Open Screen Time Privacy Policy

Last updated: May 13, 2026

Open Screen Time is a parental-control app for families. It has two roles:

• Controller: the parent or guardian device used to configure the family Firebase project, pair child devices, and set schedules.
• Enforcer: the supervised child device that receives the parent schedule and applies local iOS Screen Time controls.

Privacy Model

Open Screen Time uses a Bring Your Own Firebase model. Family data is stored in a Firebase project controlled by the parent or guardian, not in an Open Screen Time-hosted family database.

The parent-owned Firebase project may store:

• Family and device identifiers created by the app.
• Child profile names entered by the parent.
• Schedule rules, exceptions, overrides, and policy state.
• Pairing records and device assignment records.
• Firebase Cloud Messaging token metadata needed to wake an Enforcer device.
• Heartbeat and sync status metadata used to show whether a supervised device is current.

Open Screen Time does not require the developer to receive the family’s schedule content. Families can reset local app storage and delete their own Firebase project or Firestore data to remove family data.

Parent and Child Use

The app is intended for a parent or legal guardian to configure controls for a child device that they are authorized to supervise. The parent should explain to the child that the Enforcer device will receive schedule changes, apply Screen Time restrictions, and report basic sync status needed for the parent to know whether the schedule is current.

Permissions and Capabilities

Open Screen Time asks for sensitive capabilities only to support parental-control functionality:

• Family Controls / Screen Time: authorizes iOS parental controls, DeviceActivity monitoring, and Managed Settings shields.
• Camera: scans a Controller QR code during pairing. Manual paste is available when camera access is not granted.
• Notifications: receives parent interventions and lets the child device refresh policy promptly.
• Background refresh: lets iOS periodically refresh the current policy.
• Significant location change: wakes the app after broad device movement so the child device can refresh policy. The app does not store precise location history in the family Firebase project.
• Face ID / device authentication: protects Controller access on a parent device.
• App Groups and Keychain Sharing: share local configuration with the Screen Time extension and preserve BYOF configuration across app and extension processes.
• Firebase Cloud Messaging / APNs: delivers wake signals to the Enforcer device. The canonical schedule remains in the parent’s Firebase project.
• Google Sign-In and Firebase provisioning: optional Controller setup path used to create or configure the parent’s own Firebase project.

If a permission is denied, the app may still run, but parent interventions may be delayed or some controls may not apply reliably.

Third-Party Services

The app uses Apple system frameworks, Firebase, Google Sign-In, Firestore, Firebase Cloud Messaging, and Cloud Functions. Those services may process technical data needed to provide authentication, push delivery, provisioning, and crash or diagnostic behavior according to their own terms and privacy policies.

Data Deletion

Families can remove local app configuration using Reset in the app. To delete cloud data, the parent should delete the Firestore data or Firebase project they own in the Firebase Console.

Contact

For privacy questions, contact the app developer or maintainer through the support email configured in App Store Connect or TestFlight.