FOCUS GUARDIAN
Privacy Policy
A clear look at how Focus Guardian keeps your sessions private and on-device.
Introduction and acceptance
Date Created: July 12th, 2026
Effective Date: July 12th, 2026
By installing or opening Focus Guardian, you agree to the Terms & Conditions outlined in this document. In these Terms, “we,” “us,” and “the App” refer to Focus Guardian. If you do not agree to these Terms, do not install or use Focus Guardian on your computer.
Summary
Focus Guardian (we, us, the app) is a macOS application that helps users stay focused through a feature-packed focus timer.
Presence Detection is performed on-device entirely using Apple's Vision framework and AVFoundation. During this process, individual camera frames are temporarily analyzed to determine whether you are present and then immediately discarded. No camera data is ever saved, uploaded, or viewable by anyone, ensuring all processing remains entirely on your device.
Content Blocking uses Apple system APIs to identify which application is currently active. When a supported web browser is detected, Focus Guardian uses AppleScript to identify the current URL and redirect the browser to a Focus Guardian page when necessary. The original URL is never stored and is checked entirely on-device. If the URL gets blocked, it’s embedded into the block screen online in the web browser, but is not logged or saved on the internet. For blocked applications, Focus Guardian identifies the active app using Apple system APIs and automatically hides applications you have chosen to block.
Focus Guardian also uses basic, pseudonymous analytics to understand which features are used most often. Analytics are the only data viewable to the Focus Guardian team. In addition, analytics are entirely optional, and users can opt out at any time in Settings. Analytics are designed with privacy in mind, collecting only the minimum information needed to improve the app. For example, Focus Guardian records whether Content Blocking is being used—not which apps or websites a user chooses to block. Camera data is never included in analytics, consistent with our commitment that camera data is never saved, uploaded, or viewable by anyone.
User data that is stored—such as session history (History tab), award statistics (Awards tab), and saved app and website presets (Settings tab)—is stored privately using Apple's iCloud services.
Privacy is a core principle of Focus Guardian. Every feature is designed to give users confidence that their personal information stays private while they stay focused.
For support or questions, please contact Focus Guardian at
About the App
Focus Guardian is a macOS application designed to help users stay focused through optional live app and website blocking, as well as optional Presence Detection (face tracking). Focus Guardian is developed using SwiftUI and relies on several Apple frameworks, including Vision, AVFoundation, and SwiftData.
Focus Guardian includes features such as:
Presence Detection (optional) — helps ensure users remain present throughout the duration of a focus session.
Content Blocking (optional) — blocks distracting applications and websites selected by the user.
Pomodoro Templates (optional) — allows users to customize work sessions, break lengths, and timer schedules.
Data Collection
Focus Guardian does not transmit user data to us, with the exception of optional, privacy-focused analytics.
Analytics are fully pseudonymous and designed to collect only the minimum information necessary to understand how Focus Guardian is used and where improvements can be made. Users can view exactly which analytics are collected below.
Analytics
Focus Guardian uses PostHog as its analytics provider to process optional, pseudonymous analytics and understand how the app is used across its user base. Users may opt out of analytics during onboarding or at any time in Settings. Disabling analytics prevents new events from being captured. It does not, by itself, delete analytics that PostHog has already received.
Users who are beta testing Focus Guardian may optionally provide their email address. If a user provides an email address, their analytics will no longer be considered pseudonymous because the analytics may be associated with that email address. Providing an email address is not required to beta test the app.
The following custom analytics events may be collected while analytics are enabled. This list does not include events or metadata automatically collected by the PostHog SDK.
Onboarding Started – Recorded after a user proceeds past the analytics disclosure during onboarding.
Onboarding Skipped – Recorded when a user chooses to skip onboarding. Includes the onboarding page number from which onboarding was skipped.
Onboarding Completed – Recorded when a user completes onboarding.
Session Started – Recorded when a focus session begins. The following pseudonymous feature-usage flags are included:
Presence Detection Enabled – A true/false value indicating whether Presence Detection is enabled. No camera images, video, facial images, or facial measurements are sent to PostHog.
Website Blocking Enabled – A true/false value indicating whether website blocking is enabled. No website names, URLs, or browsing history are sent to PostHog as part of this event.
App Blocking Enabled – A true/false value indicating whether app blocking is enabled. No application names or application-usage details are sent to PostHog as part of this event.
Multiple Segments Enabled – A true/false value indicating whether the session contains multiple focus segments. Segment durations, schedules, and configurations are not sent as properties of this event.
Session Completed – Recorded when a focus session ends, including when it is ended early. The following pseudonymous outcome flags are included:
All Lives Lost – A true/false value indicating whether all session lives were lost.
Session Ended Early – A true/false value indicating whether the session ended before completion.
Focus Guardian does not send the session’s configured duration, schedule, or segment configuration as custom analytics properties. However, like most analytics systems, PostHog records event timestamps. The approximate time between session events may therefore be calculated from those timestamps.
PostHog assigns the app installation a randomly generated pseudonymous analytics identifier. This identifier allows events from the same installation to be associated with one another. Focus Guardian does not use PostHog’s identification features to associate this identifier with a user’s name or email address unless the user optionally provides their email address while beta testing.
While analytics are enabled, the PostHog SDK also automatically records application lifecycle events, including:
Application Installed
Application Updated
Application Opened
Application Backgrounded
PostHog may also attach technical metadata to events, such as the event time, app version and build, device model, operating-system name and version, screen dimensions, locale, time zone, network connection type, SDK version, session identifier, and pseudonymous analytics identifier.
Because analytics are transmitted over the internet, PostHog’s servers receive the network request and may use its IP address to derive an approximate location, such as a country, region, or city.
This list may not provide a full idea of what Focus Guardian is capturing using Analytics. For more on what the PostHog SDK captures, it's encouraged that you read their documentation.
Presence Detection (Camera Use)
Presence Detection is performed entirely on-device using Apple’s Vision Framework and AVFoundation. During this process, individual camera frames are temporarily analyzed using Apple system frameworks to determine whether you are present and are immediately discarded afterward.
No camera data is ever saved, uploaded, transmitted, or viewable by anyone, ensuring all processing remains entirely on your device. To further demonstrate this privacy-focused design, Presence Detection continues to function fully even when your Mac is completely disconnected from the internet.
Presence Detection never logs camera data, stores camera footage on-device, or uploads information to the cloud or any external server for processing or storage. Additionally, Presence Detection is completely optional and can be disabled at any time.
The on-device frameworks used for Presence Detection do not perform facial recognition, identity matching, or create biometric profiles of users.
Analytics are never based on data received from the camera, restating our policy on ensuring camera data is never saved, uploaded, transmitted, or viewable by anyone.
Content Blocking
Content Blocking uses Apple system APIs to identify which application is currently embedded. The results of these checks are never logged or stored on-device. The blocked website has its URL embeded inside of Focus Guardian's own Block Screen, indicating to users that the website was blocked.
If a blocked application is detected, Focus Guardian uses Apple system APIs to automatically hide the application during an active focus session.
For supported web browsers listed on the Features page of this website, Focus Guardian uses AppleScript to identify the currently active URL. The result of this check is never logged, stored, or uploaded. If the detected URL matches a website you selected to block, Focus Guardian requests the browser to replace the current webpage with a Focus Guardian redirect page.
Account Deletion
Focus Guardian does not implement an account system because data is simply stored on Apple’s iCloud servers. Data can be deleted within Apple’s System Settings app.
Data Security
We use reasonable technical and organizational safeguards designed to protect information. Camera, active-app, and URL processing is kept on-device as described above, and analytics collection is limited and optional. No method of storage or transmission is completely secure, so absolute security cannot be guaranteed.
Your Choices and Privacy Rights
You may:
disable Presence Detection or Content Blocking;
opt out of future analytics in Settings;
delete locally stored app data; and
contact us to request access to, correction of, or deletion of information that we control.
Depending on where you live, you may have additional privacy rights, including the right to object to or restrict certain processing and the right to appeal a denied request. We may need to verify a request before responding. You may also contact your local data-protection authority.
Children’s Privacy
Focus Guardian is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided information through analytics, contact us with the Anonymous Analytics ID inside of Settings > Privacy & About, so we can investigate and delete it where possible. In addition, if a child under 13 is knowingly using Focus Guardian with Analytics turned on, please have them turn it off under Settings > Privacy & About.
International Processing
Optional analytics may be processed in the United States or other locations where our service provider operates. Where required, appropriate safeguards are used for transfers of personal information across borders.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy as Focus Guardian changes or legal requirements evolve. The “Last updated” date will show when revisions were made. If a change materially affects how information is processed, we will provide additional notice where appropriate.
Focus Guardian
The focus timer,
that ensures you focus.
support@focusGuardian.com
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