Privacy Policy

For Bifocal

Last Updated: October 28, 2025

Introduction

Welcome to Bifocal, a Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills companion app. Your privacy is critically important to us. This Privacy Policy explains how Bifocal ("we", "us", or "our") collects, uses, stores, and protects your information when you use our mobile application.

By using Bifocal, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. This application was created by Henry Lightfoot.

Medical Disclaimer: Bifocal is an educational tool and is NOT a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

1. Privacy-First Philosophy

Bifocal is designed with a privacy-first, local-first approach. This means:

  • Your sensitive health data stays on your device. All diary entries, skill logs, mantras, cope ahead plans, and other personal therapeutic content are stored locally on your device using Apple's Core Data framework.
  • We cannot read your diary or personal entries. We do not have access to, cannot view, and do not store your personal therapeutic content on our servers.
  • No tracking or selling of personal data. We do not track your behavior across websites, sell your data to third parties, or share your personal information for advertising purposes.
  • You maintain full control. You can delete all your data at any time by uninstalling the app or using the in-app data deletion features.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information Stored Locally on Your Device

The following information is created by you and stored exclusively on your device and in your private iCloud account:

  • Diary Entries: Text entries, dates, and associated emotional ratings
  • DBT Skill Logs: Records of which skills you've practiced and when
  • Mantras: Custom positive affirmations and repetition tracking
  • Cope Ahead Plans: Personalized crisis management scenarios and coping strategies
  • Prompts and Responses: Daily reflection prompts and your responses
  • Streak Data: Your practice consistency tracking
  • App Preferences: Theme settings, notification preferences, and other customization options

We do not have access to any of this information. It never leaves your device unless you explicitly enable cloud sync (see Section 3).

2.2 Anonymous Analytics Data

To improve app performance, stability, and user experience, we collect anonymous, non-identifiable analytics data through Firebase Analytics, including:

  • App Performance Data: Crash reports, error logs, app launch times, screen load times
  • Basic Usage Statistics: Which features are used most frequently (e.g., "User opened Diary section"), session duration, app version
  • Device Information: Device model, operating system version, app version, screen size, language preference
  • Aggregate User Behavior: General patterns like "80% of users access the skills library weekly" (never tied to individual users)

What we DO NOT collect:

  • The content of your diary entries, mantras, or cope ahead plans
  • Your specific DBT skill practice details
  • Your name, email address, phone number, or other directly identifying information (unless you contact us for support)
  • Your precise location (we only collect approximate country-level location for analytics)

All analytics data is anonymized and aggregated, meaning we cannot trace it back to you as an individual.

2.3 Subscription and Payment Information

If you purchase Bifocal Pro, payment processing is handled securely by:

  • Apple App Store: Your payment information (credit card, billing address, etc.) is processed directly by Apple. We never see or store your payment details.
  • RevenueCat: We use RevenueCat to manage subscription status and validate purchases. RevenueCat receives:
    • An anonymous user identifier (not tied to your personal identity)
    • Your subscription status (active, expired, trial, etc.)
    • Transaction IDs from Apple
    • Device and app version information

RevenueCat does not receive your name, email, payment information, or any personal therapeutic content. See RevenueCat's privacy policy at https://www.revenuecat.com/privacy.

2.4 Speech Recognition Data (Mantra Feature)

When you use the Mantra practice feature with speech recognition:

  • Processing happens on-device using Apple's Speech Recognition framework
  • Audio may be sent to Apple's servers for processing, subject to Apple's privacy policy
  • We do not store, transmit, or access your voice recordings or transcriptions
  • The transcribed text is used only to match against your mantra and is not saved permanently

You can review Apple's approach to privacy and speech recognition at https://www.apple.com/privacy/.

3. Cloud Sync

  • Data Storage: Your personal therapeutic content (diary entries, skill logs, mantras, etc.) is synced to your private iCloud account using Apple's CloudKit framework
  • End-to-End Encryption: Data synced to iCloud is encrypted and can only be accessed using your Apple ID credentials
  • We Cannot Access Your iCloud Data: Your iCloud data is stored in your personal iCloud storage, which we do not have access to
  • Apple's Privacy Policy Applies: Data stored in iCloud is subject to Apple's Privacy Policy and iCloud Terms of Service
  • Multi-Device Sync: Your data automatically syncs across all your devices signed in with the same Apple ID

4. How We Use Your Information

4.1 Local Data (Stored on Your Device)

Your personal therapeutic data is used exclusively by you, on your device, for the following purposes:

  • Tracking your DBT skills practice and progress
  • Generating personalized insights, streaks, and statistics
  • Creating PDF progress reports for you or your therapist
  • Providing daily prompts and reflections

We never see, access, or use this data.

4.2 Anonymous Analytics Data

We use anonymized analytics data to:

  • Identify and fix bugs and crashes
  • Understand which features are most valuable to improve the app
  • Optimize app performance and loading times
  • Make informed decisions about new features and improvements

4.3 Subscription Data

We use subscription information (via RevenueCat) to:

  • Verify your Bifocal Pro subscription status
  • Enable Pro features like cloud sync and unlimited cope ahead plans
  • Provide customer support for billing issues
  • Prevent subscription fraud

5. Data Sharing and Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services, each with their own privacy policies:

5.1 Firebase (Google)

Purpose: Anonymous crash reporting and analytics
Data Shared: Device information, app performance data, anonymized usage statistics
Privacy Policy: https://firebase.google.com/support/privacy

5.2 RevenueCat

Purpose: Subscription management and purchase validation
Data Shared: Anonymous user ID, subscription status, transaction IDs
Privacy Policy: https://www.revenuecat.com/privacy

5.3 Apple (iCloud/CloudKit, Speech Recognition, App Store)

Purpose: Cloud sync, speech recognition, payment processing
Data Shared: Only if you enable cloud sync or use speech features; processed according to Apple's privacy standards
Privacy Policy: https://www.apple.com/privacy/

We do not sell your data. We do not share your personal therapeutic content with any third party. Anonymous analytics data is used solely for improving the app.

6. Data Security

We take data security seriously and implement industry-standard practices:

  • Local Storage: Data on your device is protected by iOS security features and your device passcode/biometrics
  • Cloud Sync: Data is encrypted in transit and at rest using Apple's CloudKit security
  • No Central Database: We do not maintain a central server with user data, reducing risk of data breaches
  • Secure Connections: All network communications use industry-standard encryption (HTTPS/TLS)

However, no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

7. Data Retention and Deletion

  • Local Data: Stored on your device indefinitely until you delete it or uninstall the app
  • iCloud Data: Data remains in your iCloud account until you delete it from the app on all devices
  • Analytics Data: Anonymous analytics data is retained according to Firebase's data retention policies (typically 2-14 months, anonymized after 2 months)
  • Subscription Data: RevenueCat retains subscription transaction data as required for business and legal purposes

How to Delete Your Data:

  • To delete local data: Settings → Danger Zone → Delete All Data
  • To delete iCloud data: Manage your iCloud data using Apple's software
  • To completely remove all data: Uninstall the app from all devices and disable cloud sync
  • To request deletion of analytics data: Contact us at bifocal@henrylightfoot.co.uk

8. Children's Privacy

Bifocal is not intended for children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at bifocal@henrylightfoot.co.uk.

Since we operate with a local-first, privacy-first model and do not collect personal data by design, we are in compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

9. International Data Transfers

Bifocal is available worldwide. If you are accessing the app from outside the United States:

  • Your local data remains on your device in your country
  • With iCloud Sync, data is stored in Apple's iCloud servers, which may be located in various countries according to Apple's infrastructure
  • Anonymous analytics data may be transferred to and processed in the United States (Firebase servers)

By using Bifocal, you consent to the transfer of information to countries outside your country of residence, which may have different data protection rules.

10. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding your data:

  • Right to Access: You can access all your personal data directly within the app
  • Right to Rectification: You can edit or correct your data at any time in the app
  • Right to Erasure: You can delete your data at any time (see Section 7)
  • Right to Data Portability: You can export your data as a PDF report
  • Right to Object: You cannot opt out of all analytics, but analytics data is already anonymized and non-identifiable
  • Right to Withdraw Consent: You can disable cloud sync or uninstall the app at any time

For GDPR (EU), CCPA (California), or other privacy law inquiries, contact us at bifocal@henrylightfoot.co.uk.

11. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):

  • Categories of Personal Information Collected: See Section 2
  • Purposes for Collection: See Section 4
  • Third Parties: See Section 5
  • Sale of Personal Information: We do not sell your personal information
  • Right to Know: You can request details about the data we've collected (contact us at bifocal@henrylightfoot.co.uk)
  • Right to Delete: See Section 7
  • Right to Opt-Out: We do not sell personal information, so there is nothing to opt out of
  • Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights

12. European Privacy Rights (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA) or United Kingdom, you have rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):

  • Legal Basis for Processing: We process data based on your consent (when you use the app and enable features) and our legitimate interest (anonymized analytics for app improvement)
  • Data Controller: Henry Lightfoot is the data controller for Bifocal
  • Data Protection Officer: For inquiries, contact bifocal@henrylightfoot.co.uk
  • Right to Lodge a Complaint: You have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. We will notify you of any material changes by:

  • Posting the new Privacy Policy in the app and on this page
  • Updating the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy
  • Providing an in-app notification for significant changes

Changes are effective immediately upon posting. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.

14. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your data, please contact us:

Email: bifocal@henrylightfoot.co.uk
Developer: Henry Lightfoot
App: Bifocal - DBT Skills Companion

We will respond to your inquiry within 30 days.

15. Consent

By using Bifocal, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy and agree to its terms. If you do not agree with this policy, please do not use the app.