your data.
Nora is local-first. Your raw Screen Time and transactions stay on this device. The only thing we sync is what Friends needs to work — and only if you sign in.
What we collect
When you sign in with Apple, we receive your Apple user identifier (a stable, opaque string) and the name you choose to share. You can add a handle. If you use Friends or Focus Rooms, your current time-bank balance, lock-in status, ghost skin, and how many of your apps are marked as drainers versus earners (just the counts) are sent to our server so people you've connected with can see them. We never send the names, icons, or tokens of the apps you track — iOS keeps those private to your device. Within the app, we don't receive your email unless you choose to share it at Apple sign-in or contact support. (Joining the launch waitlist on our homepage is separate — see “Website & waitlist” below.)
Stored on your device
Your tracked-app tokens (Apple's opaque handles), per-app limits, and Screen Time aggregates live on this device and are never transmitted to our server. Your transactions and preferences also live on this device; a copy is included in the opaque account backup described below — with Apple's Screen Time handles (the opaque app tokens) stripped out, so no Family Controls data ever leaves the device — so you can restore your progress if you sign in on a new device. Any label you typed yourself for a tracked app stays in that copy so your restored history reads the same.
Stored on our server
Only what Friends and Focus Rooms need to work: your Apple user identifier, name, handle, current balance, lock-in status, ghost skin, your drainer/earner app counts (counts only — never the app names, icons, tokens, or usage data), friendships, invite codes, pending minute transfers, focus-room membership, your timer start/end times while a room is live, and the cosmetic gifts you've sent or received. We also store your email address — but only if you chose to share it with Apple at sign-in — used for support, billing receipts, and account recovery. If you block another user we store a row recording that block, so we can prevent them from re-adding you. When you enable push notifications, we also store an opaque Apple Push Notification Service (APNs) device token so we can deliver friend-activity and lock-in pings — it can only be used to send notifications to your device. If you add your Nora pass to Apple Wallet, we also store the pass serial number, the name and balance shown on the pass, and the registration token Apple Wallet gives us so we can push balance updates to your pass — all removed when you delete your account. We also record anonymous, first-party usage events (screen views, focus session start/end, shop opens, IAP purchases) tied to your user id for product analytics — retained for up to 90 days. No third-party analytics provider receives them. If you sign back in on a new device, we also hold an opaque backup of your time balance, stats, transaction history, preferences, and cosmetic inventory (with Apple's opaque app tokens removed; any labels you typed yourself remain) so you can restore your progress — we store it as-is, never parse its contents, and delete it when you delete your account.
Screen Time
If you grant Family Controls permission, Nora reads which of your selected apps are running so she can debit your balance and shield apps when you go into overdraft or hit a per-app limit. iOS never tells Nora what's on your screen or the contents of those apps. The derived balance is what gets synced for Friends — your raw Screen Time usage stays on this device.
Purchases
Pro subscriptions and Lifetime are sold through Apple's in-app purchase system; cosmetics are unlocked with earned minutes, not money — the one exception is gift cosmetics, which a friend can buy for you through Apple's in-app purchase system. Apple sends us a signed receipt (a JSON Web Signature) that we verify to grant your entitlement; it contains the product ID, transaction ID, and purchase environment but not your payment details. Apple — not Nora — handles billing, refunds, and your payment method. We never see or store your card.
Analytics & tracking
Nora has no third-party analytics, ads, or trackers. We don't use the Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA). We don't sell your data.
Sharing
We don't share your data with third parties. Friends and Focus Rooms only show your name, handle, balance, lock-in status, ghost skin, and drainer/earner counts to people you've connected with or invited into a room.
Your rights
You can edit your profile from Menu → Settings. Two destructive options live there: Reset account (Settings → Reset account) wipes your local balance and transactions but keeps your identity. Delete account (Settings → Profile → scroll to Danger zone → Delete account) permanently removes everything — local data, your server account, and all friend connections. If you'd like a copy of the data we hold for you, email us.
Managing & reporting friends
Long-press a row in Friends to remove someone, remove and block them, or report them to us. Remove drops the connection; the other person can still re-add you with a fresh code. Remove and block also records a directional block so neither side can re-add the other via invite or QR. Report opens a category sheet (harassment, spam, impersonation, inappropriate name, underage, other); reports land in our moderation queue and we review them promptly (typically within 24 hours), suspending accounts that violate the Terms.
Data retention
Server-side data is kept only while your account exists. When you delete your account, your profile, friendships, invite codes, pending transfers, and Apple Wallet pass records are erased within 30 days. Two narrow exceptions are kept for safety and to meet Apple's moderation requirement (Guideline 1.2): abuse reports you file or that name you, and a minimal account-deletion record (your opaque account id, the time, and whether Apple sign-in revocation succeeded). Both are retained so we can enforce our Terms and investigate abuse; neither contains Screen Time data, and once your account is gone they can't be tied back to your identity. Aggregated logs that can't be tied back to you (e.g. anonymous error counts) may be kept for up to 90 days for reliability.
Where data lives
Friends and Focus Rooms data is stored on our hosting provider's servers (Fly.io), which may process requests in data centres outside your country. We rely on standard contractual clauses for international transfers. If you'd like more detail, email us.
EU, UK & California rights
If you live in the EU, UK, or California, you have the right to access, correct, port, and delete the personal data we hold about you, and to lodge a complaint with your local data-protection authority (in the UK that's the ICO). To exercise any of these rights, email us at the address below — we'll respond within 30 days. We don't sell personal information, so no opt-out is required.
Website & waitlist
This policy covers the Nora app. Our homepage also lets you join a launch waitlist. If you submit that form, we store the email address you enter, plus your IP address and browser user-agent, so we can send you launch news and stop spam and abuse of the form. That waitlist data is held in our hosting provider's database (Cloudflare) separately from the app, is never used for advertising or sold, and is deleted on request — just email us.
Children
Nora isn't built specifically for young children, and we don't knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13 (the threshold set by US law). If you're a parent and believe a child under 13 has signed up, email us and we'll delete the account.
Changes
If we change this policy in a meaningful way, we'll notify you in the app before the change takes effect.
Contact
Questions? Email thenoraapp@gmail.com and we'll reply.