Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

Orbit ("Orbit," "we," "us") is an iPhone app that helps you set daily screen-time limits for specific apps and stay accountable with a small group of people you choose (an "Orbit"). This policy explains what data we collect, why, how it's used, and your choices.

The data controller is Miller Lillie. For any privacy question or request, contact us at support@joinorbit.so.

2. The short version

3. Information we collect

a. Account information

When you sign in with Sign in with Apple or Google Sign-In, we receive and store:

• Your email address (Apple may provide a private relay address if you choose to hide your email).
• Your name / display name.
• A unique account identifier from the sign-in provider, which becomes your account ID.

b. Profile information

• A display name you set.
• An optional profile photo you upload.
• A small set of interest tags ("why you're setting limits" and "hobbies") that you optionally select during onboarding to personalize the experience.
• Your notification preferences.

c. Screen-time goals and configuration

To run your limits and to keep them enforced, we store the configuration of each goal you create, including:

• The names and icons of the apps you choose to limit (e.g. "Instagram," and its App Store icon image).
• Your limit settings (time limits, schedules, focus-session settings).
• An app-selection token bundle generated by Apple's Family Controls framework. These tokens are opaque — they are not human-readable and cannot, on their own, be used to identify the specific apps to anyone but the system on your devices. We store them only so your goals stay in sync and enforced.

d. Accountability and activity information

The core of Orbit is shared accountability. When you take certain actions, we generate derived summary information and share it with the members of your Orbit(s). This includes:

• Whether you stayed within or overrode a limit, block, or focus session.
• Summary usage figures tied to a goal (for example, minutes used versus your limit, the number of unlock sessions, or the number of overrides).
• The app or goal name the action relates to.
• A per-day outcome (whether you broke any goal that day), used to compute streaks.
• Your live goal status (e.g. whether a goal is currently unlocked, in a focus session, or whether Screen Time access is off), shown to your Orbit members in close to real time.

e. Social content

• Messages, photos, reactions, replies, and edits you post in an Orbit's chat.
• The text of an Orbit's shared "social contract" and who has signed it.
• Presence information while you have a chat open (that you're in the chat and whether you're typing).

f. Technical information needed to deliver notifications

• A push notification token from Apple/Firebase, so we can deliver notifications to your device.

g. What we do not collect

We do not collect precise or coarse location, contacts, calendars, browsing or search history, payment information, health records, biometric data, or the advertising identifier (IDFA). We do not include any third-party analytics, crash-reporting, advertising, or attribution SDKs.

4. About your Screen Time data — what stays on device vs. what is shared

This is important, so we state it plainly:

• Stays on your device only: the raw, system-level Screen Time and Device Activity data — the detailed record of exactly which apps you opened and for how long. Orbit reads this through Apple's on-device frameworks to enforce your limits. This raw data is never uploaded to our servers or shared with anyone.
• Shared with your chosen Orbit members: the derived accountability information described in Section 3(d) — app/goal names, summary minutes-versus-limit figures, override/unlock counts, daily outcomes, and live goal status. This sharing is the intended purpose of the app: accountability only works if the people in your Orbit can see whether you're keeping your commitments. If you use Orbit solo (not in any Orbit), this accountability information is stored to your own account but is not shared with anyone.

5. How we use information

We use the information above to:

• Create and maintain your account and authenticate you.
• Configure, enforce, and sync your screen-time goals across the system.
• Power the social accountability features within the Orbits you join.
• Deliver push notifications you've opted into.
• Maintain the security and integrity of the service.

We do not use your information for advertising, profiling for advertising, or cross-app/cross-site tracking. Because we do not track you across other companies' apps or websites, Orbit does not use the Advertising Identifier (IDFA) and does not present Apple's App Tracking Transparency prompt.

6. How information is shared

We share information only:

• With members of the Orbits you choose to join — your display name, profile photo, accountability/activity information, live goal status, and any chat content you post in that Orbit.
• With our infrastructure providers (sub-processors), who process data on our behalf to run the service. Their handling of data is governed by their own privacy policies:
  • Google Firebase (Cloud Firestore database, Firebase Authentication, Firebase Storage, Firebase Cloud Messaging, and Cloud Functions) — stores your account, goals, accountability data, and photos, and delivers notifications. See the Google Privacy Policy and Firebase data processing terms.
  • Apple — Sign in with Apple and the Apple Push Notification service. See the Apple Privacy Policy.
  • Google — Google Sign-In, if you choose that sign-in method. See the Google Privacy Policy.
• If required by law, or to protect the rights, safety, or security of our users or the service.
• In a business transfer — if Orbit is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction; we will notify you of any change in ownership or use of your personal information.

We do not sell your personal information, we do not "share" it for cross-context behavioral advertising, and we do not disclose it to advertisers or data brokers.

7. Photos

Profile photos and any photos you send in chat are uploaded to Firebase Storage. Before upload, images are re-encoded, which strips embedded metadata such as EXIF location and camera data. Chat photos are visible to the members of the Orbit you post them in. Profile photos are visible to members of your Orbits.

8. Data retention

We retain your account and associated data for as long as your account is active. Chat and feed messages are currently retained for the life of the Orbit. When you delete your account, we delete your personal account data; content you contributed to an Orbit (such as messages) may persist for other members unless separately removed, and backups may persist for a limited period. When the last member leaves an Orbit, that Orbit and its messages are deleted.

9. Your rights and choices

Choices in the app

• Access / correction: you can view and edit your profile, interest tags, and notification preferences in the app.
• Account deletion: you can delete your account and associated personal data from within the app (Settings → "Delete Account") or by contacting us at support@joinorbit.so.
• Leaving an Orbit: you can leave any Orbit at any time, which stops further sharing of your accountability information with that group.
• Notifications: you can change or disable notifications in the app or in iOS Settings.
• Screen Time access: you can revoke Orbit's Screen Time access at any time in iOS Settings; doing so disables enforcement.

Your legal rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, port (receive a copy of), or object to or restrict our processing of your personal information, and to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent. To exercise any right, contact support@joinorbit.so. We will respond within the timeframe required by applicable law, and we will not discriminate against you for exercising these rights. If you are in the EEA or UK and believe we have mishandled your data, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority.

Legal bases for processing (EEA / UK)

Where the GDPR (or UK GDPR) applies, we process your personal information on these bases:

• Performance of a contract — to create your account and provide the core features you ask for (goals, enforcement, Orbits, messaging).
• Legitimate interests — to keep the service secure, prevent abuse, and operate it reliably, balanced against your rights.
• Consent — for optional features such as push notifications and Screen Time access; you can withdraw consent at any time (in the app or iOS Settings) without affecting prior processing.

California (CCPA / CPRA)

In the prior 12 months we collected the categories of personal information described in Section 3 (identifiers, account/contact information, user content, and app-activity / usage information) for the business purposes described in this policy. We do not sell your personal information and we do not "share" it for cross-context behavioral advertising (as those terms are defined under California law), and we have not done so in the prior 12 months — so we do not offer a "Do Not Sell or Share" link because there is nothing to opt out of. California residents may exercise the access, deletion, correction, and non-discrimination rights described above by contacting support@joinorbit.so.

10. Children

Orbit is not directed to children under 13 (or the minimum age of digital consent in your country, where higher), and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. Orbit uses Apple's Family Controls in individual mode (a person managing their own device) — it is not a parental-control or child-supervision product. If you believe a child has provided us personal information, contact support@joinorbit.so and we will delete it.

11. Security

We use Firebase Authentication and server-side security rules to restrict access to your data (for example, Orbit content is readable only by members of that Orbit). Photos have metadata stripped on upload. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, but we take reasonable measures to protect your information.

12. International data transfers

Our infrastructure providers (Google and Apple) may process and store data on servers in the United States and other countries. By using Orbit, you understand your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your own.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. We'll revise the "Last updated" date above and, for material changes, provide notice in the app or by other reasonable means.

14. Contact

Questions or requests: support@joinorbit.so — Miller Lillie.