Privacy Policy

Pausing ("we," "our," or "us") respects your privacy. This policy explains what information we collect when you use the Pausing app, how we use it, and the choices you have. By using Pausing, you agree to this policy.

If anything here is unclear, please email us at support@pausing.app.

1. Information we collect

We collect only what's needed for the app to work and to help us improve it.

a) Account information

When you sign up, we collect your email address and a password (stored in encrypted form by our authentication provider — see Section 3). If you choose to set a username, that's stored too.

b) Content you create in the app

Pausing exists to hold your daily practice, so the app stores the content you produce inside it:

• Journal entries — daily prompts, freestyle text, mood emoji, mood tags ("3-word tag cloud"), and the daily goal you set
• Photos you upload to your daily journal
• Drawings you create on the freestyle canvas
• Monthly setups — habits and goals you choose for the month
• Monthly reflections — your "ins & outs" wrap-ups
• To-do items and their completion state
• Meditation timer history — total minutes meditated, sessions completed, and last session details
• Micro-meditation completion history — which micros you've listened to

All of the above is associated with your account so we can show it back to you on this and other devices you sign in to.

c) Diagnostic information

To keep the app running well, we collect:

• Crash reports — when the app crashes, we record technical details about what happened. This is associated with your account ID so we can prioritize fixes for affected users.
• Performance and usage data — anonymized signals about how the app is used (which screens are opened, how often features are used) to help us improve the experience.
• Device information — device type, OS version, app version.

d) What we do not collect

• We do not collect your location.
• We do not access your contacts, calendar, camera, or microphone.
• We do not track your activity across other apps or websites for advertising.
• We do not sell or rent your personal information to anyone, ever.

2. How we use your information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide and maintain the app
• Save and sync your content across devices
• Send you the daily reminder if you've opted in
• Diagnose problems and improve features
• Communicate with you when you reach out for support

We do not use your journal content, photos, drawings, mood data, or any other content you create in the app to train models, share with third parties, or for any purpose other than showing it back to you.

3. Third-party services

Pausing is built on Google's Firebase platform. We use the following Firebase services:

• Firebase Authentication — handles sign-up and sign-in. Your email and an encrypted version of your password are stored by Firebase.
• Cloud Firestore — stores your journal content and app data.
• Firebase Storage — stores the photos and drawings you upload.
• Firebase Analytics — anonymized usage analytics.
• Firebase Crashlytics — crash reports and performance monitoring.

Your data is stored on Google's servers and is subject to Google's privacy practices. See Google's Privacy Policy for details.

We do not use any other analytics, advertising, or tracking services.

4. Data storage and security

Your data is stored in Google's data centers and encrypted in transit (HTTPS) and at rest. Authentication tokens use industry-standard mechanisms to keep your account secure.

We follow reasonable practices to protect your data, but no system is perfectly secure. If you suspect your account has been compromised, contact us at support@pausing.app.

5. Your choices

Access your data

Everything you've written, recorded, or saved is visible inside the app itself — the Vault on the Profile tab is the canonical archive of your entries.

Delete your account

You can permanently delete your account and all associated data from inside the app at any time:

Profile → Settings → Account → Delete Account

This permanently erases your journal entries, photos, drawings, monthly reflections, and stats. This action cannot be undone.

Turn off notifications

You can disable daily reminders from Profile → Settings → Practice → Daily Reminders, or from your iOS Settings app.

Turn off haptics

Haptic feedback can be toggled from Profile → Settings → Practice → Haptics.

6. Data retention

We retain your data as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we erase your content and personal information from our active systems. Some backup or log data may persist for a limited period (up to 90 days) as required by our infrastructure provider.

7. Children's privacy

Pausing is intended for users 13 years and older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at support@pausing.app and we will delete it.

8. Changes to this policy

If we update this policy, we'll post the new version here and update the "Last updated" date at the top. If the changes are significant, we'll notify users via email or an in-app message.

9. Contact

Questions, requests, or concerns? Email us at support@pausing.app.