Privacy Policy
BuckBlock is built by two Bucknell students ("we" or "us"), based in Lewisburg, PA. We care about your privacy. This policy explains, in plain language, what data BuckBlock collects, what it doesn't, and where it lives.
The short version
- We don't run advertising, and we don't track you across apps or websites.
- We count anonymous, aggregate usage — how many times a station was tapped and how many focus-seconds it added up to. Nothing in those counts identifies you or your phone.
- The BuckBlock app has no accounts, and no server of ours stores your personal data. Your app selections, session history, and tag registrations live only on your phone.
- The only personal information we ever hold is an email address you deliberately hand us — by joining our email updates or by emailing us. You can have it deleted at any time.
- We never see which specific apps you've chosen to block. On iPhone, Apple's Screen Time APIs make that information cryptographically opaque to us by design; on Android, your block list stays on your phone and is never sent to us.
What BuckBlock stores on your device
- Your name, if you enter one during setup. Used only to personalize the app's UI.
- Your blocking selection, stored by iOS as an opaque FamilyActivitySelection token. We cannot see which apps or categories you've selected — the token is a privacy-preserving handle that only Apple's Screen Time framework can read.
- Session history: start time, end time, duration, and which blocking profile was used. Stored locally so you can review your focus time.
- NFC tag registrations: a hashed identifier for each tag you've paired, so the app can recognize "same tag" without storing the raw tag data.
The Android app
The Android version of BuckBlock works the same way and sends the same anonymous counts described below. Android has no Screen Time, so a few things work differently:
- Your block list is the list of apps you chose, stored on your phone by their Android app IDs. It never leaves your phone.
- Installed apps. So you can choose what to block, the app lists the apps on your phone that have a home-screen icon. That list stays on your phone.
- The accessibility service. Android only lets an app block other apps through an accessibility service, which you turn on yourself after an in-app explanation. BuckBlock's service is told which app is opening, only for apps on your block list and only during a focus session. It cannot read what's on your screen or what you type, and nothing it observes is stored or sent anywhere. You can turn it off at any time in Settings → Accessibility.
- Session details: whether a focus session is running, when it started and ends, and which apps it blocks. Stored on your phone.
- NFC: the app reads the web address on a BuckBlock station tag to recognize the station, and nothing else.
- Notifications: while a session runs, the app shows a "Phone locked" notification. It is created on your phone, and nothing about it is sent to us.
- No backups: BuckBlock keeps its data out of Android's cloud backups and device transfers.
Anonymous usage counts
When you tap a BuckBlock station, and again when a focus session finishes, the app sends us a single short message so we can keep a running tally of how much BuckBlock is being used. Each message contains only:
- What happened — either "a scan happened" or "a focus session ended".
- Which station — the name of the physical place, such as library. This identifies a location, never a person.
- How long — for a finished session, its length in seconds.
We store these as monthly totals per station — for example, "this station: 40,000 scans in July". There is no account, name, device identifier, advertising identifier, or location attached, and no way to trace a total back to an individual. We publish some of these aggregate figures on our homepage and share them with schools and partners. We never sell them.
Like any internet request, these messages travel to our hosting provider, Cloudflare, which sees the connecting IP address in order to deliver the request and to block abuse. That IP address is never stored alongside the usage totals and is not used to build a profile of you.
What we don't collect
- No crash telemetry, and no analytics beyond the anonymous counts described above.
- No advertising identifiers (Apple's IDFA or Google's advertising ID), device fingerprints, or location data.
- No contact list, photos, microphone, or camera access.
- No data about which specific apps you block or use while blocked. On iPhone, the Screen Time framework does not expose that to us; on Android, it stays on your phone.
When you email us
If you email us at contact@quietminds.app or support@quietminds.app, we receive your email address and the content of your message. We use that solely to respond to you. Those addresses are hosted by Namecheap's Private Email service, which stores the messages on our behalf. Mail sent to our older address, contact@buckblock.app, is forwarded through Cloudflare Email Routing, which does not retain the content of the messages it forwards.
Email updates
While BuckBlock was in development, our website offered a waitlist so we could tell you when it reached the App Store. If you joined it, we still hold what you typed into that form:
- Your email address — required, so we have somewhere to send the launch announcement.
- Your first name — optional, used only to address the email to you.
We use this to send occasional product updates about BuckBlock, and nothing else. We do not sell, rent, or share the list with anyone, and we do not use it for advertising. Being on the list is entirely optional — the app works the same whether or not you are.
The list is operated for us by Loops, an email platform that stores the address on our behalf and delivers the messages. Every email we send includes a one-click unsubscribe link, which removes you immediately. You can also email us at contact@quietminds.app to be removed and to have your address deleted from our records.
The Android waitlist
BuckBlock is currently an iPhone app. If you enter your email address in the Android waitlist form on our homepage, we store that address, the platform you asked about, and the date you signed up. That is the entire record — no name, no IP address, no browser or device information, and nothing linking it to the anonymous usage counts above.
This is a separate list from the email updates described above, and it is stored separately: these addresses live in our own database on Cloudflare, not with Loops. We use the list for exactly one thing — to email you when the Android version is available. It is never used for marketing, and we never sell, rent, or share it. Email us at contact@quietminds.app and we will remove you, no questions asked. We delete the list once Android has shipped and the announcement has gone out.
Service providers
- Apple — the App Store distributes the app and Apple's Screen Time framework is what actually enforces the blocks. Apple's privacy practices are governed by Apple's Privacy Policy.
- Google — Google Play distributes the Android app. Google's privacy practices are governed by Google's Privacy Policy.
- Cloudflare — hosts buckblock.app, forwards mail to our inbox, and runs both the counter that records the anonymous usage totals and the database holding the Android waitlist addresses described above.
- Loops — stores our email list and sends the emails we write to it. Loops only ever receives the email address and first name you gave us. Its practices are governed by Loops' Privacy Policy.
Children
BuckBlock is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, contact us and we will delete it.
Your choices
- Delete everything. Signing out of BuckBlock resets your name and blocking selection. Deleting the app removes all local data.
- Revoke Screen Time permission. You can revoke BuckBlock's Screen Time access at any time in iOS Settings → Screen Time. This will end any active blocking session immediately.
Changes to this policy
If we make material changes, we'll update the "Last updated" date at the top and, where appropriate, notify you inside the app. Continued use of BuckBlock after an update means you accept the revised policy.
Contact
Questions, concerns, or privacy requests: contact@quietminds.app.
The BuckBlock team
Lewisburg, Pennsylvania