Privacy Policy

Budli — iOS application

1. Overview

This Privacy Policy explains how the Budli app ("Budli", "we", "us", "our") handles information when you use it. It is written to comply with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR / DSGVO) and applicable German data-protection law.

Budli is a screen-time wellbeing app for iOS. It helps you spend less time in apps you choose by raising a virtual pet whose wellbeing depends on your habits, and by optionally blocking those apps once you reach your own limits. Budli does this using Apple's on-device Screen Time / Family Controls technology.

2. Who is responsible (Controller)

The data controller within the meaning of Art. 4(7) GDPR is the operator of Budli. Full legal contact details are published in our Impressum on the Terms of Service page.

For any privacy question you can reach us at decostudiosdev@gmail.com.

3. The short version

4. Data stored on your device

Almost everything Budli works with never leaves your iPhone. The following is stored locally (in the app's private storage, e.g. its on-device database and key-value store) and is under your control:

• Screen-time usage of the apps you select, used to measure your progress and care for your pet.
• Pet & game state— your pet's name, form, experience, streaks, mood, and history.
• Onboarding answers — your goals, habits, estimated usage, selected apps, and chosen pet name.
• Rules & settings — your daily limits, schedules, blocking rules, and app preferences.

We have no access to this information. It is not uploaded, backed up to us, or shared. Where this constitutes processing of personal data, the legal basis is Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR — providing the service you have asked Budli to perform on your own device.

5. Screen Time & Family Controls

Budli uses Apple's Family Controls / Screen Time framework to read how long you spend in the apps you select and to block those apps when you reach a limit you set. This processing happens entirely on your device, managed by iOS.

Because of how Apple designed this framework, Budli cannot read which specific apps you choose or your raw usage in a form it could transmit — the data is handled by the operating system on your behalf. You can grant or revoke this permission at any time in iOS Settings → Screen Time(and under the app's permissions). Revoking it disables Budli's monitoring and blocking features.

6. Data shared with third parties

Data leaves your device in a few limited situations: when you choose to buy or restore a subscription; and — unless you opt out — when the app sends anonymous product-analytics events and when it measures which of our own App Store ads brought you to Budli. Three service providers are involved, each receiving only the limited data described below:

Apple (App Store)

All purchases are processed by Apple through your App Store account. Apple handles your payment and receipt. We never receive your payment-card details. Apple's handling of your data is governed by the Apple Privacy Policy.

RevenueCat (subscription management)

We use RevenueCat to validate and manage subscription entitlements. RevenueCat receives a randomly generated, anonymous app-user identifier together with your subscription/receipt status and the product identifiers involved. It does not receive your screen-time data, your pet, your usage, or any onboarding answers. RevenueCat is a U.S. provider; where it processes data on our behalf this is covered by a data-processing agreement and, for any international transfer, the EU Standard Contractual Clauses. The legal basis is Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (managing your subscription contract).

PostHog (product analytics)

We use PostHog to understand, in aggregate, how Budli is used so we can improve it — for example how many people finish onboarding or view the subscription screen. PostHog is configured on its EU Cloud infrastructure, so analytics data is stored in the European Union (Frankfurt, Germany).

The events we send are tied to a randomly generated, anonymous identifier and carry only coarse, non-identifying information, such as:

• standard app-lifecycle events (app installed, updated, opened, or sent to the background);
• onboarding progress (e.g. which step number was viewed, and whether onboarding was completed);
• paywall and purchase events (e.g. paywall viewed, purchase completed, cancelled, failed, or restored).

Analytics events neverinclude your name, your pet's name, the specific apps you select, your usage minutes, your onboarding answers, or any other Screen Time data. We do not use this data to advertise to you or to build a marketing profile.

This processing is based on your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR) and on our legitimate interest in improving the app (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). You can opt out at any timein the app's settings; when you do, no further analytics events are sent. If you decline, all other features of Budli continue to work exactly as before.

Apple Search Ads & RevenueCat (ad-performance measurement)

When we run ads for Budli in Apple's App Store, we measure how well those ads perform so we don't waste money on campaigns that don't help. To do this, the app asks Apple for an anonymous attribution token (Apple's first-party AdServices API) and passes it to RevenueCat, which tells us — in aggregate — which campaign, ad group, or keyword led to an install, trial, or subscription. This involves the same two providers already named above (Apple as the source, RevenueCat as the processor); no new company receives your data.

This measurement uses no IDFA / advertising identifier, builds no advertising profile, does no cross-app tracking, and shows you no ads inside Budli. Because it relies on Apple's own first-party data, it does notrequire the iOS "tracking" permission prompt. We gate it behind the same analytics opt-out described above — turn analytics off and this stops too. The legal basis is your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR) and our legitimate interest in running our own ads efficiently (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR).

7. What we do not collect

Budli does not collect, request, or transmit any of the following:

• Your name, email address, phone number, or any account credentials.
• Your contacts, photos, location, or device advertising identifier.
• Your Screen Time data, pet, usage minutes, or onboarding answers — none of this is ever included in analytics or sent to any server (see Sections 4–6).
• In-app ads or cross-app advertising data — Budli shows no ads inside the app and is part of no ad network. (We do measure our own App Store ads' performance via Apple's anonymous, first-party attribution — see Section 6.)

The usage data we collect is the anonymous, opt-out product analytics and ad-performance measurement described in Section 6. We do not sell or rent personal data, and we do not use it to build advertising profiles or target you with ads.

8. Permissions Budli asks for

• Screen Time / Family Controls — required to measure usage of the apps you select and to block them. Processed on-device by iOS (see Section 5).
• Notifications (optional) — used only to show local notifications on your device (for example reminders or shield prompts). These are generated locally; no notification content is sent through us.

You can change or withdraw any permission at any time in iOS Settings.

9. Data retention

Your on-device data is kept until you delete it. Budli gives you direct control:

• Export — you can export your data as a file from within the app.
• Reset— you can erase all Budli data on your device with a single "reset all data" action.
• Uninstall — removing the app deletes its local data from your device.

Apple and RevenueCat retain subscription/transaction records for as long as required to provide the service and to meet their own legal and tax obligations, in line with their respective privacy policies.

10. Your rights under the GDPR

As a data subject you have the rights set out in Art. 15–22 GDPR: access, rectification, erasure, restriction of processing, data portability, objection, and the right to withdraw consent.

Because virtually all of your data lives only on your device, you can exercise most of these rights directly and immediately using the in-app export and reset features. For information held by our subscription providers, contact us at decostudiosdev@gmail.com and we will help.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a data-protection supervisory authority (Art. 77 GDPR) — in your country of residence, or, for us, the competent Bavarian authority (Bayerisches Landesamt für Datenschutzaufsicht, BayLDA).

11. Children's privacy

Budli is not directed at children. In line with Art. 8 GDPR as applied in Germany, Budli is intended for users aged 16 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children below that age. If you are under the applicable age, please use Budli only with the consent and involvement of a parent or guardian.

12. International users

Budli processes your data on your own device wherever you are. The subscription providers named in Section 6 may process limited subscription data outside the European Economic Area (for example in the United States); where they do, appropriate safeguards such as the EU Standard Contractual Clauses apply.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The current version is always available here, and the "Last updated" date at the top reflects the latest change. Material changes will be highlighted in the app or on this page.

14. Contact

Questions about privacy? Email decostudiosdev@gmail.com. Our full legal details are in the Impressum.