Privacy Policy for Pal

Last updated: August 13, 2026

This policy describes what Pal ("the app," "we") does and does not do with your information. It's written to match the app's actual behavior as verified in its source code and manifest, not just stated intentions — see the verification notes in italics throughout.

The short version

Pal stores everything you enter — your streak, journal notes, an optional SOS contact, and your settings — only on your device. The app has no account system, no internet permission, and no third-party analytics or advertising SDKs. Nothing you enter in Pal is ever transmitted anywhere, because the app has no technical ability to send it.

What Pal stores, and where

All of the following is stored locally in an on-device database, never uploaded anywhere:

Streak data: your start date, current status (active/paused), and streak history
Slip and urge entries: timestamps, optional notes, and optional trigger tags you choose to add
Journal notes: anything you write in response to "what triggered this?" or your "why" note
SOS contact: a name and phone number, if you choose to add one, entered manually by you
Settings: theme, reminder times, discreet-mode preference, and similar preferences

Verification: the app requests no INTERNET permission (see AndroidManifest.xml) — it has no network access at all, so none of the above can be transmitted off the device under any circumstance, by design rather than just policy. Data is stored in a local SQLite database (Room) and is not included in Android's automatic cloud backup (android:allowBackup="false").

What Pal does not do

No account or sign-up. Pal doesn't ask for your name, email, or any identifying information to use the app.
No data leaves your device. There is no server Pal talks to, because Pal has no permission to access the network.
No analytics or behavioral tracking. Pal does not track how you use the app for advertising, product analytics, or any other purpose.
No advertising. Pal does not show ads and does not share data with ad networks (it has no mechanism to, since it has no network access).
No contacts access. The optional SOS contact is entered manually; Pal never requests permission to read your device's contact list.

Note for a future version: an earlier product plan considered adding anonymized crash reporting (e.g., Firebase Crashlytics) in a later release. As of this version, no such integration exists in the app — if one is added in the future, this policy and the app's permissions will be updated first, and any crash data collected would not include the personal content described above (streak data, journal notes, SOS contact).

Notifications

If you enable reminders, Pal schedules local notifications on your device. These are generated and shown entirely on-device — no reminder content is sent to or generated by a server. If discreet mode is on, reminder notifications use generic, non-identifying text rather than your streak details, so that a locked-screen notification doesn't reveal what the app is for.

Discreet mode

Pal includes an optional "discreet mode," available anytime from Settings, that changes the app's home-screen icon and name to a neutral, unrelated icon/label. This is a local, on-device display setting — it does not involve any external service and has no effect on what data is stored or where.

App lock

If you enable an app lock (PIN or device biometric), that lock is enforced locally by the operating system / app itself. Pal does not receive, store, or transmit your biometric data — device biometric authentication is handled entirely by Android's own secure hardware, and the app only receives a yes/no "unlocked" result from the OS.

Data deletion

Because everything is stored locally, you fully control your data:

Uninstalling the app deletes all of its data stored on your device. There is no cloud copy to separately request deletion of, because none is ever created.
If a future version adds an in-app "clear my data" option or cloud sync, this policy will be updated to describe it before that feature ships.

Children's privacy

Pal is not directed at, marketed to, or knowingly used by children. Given its subject matter (recovery from compulsive pornography use), it is intended for adult and mature-teen users. Pal does not knowingly collect information from children under 13 (or the relevant minimum age in your country), and since the app collects no information off-device at all, there is no server-side data to be concerned about even in the case of underage use.

Changes to this policy

If Pal's data practices change in a future update — for example, if crash reporting or an optional cloud-backup feature is added — this policy will be updated before that update ships, and the "Last updated" date above will reflect the change. Continued use of the app after an update constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

Contact

Questions about this policy or the app's data practices can be sent to:
inwsdom@gmail.com