PresencePrivacy Policy
The short version
Presence is built to work on your iPhone. We don't have accounts, servers, ads, analytics or trackers, and we never sell your personal information. Your Screen Time activity never leaves your iPhone. The one exception is optional: if you turn on Approval Access, a first name and a random ID are shared with the friend you choose, through Apple's iCloud.
Screen Time information
With your permission, Presence uses Apple's Screen Time frameworks (Family Controls and Device Activity) to understand when your iPhone is in use during the daily window you choose. Apple processes this information on your device, inside a private, sandboxed area. Presence shows you totals and timelines, but it can't see which apps or websites you use, and this information never leaves your iPhone.
What's stored on your iPhone
To show your progress, widgets and badges, Presence keeps a small amount of information on your device: your settings (day window, intention, appearance and note preferences), daily summaries such as unplugged minutes and longest stretches, your Phone Time windows and focus sessions, your days off, your age if you add it (for “Now to age 80”), and the apps and categories you choose (stored by iOS as private tokens). This information is shared only between Presence and its own widgets and extensions on your iPhone.
Focus sessions
When you start a focus session, Presence asks iOS to lock apps until the timer ends. iOS applies the lock on your iPhone; nothing is sent anywhere. Ending a session early asks for Face ID or your passcode, which iOS checks; Presence never sees it.
Notifications
Morning and evening notes, Phone Time gentle notes and the free-trial recap are created on your iPhone. They are not sent from a server.
Purchases
Presence Plus subscriptions and the one-time purchase are handled entirely by Apple. We don't receive your name, email or payment details; Apple only tells the app whether Plus is active. Apple's privacy policy applies to purchases.
Approval Access (optional)
Approval Access lets a friend who also uses Presence approve ending a focus session or Scenario early. It is off unless you set it up. When you use it, Presence stores the first name you enter, a random ID created by the app, a short invite code and each approval request and answer in Apple's iCloud (CloudKit), using your own iCloud account. Your friend sees your first name and your requests; you see theirs. No Screen Time activity, app names or usage is ever included. Presence doesn't operate any server and can't read or use this information for anything else. You can remove your friend or stop approving at any time in Settings → Approval Access; requests are only used to deliver the notification and answer.
iCloud and backups
If you back up your iPhone, iOS may include Presence's on-device information in that backup, protected by Apple. Apart from Approval Access, Presence doesn't sync to any other service.
This website
This website doesn't use cookies, analytics or tracking. Fonts are served by Google Fonts, which receives standard technical information such as your IP address when your browser loads them.
Your choices
You can turn off Screen Time access at any time in iPhone Settings → Screen Time, or in Presence → Settings → Screen Time Access. Deleting Presence removes everything it stored on your iPhone.
Children
Presence is not directed at children under 13 and does not knowingly collect information from anyone, of any age.
Changes
If this policy changes, we'll update it here and in the app with a new effective date.
Contact
Questions? Email support@presence-app.now.