observed or selected package names.

The current production interface hides diagnostic copy, share and clear controls. Retained tooling can generate a report containing app/build information, Android/API version, manufacturer/model/device/product, locale, event timestamps and technical state. If such tooling is explicitly used, a report can be copied to the Android clipboard or shared as one read-only cached text file through a non-exported FileProvider. Stop Swarm never uploads a report automatically.

5. Overlay, notification and foreground service

Display-over-other-apps permission is used only for one non-touchable, non-focusable visual overlay window. The overlay does not receive gestures. Android or a protected app may nevertheless reject touches while an overlay is attached; hiding the swarm for one minute detaches the window while aggregate tracking continues.

A user-initiated foreground service keeps the daily clock and overlay working after you leave Stop Swarm. Its persistent notification makes that operation visible. While active it provides a hide/show action; while paused it displays the paused status without that action. You can pause until tomorrow or disable Stop Swarm from the app. Stop Swarm has no boot receiver and does not restart itself after a reboot or force-stop.

6. Network capability and third parties

Stop Swarm has no account, backend, advertising, analytics, attribution or automatic telemetry. It does not sell personal data and does not automatically send screen-time, app-targeting or diagnostic information to the developer or another party.

The release includes the official Google Play Billing library and the network permissions that library contributes. Billing is dormant infrastructure for possible future purchases: the Shop is hidden, every currently unavailable premium item is configured so it cannot start a purchase, and no user-accessible path constructs or connects the Billing client. If purchases are enabled later, this policy and the Google Play Data safety declaration must be updated first.

The visible “Share the app” action sends only Stop Swarm’s public Google Play URL to the Android app you choose. It does not attach local Stop Swarm data.

7. Protection, retention and deletion

Local information is protected by Android’s app-private sandbox. Stop Swarm does not claim separate app-level file encryption. Android cloud backup and device-to-device transfer are disabled.

Configuration and aggregate history remain until you change them, clear Stop Swarm’s app data or uninstall the app. Selected package IDs remain until you deselect them, clear app data or uninstall. The journal keeps only its latest 400 events. Android may clear cached diagnostic reports; retained diagnostic tooling can also clear the journal and cached reports when enabled.

Because Stop Swarm has no account or server-side user store, there is no remote account data to delete. Clearing app data or uninstalling removes its app-local persisted information.

8. Your controls

You choose whether to grant Usage Access, display-over-other-apps and notification permission. You can change the selected app list, hide the overlay temporarily, pause tracking until tomorrow, disable Stop Swarm, revoke permissions in Android Settings, clear app data or uninstall the app.

This policy will be updated if Stop Swarm’s data access, storage or transmission behavior changes.

9. Privacy contact

For privacy requests or concerns, email stopswarm.contact@gmail.com.