Ripe Focus – Privacy Policy
Ripe Focus is a Pomodoro focus timer. This policy explains what data the app handles, where it goes, and the choices you have. In short: your timer settings and focus history stay on your device. The app has no account and no server of its own. The free version shows ads from Google AdMob, and Google collects some data to show them. With your consent, the app also sends anonymous usage statistics to Google Analytics for Firebase, which you can turn off in Settings.
Data the app stores on your device
- Settings: phase durations, sessions before a long break, and the auto-start, sound, vibration and keep-screen-on choices.
- Timer state: the current phase, when it ends, and your progress through the cycle.
- Focus history: for each completed focus session, the time it ended, its length and the calendar day. Statistics, streaks and the CSV export are built from this.
- Purchase and trial status: whether Premium is unlocked (a cached copy of what Google Play reports) and when a rewarded Advanced stats trial ends.
- Consent status: whether ads may be requested and which usage-statistics consent you gave, remembered from the last answer of Google’s consent tool so the app can start quickly (Google’s consent tool also stores your choices on the device).
- Usage statistics setting: whether the Usage statistics switch is on.
This data never leaves your device through the app. We (XDSS) do not receive it.
Android backup. If Android backup is turned on, Android may include your settings and focus history in your device backup, which is stored in your Google account. Timer state, purchase/trial status and the ad consent status are excluded on purpose. You control backup in your device settings.
CSV export. When you tap “Export CSV”, the app writes your focus history to a file in its private cache and opens the Android share sheet. The file goes only where you choose to send it.
Advertising (free version)
The free version shows banner ads and, only if you choose to watch one, a rewarded video ad that unlocks Advanced stats for 24 hours. Ads are provided by Google AdMob (Google Mobile Ads SDK). To serve and measure ads and prevent fraud, Google may collect:
- your device’s advertising ID (and, on newer Android versions, data via Android’s Privacy Sandbox ad services);
- device and app information (such as model, operating system version, language and app version);
- approximate location derived from your IP address;
- ad interactions (impressions, clicks) and diagnostic information.
The app itself does not read or store any of this. How Google uses it is described in Google’s Privacy Policy and How Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services.
If you buy Premium, the app stops showing ads and does not start the Google Mobile Ads SDK at all.
Usage statistics (Google Analytics for Firebase)
To learn how the app is used (for example how many focus sessions are completed, which screens are opened, how often the Premium screen, purchases and the rewarded ad are used, and ad revenue), the app uses Google Analytics for Firebase. It sends app interactions with predefined, coarse values only (for example “focus_completed”, the name of a screen, or where the Premium screen was opened from), plus device information (such as model, operating system version, language and app version), an app instance identifier, approximate location derived from your IP address and, where allowed, the advertising ID. It never sends your settings, the times or lengths of your focus sessions, your focus history or anything else you create in the app. There are no user accounts or user IDs.
Analytics follows the same consent as ads: nothing is collected until your consent choice is known, and in regions that require consent it is collected only if you agree to storing and accessing information on your device. Premium users are asked the same consent question, because analytics also applies to them. You can turn it off at any time in Settings › Privacy › Usage statistics; turning it off also deletes the analytics identifier stored on your device. See Privacy and Security in Firebase.
Consent and your choices
- Consent (EEA, UK and Switzerland). Where required, the app shows a consent form from Google’s User Messaging Platform before any ad is requested or any usage statistics are collected. You can accept, decline, or manage your choices. Ads are only requested once Google’s consent tool says the app may do so.
- Change your mind. When the privacy options form applies to you, Settings shows a Privacy choices row that reopens it.
- Advertising ID. You can reset or delete your advertising ID in Android Settings (Security & privacy / Privacy › Ads, or Google › Ads, depending on your device).
- Usage statistics. Turn off Settings › Privacy › Usage statistics to stop analytics completely.
- Remove ads. A one-time Premium purchase removes all ads.
Google’s consent tool is described at support.google.com/admob/answer/10113207.
Purchases
Premium is a one-time purchase made through Google Play Billing. Google Play handles the payment. The app never sees your payment details; it only learns from Google Play whether Premium is owned, so it can unlock it and restore it on a new install. See the Google Payments Privacy Notice.
Permissions
| Permission | Why |
|---|---|
Notifications (POST_NOTIFICATIONS) | Show the running timer and tell you when a phase ends. Optional; the timer works without it. |
Foreground service (FOREGROUND_SERVICE, FOREGROUND_SERVICE_SPECIAL_USE) | Keep the countdown visible and accurate while a phase is running. |
Alarms (SCHEDULE_EXACT_ALARM) | End a phase on time when the app is in the background. Optional (“Precise alerts” in Settings). |
Vibration (VIBRATE) | Vibrate when a phase ends, if you turn it on. |
Internet, network state (INTERNET, ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE) | Load ads and the consent form, and talk to Google Play Billing. The timer itself needs no network. |
Advertising ID and ad services (AD_ID, ACCESS_ADSERVICES_*), WAKE_LOCK | Added by the Google Mobile Ads SDK to serve and measure ads. |
Billing (com.android.vending.BILLING) | Buy and restore the Premium unlock through Google Play. |
The app does not request location, contacts, camera, microphone or storage permissions, and it contains no crash-reporting SDK. Its only analytics SDK is Google Analytics for Firebase, described above.
Children
Ripe Focus is not directed at children under 13 (or the minimum age in your country), and we do not knowingly collect data from them.
Keeping and deleting your data
Everything the app stores stays on your device until you delete it. Clearing the app’s storage (Android Settings › Apps › Ripe Focus › Storage › Clear storage) or uninstalling the app deletes your settings, focus history and trial status. A Premium purchase stays with your Google account and is restored automatically. Data collected by Google for ads and usage statistics is governed by Google’s policies linked above; Google Analytics keeps event data for a limited retention period (2 months by default).
Security
Data stays in the app’s private storage, which other apps cannot read. Communication with Google’s ad, analytics, consent and billing services uses encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS).
Changes to this policy
If this policy changes, we will update this page and its effective date, and describe significant changes in the app’s release notes on Google Play.
Contact
Questions or requests: sebiradutoiu@gmail.com (XDSS).