bar'd

Privacy Policy

Last updated: May 14, 2026

bar'd is an iOS focus app that helps you block distracting apps until you scan a physical barcode. This policy explains what data the app handles and what leaves your device.

The short version

bar'd does not collect, transmit, or sell any personal data. Everything the app needs to function stays on your iPhone. There is no account, no server, no analytics SDK, and no third-party tracking.

What stays on your device

• Selected apps and categories. When you choose which apps to block, iOS gives bar'd opaque tokens via Apple's FamilyControls framework. These tokens are stored locally and cannot be read by any other app — including this one — as the names or icons of your selections.
• Modes, schedules, and barcodes. The modes you create, the schedules attached to them, and the barcode value bound to each mode are stored locally using SwiftData and a shared App Group container.
• Session state. Whether a mode is active, paused, or ended is written to local storage so the app's extensions (block screen, widget, background scheduler) can read it.

Camera

bar'd uses the camera only to scan barcodes when you activate, pause, edit, or end a mode. Frames are processed on-device in real time by AVFoundation and discarded immediately. No photos, video, or image data are saved, transmitted, or shared.

FamilyControls and Screen Time

bar'd uses Apple's FamilyControls and ManagedSettings frameworks to apply the block. Apple intentionally designs these APIs so that no app — including bar'd — can identify which specific apps you selected. bar'd can only ask iOS to enforce a shield against the opaque set of tokens you chose.

Notifications

If you enable notifications, bar'd uses them locally to let you know when a scheduled mode is starting or has ended. Notifications are scheduled on-device and are not sent through any push server.

Analytics and tracking

bar'd contains no analytics, crash-reporting SDKs, advertising identifiers, or third-party tracking of any kind. The App Tracking Transparency prompt does not appear because the app has nothing to track.

Children

bar'd does not knowingly collect data from anyone, including children under 13. The app is a self-imposed focus tool and is not directed at children.

Changes to this policy

If this policy changes, the updated version will be posted at this URL with a new "Last updated" date. Material changes will also be noted in the app's release notes.

Contact

Questions about this policy? Email ken.rapko@gmail.com.