Privacy policy
The short version
- Your loops, journal entries, moods and settings are stored on your phone.
- GentleLoop has no accounts, no ads, no analytics and no tracking.
- The app does not have internet permission. It cannot send your data to us or anyone else.
- We never receive, see or hold your data.
- Any backup or export is something you choose to make, and you choose where it goes.
Who we are
GentleLoop is made by {{BUSINESS_NAME}} in New Zealand (“we”, “us”). You can contact us at {{CONTACT_EMAIL}}.
What GentleLoop stores on your phone
To work, GentleLoop keeps the following in the app's private storage on your device:
- the loops you create: names, notes, times, days, tones and reminder settings;
- your history: when you completed or skipped a loop;
- journal entries, drafts you haven't saved yet, and the moods you choose;
- your settings, such as Vacation Mode, the journal lock, breathing lengths and backup preferences.
This information stays on your device. We do not collect it, and it is not transmitted by the app.
Permissions the app asks for, and why
| Permission | Why GentleLoop needs it |
|---|---|
| Notifications | To show your loop reminders and the optional weekly reflection. |
| Exact alarms | So a reminder set for 7:30 arrives at 7:30. If you don't allow it, reminders still arrive but possibly a few minutes late. |
| Run at start-up | So your reminders are set again after you restart your phone. |
| Biometrics / screen lock | Only if you turn on the journal lock. See below. |
| Keep device awake, network state | These are added automatically by the standard Android background-work library used for the optional daily folder backup. GentleLoop does not use the network. |
GentleLoop does not ask for access to your contacts, location, camera, microphone, photos, or files. When you export or back up, you pick the file or folder through Android's own file picker, which gives GentleLoop access only to what you chose.
The journal lock and biometrics
If you turn on Secure journal, GentleLoop asks Android to confirm it's you, using your fingerprint, face or screen lock. Android does this. GentleLoop receives only a yes or no answer. Your fingerprint, face data and PIN are never seen, stored or sent by GentleLoop.
Backups and exports
Android's automatic backup
If Google backup is switched on in your phone's settings, Android may back up GentleLoop's data (your loops and journal) to your Google account so it can be restored on a new phone. GentleLoop asks Android to do this only when the backup can be protected with your screen lock. This is a feature of Android and your Google account, run by Google under Google's privacy policy. GentleLoop does not receive that backup. You can turn it off in your phone's settings.
Backups and exports you make
- Export backup and Export reflections save a file where you choose.
- Automatic backup saves a daily file into a folder you choose and keeps the latest seven. If that folder belongs to a cloud storage app, that app may upload the files under its own terms.
- Add to calendar saves an .ics file you can import into a calendar app.
These files are plain text and are not encrypted. They contain what you wrote. Keep them somewhere private. GentleLoop warns you before it creates them. We cannot see or recover these files, and we cannot delete them for you.
Notifications and the widget
Reminders show the name of your loop. If you don't want that on your lock screen, turn on Private notifications and a generic message is shown until you unlock your phone. The home-screen widget shows today's progress and your next loop; Hide names on widget replaces the name with a generic label.
Who we share data with
Nobody. We don't have your data, so there is nothing for us to share, sell or use for advertising. GentleLoop contains no advertising or analytics software.
Links
A few screens link to web pages (this privacy policy, and a help guide about phone battery settings). These open in your web browser. The websites you visit may collect their own information under their own policies.
Keeping and deleting your data
- Delete a loop in the app and its history is removed.
- Uninstalling GentleLoop, or choosing Clear storage in your phone's app settings, removes everything the app holds on your phone.
- Backups and exports you made yourself stay where you saved them until you delete them.
- If Android's Google backup is on, you can manage or delete it from your Google account.
Children
GentleLoop is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect information from anyone, because the app does not collect information at all.
Not medical advice
GentleLoop's breathing guide, journaling and reflection features are for general wellbeing. They are not medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you are struggling, please talk to a health professional. In New Zealand you can call or text 1737 any time, free, to talk to a trained counsellor.
Your rights under the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020
You have the right to ask what personal information an organisation holds about you, and to ask for it to be corrected. Because GentleLoop keeps your information only on your own device and we hold none, there is nothing for us to give you or correct. Everything is already in your hands, and you can view, export or delete it in the app. If you have a question or concern, contact us at {{CONTACT_EMAIL}}. You can also contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.
Changes to this policy
If GentleLoop's handling of information changes, for example by adding a feature that sends data off your phone, we will update this page and the date above before the change, and we will describe it clearly in the app's update notes.
Contact
{{BUSINESS_NAME}}
Email: {{CONTACT_EMAIL}}
Website: gentleloop.co.nz