Privacy Policy — Pixie
Last updated: June 2026
Pixie ("we", "the app") is a digital wellbeing app. This policy explains what data we collect, why, and your rights.
1. Data We Collect
- Google account: email address and display name, used to create your profile.
- Screen-time statistics: daily usage times and app-open counts, collected from the Android Usage Stats API. Stored locally on your device and in your Firebase account.
- Points and rank: calculated from your usage and stored in Firebase Firestore.
2. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR Art. 6)
We process your personal data on the following legal bases:
- Performance of a contract (Art. 6(1)(b)): processing your account data, points, and rank is necessary to provide the Pixie service you signed up for.
- Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f)): aggregating anonymised usage statistics to improve app performance and reliability, where this does not override your rights.
- Consent (Art. 6(1)(a)): displaying your name and rank on the public leaderboard. You may withdraw this consent at any time by deleting your account.
3. Accessibility Service
Pixie uses Android Accessibility Service exclusively to detect short-form video content (Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, TikTok, Facebook Reels, Snapchat Spotlight) and redirect you away from it. The service does NOT read, store, or transmit any text you type, passwords, or personal messages. It only monitors which app screen is currently visible.
4. Background Services & Battery Usage
To maintain continuous protection, Pixie runs a foreground service (visible notification) and starts automatically when your device boots. The app holds a partial wake lock (PARTIAL_WAKE_LOCK) to prevent the system from suspending the protection service while your screen is off. This may have a minor impact on battery life. You can disable it at any time by turning off the Accessibility Service in system settings.
5. How We Use Your Data
- To show you your own statistics and progress.
- To display your name and points on the leaderboard.
- We do not sell your data to third parties.
- We do not use your data for advertising.
6. International Data Transfers
Your profile data is stored in Google Firebase Firestore, operated by Google LLC (USA). Transfers of personal data from the EU/EEA to the USA are carried out under Google's Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) as approved by the European Commission. For details, see Google's Data Processing Addendum at firebase.google.com/support/privacy.
7. Data Storage & Retention
Your profile and points are stored in Google Firebase Firestore. Usage statistics are stored locally via SharedPreferences and in Firestore. We retain your data for as long as your account is active. Upon account deletion, your Firestore data is removed immediately; residual backups are purged within 30 days.
8. Your GDPR Rights
If you are in the EU/EEA, you have the right to:
- Access your personal data.
- Correct inaccurate data.
- Delete your data (right to erasure) — use the "Delete my account" button in Settings.
- Restrict or object to processing.
- Data portability — use the "Export my data" button in Settings to download your data.
To exercise any of these rights, use the in-app options or contact us at pixiedevelopers@gmail.com.
9. Data Deletion
You can delete your account and all associated data instantly using the "Delete my account" button in Settings. Your Firestore data is deleted immediately; residual backups are purged within 30 days.
10. Data Protection Officer (DPO)
Under GDPR Article 37, appointment of a Data Protection Officer is required only for organisations processing personal data on a large scale or engaging in systematic monitoring of individuals. Pixie is developed by a small independent team and processes data on a strictly limited scale. We are therefore currently exempt from the DPO requirement. For any data-related enquiries, contact us directly at pixiedevelopers@gmail.com.
11. Contact
pixiedevelopers@gmail.com