Privacy Policy
Last updated: 27 October 2026
FocusLink ("the app") is operated by Martin Lutaaya, Berlin, Germany ("we", "us"), who is the
controller responsible for your data.
Contact: support@focuslink.app
FocusLink can be used fully offline. Focus data and settings remain on your device unless you enable Cloud Sync or use features that require cloud processing, such as Buddies. If you sign in with Apple or Google, authentication information from that provider is also processed as described below.
What We Store
On your device only, while using FocusLink offline: your focus sessions, streaks, credits, achievements, themes, personal session tags and in-app settings. The Live Activity (your timer on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island) and the "return to the app" warning are created on your device and are not sent to us.
In the cloud, only when you enable Cloud Sync or use Buddies:
| Data Stored | Reason For Storage |
|---|---|
| A random account ID and your FocusLink ID (e.g. LK-0000-0A0A) | To identify your account. |
| Your display name, if you set one in Profile (optional, up to 24 characters) | So buddies can recognise you. It is shown to people who look up your FocusLink ID and to your buddies, unless they gave you their own nickname. You can change or remove it at any time. |
| Focus statistics, including totals, streaks, daily minutes, completed and failed sessions, sessions completed with buddies and in groups, achievements and owned themes | To sync and back up your progress across your devices. |
| Your session history, including start time, end time, length, result, session type (solo, buddy or group), the name of the buddy you focused with, the group size, and any tag you add (e.g. "Studying biology"). Your device keeps your newest 50 sessions; older ones stay in the cloud and are loaded only when you open your full history. | To provide session history across your devices. Tags and nicknames are private to your account. |
| Your Apple or Google account identifier and the email address the provider shares (Google also shares the name on your Google account) - only if you sign in with Apple or Google. With Apple's "Hide My Email", we only receive a private relay address. | To connect your sign-in with your FocusLink account and allow you to sign in again on other devices. |
| Buddy connections, buddy requests, the nicknames you assign to buddies and whether you have hidden a buddy. | To provide the Buddies feature. Nicknames and hidden buddies are private to your account. |
| Your status, such as ready, focusing or offline, and last-seen information. | So added buddies can see your availability for sessions. |
| Shared sessions, group codes, and pings | To provide shared sessions and related social features. (see Retention) |
| A random ID for each installation (created by the app, not a hardware or advertising identifier), that installation's contribution to your totals, and a short-lived record while a focus session is running on it | So progress from several devices adds up correctly, and to prevent the same account from running sessions on several devices at the same time. |
| A push notification token for each installation, only if you allow notifications | To deliver buddy pings and session invites while the app is closed. Removed when you disconnect the device or delete your account. |
| Which themes you have unlocked, including the supporter theme unlocked by a tip | To keep your unlocks across your devices. |
If you contact us through "Report a problem" or "Send feedback", we receive your email address, your message and the details pre-filled in it (app version, iOS version and your FocusLink ID). We use them only to answer you and fix problems.
Tips (in-app purchases)
Tips are optional and processed entirely by Apple through the App Store. We do not receive your payment details, name or Apple Account. The app only learns which tip was bought, so it can unlock the supporter theme; that unlock is stored with your other unlocks as described above. Refunds are handled by Apple under its own terms.
Notifications
FocusLink asks for permission to send notifications only after you connect with a buddy or finish your first session, and explains why first. If you allow them, we send buddy pings and session invites (with the sender's name and the session length) as push notifications, and the app shows a local warning on your device when you leave during a session. You can turn notifications off at any time in iOS Settings.
We do not collect your contacts, location or advertising identifiers. FocusLink contains no advertisements, no analytics and no third-party trackers, we do not track you across other apps or websites, and we never sell your personal data.
What Buddies can see
Anyone who has your FocusLink ID can see the display name you set (if any) before sending you a buddy request. People you have accepted as buddies can see your FocusLink ID, your display name and your current status — ready, focusing or offline. On the leaderboard, buddies can also see your focus minutes and session counts for the selected week or month. If you hide a buddy, they no longer see your status or leaderboard results, and they cannot ping or invite you. Your private buddy nicknames and session tags are never shown to anyone else.
During a shared session, the people in it can see that the session is running, whether you have stepped away from the app, and whether you left early. Group members see the group code, the number of people focusing and the host's name — not the identities of other members.
Service Providers
- Supabase - database, authentication and cloud infrastructure. Our Supabase project is hosted in the EU (Frankfurt), Germany region. Supabase may use subprocessors and operational infrastructure in other locations where necessary to provide and secure its services.
- Expo (650 Industries, Inc., USA) - delivers push notifications. If you allow notifications, your push token and the notification text (for example "Matti invited you to focus") pass through Expo's push service to Apple's push service.
- Google - only if you choose “Sign in with Google”. Google provides the authentication service and processes information according to Google’s own privacy policy. FocusLink receives the information necessary to associate your Google sign-in with your FocusLink account.
- Apple - if you choose “Sign in with Apple”, Apple provides the authentication service under its own privacy policy; FocusLink requests only your email address (or a private relay address), not your name. FocusLink is distributed through the Apple App Store, and tips are processed by Apple, under Apple’s own terms and privacy policy.
International Transfers
Our Supabase project is hosted in the EU. Push notifications are delivered through Expo in the USA, and some processing by Supabase or its subprocessors may take place outside the EU. Where applicable, such transfers are subject to appropriate data-protection safeguards required by applicable law.
Legal Basis
We process cloud data that is necessary to provide Cloud Sync, account and Buddies functionality on the basis of Article 6(1)(b) GDPR, because the processing is necessary to provide the features you request.
Where processing is necessary to protect the security and integrity of FocusLink or prevent abuse, we may rely on Article 6(1)(f) GDPR based on our legitimate interest in operating and securing the service.
Push notifications are sent only if you have allowed them in iOS (your consent, Article 6(1)(a) GDPR), which you can withdraw at any time in iOS Settings. We do not process your data for marketing or advertising purposes.
Retention
- Shared sessions and group lobbies are deleted about 15 minutes after they end.
- Pings are deleted after 1 day.
- Emails you send us are kept only as long as needed to handle your request.
- Session history is kept until you erase your focus data or delete your account.
- Push tokens are deleted when you disconnect the device or delete your account.
- Other cloud account and progress data is retained until you delete it or the account is otherwise terminated.
- After account deletion, data is removed from our active systems. Some information may remain temporarily in backups or where retention is required by law, after which it is deleted or overwritten according to the applicable retention period.
Your rights and choices
Subject to applicable legal conditions, you have the right to request access to your personal data, correction of inaccurate data, deletion, restriction of processing and data portability. You may also object to processing based on legitimate interests.
Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw your consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a competent data-protection supervisory authority.
You can use the following FocusLink functions where available:
- Export: Profile → Export Focus Data (JSON or CSV).
- Turn off Sync: Profile → Cloud Sync → Turn off sync. Session updates stay local and cloud data is not updated while sync is off. Your account and Buddies keep working.
- Disconnect this phone: Profile → Cloud Sync → Disconnect this phone (accounts linked to Apple or Google). This phone leaves your account and stops syncing; its data stays on the phone.
- Display name: Profile → tap your name to change or remove it.
- Hide a buddy: Buddies → long-press a buddy → Hide. Unhide from the Hidden section.
- Notifications: iOS Settings → FocusLink → Notifications.
- Erase Focus Data: Profile → Danger Zone (hold for 5 seconds). Erases your streaks, credits, sessions, achievements and in-app settings on this phone and in the cloud. Your account itself remains.
- Delete Account: Profile → Danger Zone → Delete account (confirm by typing DELETE). Permanently deletes your account and all its cloud data — progress, session history, buddy connections, shared sessions and groups you host — on every device, and resets this phone.
You can also contact us at support@focuslink.app to request access, correction or deletion of your personal data or to exercise other applicable rights.
Children
FocusLink is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children in connection with the service.
Changes
If this Privacy Policy changes, we will update the date above. For important changes, we will provide appropriate notice in the app where required.