Privacy Policy

Ember: Digital Wellbeing  ·  Last updated: March 2026  ·  Effective date: March 2026

This Privacy Policy describes how Ember ("we", "our", "the app") handles information in connection with your use of the Ember: Digital Wellbeing Android application (the "App"). Please read it carefully.

By installing or using the App, you agree to the practices described in this policy. If you do not agree, please uninstall the App.

1. Who We Are

Ember is an independent Android application developed and maintained by an individual developer. We are not a company, corporation, or data-processing organisation. There is no backend server, no user account system, and no cloud infrastructure associated with this App.

2. Summary — What We Do and Do Not Do

3. Data Collected and How It Is Used

Ember collects only the minimum data necessary to provide its core functionality: calculating your daily mental energy (Fire Battery) and helping you understand your digital habits. All data is stored exclusively in the App's private local database on your device using SQLite (via the Drift library). It is never transmitted anywhere.

3.1 Data You Provide Manually

• Your name — entered during onboarding. Used only to personalise the greeting on the dashboard (e.g. "Good morning, Chirag"). Stored locally. Never transmitted.
• Work hours per day — entered during onboarding as a baseline for algorithm calibration. Stored locally.
• Sleep hours baseline — entered during onboarding and adjustable in Settings. Used to calibrate the burnout algorithm. Stored locally.
• Daily mood rating — a 3-option tap (Exhausted / Okay / Energized). Stored locally and used to generate insights.
• Daily journal note — an optional free-text note you write about your day. Stored locally. Never read by us, never transmitted.
• Sleep hours (daily) — adjustable via a slider on the dashboard each day. Stored locally.

3.2 Data Collected Automatically (with Permission)

3.3 Data Collected by Background Sync

Ember uses Android WorkManager to run a background task approximately every 6 hours. This task performs the same usage stats collection described in Section 3.2 while the app is not open. It runs entirely on-device with no network access. No data is transmitted during or after background sync.

3.4 Data We Do NOT Collect

The following categories of data are never accessed, collected, or processed by Ember under any circumstances:

• Name, email address, phone number, or any contact information (beyond the optional name you enter locally)
• Location data (GPS, network-based, or IP-based)
• Device identifiers (IMEI, Android ID, advertising ID)
• Contacts or address book
• Camera or microphone input
• Photos, videos, or media files
• Clipboard content
• Biometric data
• Financial or payment information
• Health data from Google Fit or Health Connect
• Precise or approximate location
• Browsing history
• Content of any messages, emails, or communications
• Crash reports or diagnostic data sent to any server
• Usage analytics or behavioural telemetry

4. Local Data Storage

All data generated by your use of Ember is stored in the App's private application directory on your Android device using SQLite (via the Drift database library). This storage is:

• Private — accessible only to the Ember app. Other apps cannot read it without root access.
• Not backed up to Google Drive — Ember explicitly disables cloud backup in its Android manifest (android:allowBackup="false", android:fullBackupContent="false"). Your data is not included in Android's automatic backup system.
• Device-to-device transfer — Android may allow data transfer when you set up a new phone from your old one (via Android Backup or cable transfer). This is a local device-to-device transfer and does not involve our servers.

What is stored locally

5. Permissions — Complete List and Justification

Ember does not request the following permissions, which are commonly associated with privacy concerns: ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION, ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION, READ_CONTACTS, CAMERA, RECORD_AUDIO, READ_CALL_LOG, READ_SMS, INTERNET, ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE, or READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE.

6. Third-Party Services and SDKs

Ember does not integrate any third-party analytics, advertising, crash reporting, or data-sharing services. The following is a complete list of third-party libraries used in the App and their data practices:

No advertising SDKs, no analytics SDKs (Firebase Analytics, Crashlytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude, etc.), no social login SDKs, and no data brokers are integrated into Ember.

7. Children's Privacy

Ember is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect any personal information from children. Since the App collects no personal information from any user and operates entirely offline, there is no risk of inadvertent collection of children's data.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided information to the App, please note that all data is stored locally on the device and can be deleted by clearing the App's data in Android Settings or uninstalling the App.

8. Data Security

Since Ember stores all data locally on your device and never transmits it, the security of your data depends primarily on the security of your device. We recommend:

• Using a screen lock (PIN, password, fingerprint, or face unlock)
• Keeping your Android OS updated
• Not rooting your device, as root access allows other apps to read private app storage

The local SQLite database used by Ember is stored in the App's private application directory, which is not accessible to other apps under normal (non-rooted) conditions.

Ember does not implement additional encryption of the local database beyond what Android's file system provides by default. If your device uses full-disk or file-based encryption (which is the default on Android 10+), the App's data is encrypted at rest.

9. Data Retention and Deletion

Retention period

All locally stored data is retained until you delete it or uninstall the App. There is no automatic expiry or deletion of historical records.

How to delete your data

You have three options to delete your data:

1. In-app deletion: Go to Settings → Data → Clear all data. This permanently deletes all daily records and focus sessions while keeping your profile settings. This action cannot be undone.
2. Android Settings: Go to Android Settings → Apps → Ember → Storage → Clear Data. This deletes all app data including settings and profile. Cannot be undone.
3. Uninstall: Uninstalling the App permanently deletes all associated data from your device. Cannot be undone.

Because all data is local and we hold no copies, deletion is immediate and permanent. There is no server-side data to delete, no account to close, and no data retention period after deletion.

10. Your Rights

Since Ember does not collect, process, or store any of your data on any server or third-party system, the typical data subject rights (access, rectification, erasure, portability, objection) are automatically satisfied in the following ways:

• Right to access: All your data is visible within the App itself — in the Journal, Insights, and Settings screens. You can view everything Ember has stored at any time.
• Right to rectification: You can edit your name, sleep baseline, work hours, mood, and notes directly within the App.
• Right to erasure: You can delete all data at any time using the methods described in Section 9.
• Right to data portability: All data is stored on your device. You can access the SQLite database file directly if you have technical access to your device's storage.
• Right to object: You can revoke the Usage Access and Notification Listener permissions at any time in Android Settings.

For users in the European Union (GDPR), United Kingdom (UK GDPR), or California (CCPA), these rights are additionally guaranteed by applicable law. Since no personal data is transmitted to us, there is no data controller–processor relationship to exercise these rights against beyond your own device.

11. Google Play Data Safety Disclosure

The following reflects what is disclosed in the Google Play Data Safety section for Ember:

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time, for example when the App adds new features that involve data, or when legal requirements change. When we update it, we will:

• Update the "Last updated" date at the top of this document
• Update the app listing on Google Play with the new policy URL if the URL changes
• For material changes that affect your rights, provide notice within the App on the next launch

Continued use of the App after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

13. Governing Law

This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of India. For users in other jurisdictions, we comply with applicable local privacy laws to the extent required, including GDPR (EU), UK GDPR, and CCPA (California, USA).

14. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or the App's data practices, please contact us:

15. Specific Disclosures for Sensitive Permissions

Google Play requires specific disclosure for apps that use certain sensitive permissions. We provide this disclosure here in full.

Usage Access (PACKAGE_USAGE_STATS)

Ember uses the Usage Access permission to read Android's UsageStats API. This is used solely to determine how long the device user spends in each app each day, how frequently they switch between apps, and how much total screen time they accumulate. This information is used exclusively within the App to calculate the Fire Battery score — a measure of estimated cognitive load based on digital usage patterns. The data is processed on-device in real time. Aggregated daily totals are stored in the App's private local database. No raw usage event data is stored. No data is transmitted off the device at any time.

Notification Listener Service (BIND_NOTIFICATION_LISTENER_SERVICE)

Ember uses the Notification Listener Service permission to count the number of notifications the device receives each day. This count is used as a signal in the Fire Battery algorithm because high notification volume is associated with reduced focus and increased cognitive fatigue.

Our implementation deliberately accesses only the minimum data required. Specifically, our NotificationListenerService implementation:

• Increments a counter (integer) by 1 upon each notification arrival
• Reads the package name only to exclude Ember's own notifications
• Does not access, read, parse, store, or transmit: notification title, notification text/body, notification large icon, notification actions, sender information, or any data contained in notification extras
• Resets the counter at midnight each day
• Stores only the daily total count in the App's private local database

This permission is requested only because Android provides no other mechanism to count notifications at the system level without reading their content. The permission grants broader access than we use; our implementation intentionally uses only the minimal subset described above.

16. Health Data Disclosure

Ember is classified as a Health and Fitness application on Google Play. In connection with this classification, the following health-related data is accessed and processed by the App. All health data is stored exclusively on the user's device and is never transmitted to any server, third party, advertiser, or analytics service.

Summary of Health Data Practices

This Privacy Policy was last updated in March 2026 and applies to all versions of Ember: Digital Wellbeing distributed via Google Play Store. Earlier versions of the App may have had different policies — please refer to the policy version corresponding to the App version you are using.