Privacy Policy

Overview

Writeblock ("we," "our," or "the app") is a habit-forming journaling app that blocks selected apps until you write a journal entry. This Privacy Policy explains how we handle your information.

The short version: we have no servers of our own and no user accounts. Your diary entries live on your device and, if you enable iCloud Sync, in your personal iCloud account managed by Apple, which we cannot read. The only data that leaves your device for us is anonymous, aggregate usage analytics and anonymous error diagnostics — and you can switch them off.

What Data Writeblock Stores

Writeblock stores the following locally on your device only:

• Diary entries you write (text content, dates, timestamps)
• App settings (block start time, notification preferences, theme selection)
• Streak data (current streak, longest streak)
• Blocked app selections (opaque tokens managed by Apple's Screen Time API)
• App Lock PIN (stored securely in the iOS Keychain, never leaves your device)

Data Collection

Writeblock collects no personally identifiable information. Specifically:

• No advertising identifiers
• No device fingerprinting
• No cross-app or cross-site tracking
• No user accounts or registration
• Your diary content, photos, and audio never leave your device

Anonymous Usage Analytics

To understand how people use the app and where they get stuck, Writeblock can send anonymous, aggregate funnel events (such as "onboarding started", "first entry saved", or "purchase completed") to PostHog. Whether they are on by default depends on your region:

• In the EU/EEA, the UK, and Switzerland, analytics stay off until you allow them — we ask for your consent right after onboarding.
• Everywhere else, analytics are on by default, and you can turn them off anytime in Settings.

Your region is determined on your device only — from your App Store storefront and device region setting, never from your IP address. If we can't tell, we play it safe and ask for consent first. These events:

• Contain no diary content and no personally identifiable information
• Use an anonymous identifier — no personal profile is created, and we cannot link events back to your identity
• Include only non-identifying technical context attached automatically by the SDK (OS version, app version, device type, SDK version)
• Have session replay and autocapture disabled
• Have IP-based geolocation disabled on the server side
• Are hosted in the EU
• Can be turned off anytime in Settings → "Send anonymous usage stats"

The same channel also carries anonymous error and crash diagnostics — when something goes wrong (a save fails, a purchase can't complete, or the app crashes), a technical report (error type, error code, and stack trace) is sent so we can find and fix the problem. These reports contain no diary content and no personally identifiable information, and they follow the same regional defaults and the same Settings toggle as everything above.

Third-Party Services

Writeblock uses one third-party SDK — PostHog, for the anonymous usage analytics described above (EU-hosted; off until you opt in if you're in the EU/EEA/UK/Switzerland, on by default elsewhere — and you can toggle it anytime in Settings). Everything else is built with Apple's native frameworks:

• PostHog — anonymous usage analytics and error/crash diagnostics only (no diary content, no PII)
• SwiftUI — user interface
• Core Data — local storage
• Screen Time API / FamilyControls — app blocking
• StoreKit 2 — App Store purchase verification, processed by Apple
• CloudKit — optional iCloud sync, managed by Apple
• LocalAuthentication — Face ID / Touch ID

iCloud Sync

If you have iCloud enabled on your device, Writeblock can sync your diary entries across your Apple devices using Apple's CloudKit service. This sync is:

• User-controlled — you can toggle iCloud Sync in Settings at any time (on by default)
• End-to-end managed by Apple — Writeblock operates no servers of its own
• Subject to Apple's Privacy Policy — iCloud data is protected by Apple's encryption and privacy practices
• Deletable — you can delete all synced data from iCloud through your device's Settings

Purchase

Writeblock is a free app with a single in-app purchase, processed entirely by Apple through the App Store. Writeblock does not receive or store any payment information. Apple's privacy policy governs all purchase transactions.

Screen Time API (FamilyControls)

Writeblock uses Apple's Screen Time API (FamilyControls) to block selected apps. This API uses opaque tokens — Writeblock cannot see the names, bundle identifiers, or any other details of the apps you select. Your selections are stored locally using Apple's prescribed mechanisms.

Children's Privacy

Writeblock is not directed at children under 13. The app does not knowingly collect any information from children.

Your Rights (GDPR / CCPA)

Writeblock collects no personally identifiable information — only anonymous usage analytics that cannot be linked to you — so there is no personal data to access, correct, delete, or port. Your diary entries and personal data are stored locally on your device and under your full control.

• Access — open the app to view your data at any time
• Export — use the Export feature in Settings to download your entries as Markdown
• Delete — use "Delete All Data" in Settings to permanently erase all local data
• Portability — export your data in a standard format at any time; this feature is always free

Data Security

• Diary entries are stored in Core Data on your device
• Your App Lock PIN is stored in the iOS Keychain, accessible only on your device while it is unlocked
• iCloud data (if enabled) is encrypted by Apple
• The only data sent to us is anonymous usage analytics and error diagnostics (to PostHog, EU-hosted); your diary content is never sent to us — with iCloud Sync on, it syncs only to your own Apple iCloud account, which we cannot read

Changes to This Policy

If we update this Privacy Policy, we will post the revised version here with an updated "Last updated" date. Since we collect only anonymous, non-identifying usage data, changes are unlikely to affect your privacy.

Contact

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at privacy@writeblock.app.