Privacy Policy
Updated to match the app we actually ship.
This policy describes how Word Gate currently handles account data, Screen Time permissions, study data, subscriptions, notifications, and diagnostics based on the app, backend, and product specs in this repository.
Last updated
March 14, 2026
Scope
Word Gate iOS app, extensions, sign-in flows, landing site support pages, and account-backed backend services.
Contact
[email protected]Local-first by design
Blocking and shield enforcement are built around Apple Screen Time APIs running on-device.
Account-backed where needed
Sign-in, entitlements, preferences, and sync use backend services when you use those features.
No stale promises
This page intentionally avoids older claims that all data stays only on-device, because the current product no longer works that way.
Information We Collect
Account and sign-in data
If you sign in, we collect the account data needed to authenticate you and keep your subscription and study profile attached to the right account. Based on the current app and backend, this can include your account ID, sign-in provider (Apple or Google), provider user ID, and your email address when the provider shares it.
Study and app state
Word Gate stores the study profile and lesson-related state needed to run the product, including your interface and learning language choices, target level, active deck, lesson state, favorite words, review state, notification preference, and TimeBank or unlock progress.
Screen Time and blocking selections
The app uses Apple Screen Time frameworks such as FamilyControls, DeviceActivity, and ManagedSettings to enforce app blocking. The selected apps and categories are stored as Apple-provided opaque tokens. The product is designed so enforcement happens on-device, and those tokens are not intended for cross-device sync.
Purchase and entitlement data
If you start a trial, subscribe, renew, restore a purchase, or enter a grace period, we process the entitlement data required to determine your access level. This can include trial end timestamps, product identifiers, subscription expiration timestamps, renewal state, and transaction identifiers.
Diagnostics
The iOS app includes Sentry for issue reporting. If the app captures an error or failure signal, diagnostic information related to that issue may be sent so we can investigate reliability problems. We do not use this page to promise zero telemetry because the current codebase already contains this diagnostics path.
How We Use Information
Operate the app
We use your data to run onboarding, sign-in, lesson progression, Screen Time enforcement, unlock tracking, settings, and account recovery flows.
Sync account-backed state
When you use account-backed features, we sync the server data required for entitlements, preferences, study profile data, lesson state, and related events.
Handle billing
We use subscription and entitlement data to determine trial access, paid status, grace periods, and restore behavior.
Improve reliability
We use diagnostic reports and operational logs to debug crashes, failed syncs, auth issues, and similar product failures.
What Stays Local
On-device enforcement
Screen Time enforcement and shield behavior are designed to run through Apple system frameworks on your device.
App Group storage
The app and its extensions share core state through an Apple App Group container so the main app, shield UI, and usage monitor can stay in sync.
No sale of personal data
We do not sell your personal data and we do not describe the product as an ad-targeting system.
When Data May Be Shared
Apple and Google
If you choose those providers, authentication necessarily involves Apple or Google.
Apple billing infrastructure
Subscriptions and related server notifications rely on Apple's StoreKit and App Store infrastructure.
Service providers
We may use infrastructure or diagnostics vendors that process data on our behalf, such as Sentry for issue reporting.
Legal or safety reasons
We may disclose information if required by law or if reasonably necessary to protect users, the service, or our rights.
Your Choices
Screen Time permissions
You can grant or revoke Screen Time authorization through Apple system settings. Revoking it will affect the app's ability to block apps and enforce lessons.
Notifications
You can allow or deny notifications at the iOS level, and the app also stores a notifications preference used by sync and settings surfaces.
Account use
Some features are local-first, but account-backed sync, entitlements, and sign-in features require the related server processing described here.
Questions
Need clarification about a specific data flow?
Email us and reference the feature you are asking about, such as Screen Time permissions, subscriptions, sign-in, notifications, or sync.