Privacy Policy
Last updated 13 August 2026 · Effective 13 August 2026
The Pause is a small app that puts one breath between you and the scroll. It is built to need almost nothing from you. There are no accounts, no advertising, no third-party analytics or tracking SDKs, and nothing is ever sold or shared for marketing.
The short version
The Pause has no sign-up and never asks for your name, email, or phone number. It records a small, anonymous count of completed breaths so it can show your streak and the community total. That record is tied to a random ID, not to you. It is never sold, never used for advertising, and you can have it deleted at any time by emailing us.
1. Who we are
The Pause ("the app", "we", "us") is an iPhone app published by Todd Toso. For anything in this policy, contact hello@trythepauseapp.com.
2. What we collect
We collect only what the app needs in order to work. Here is the complete list.
| What | Why | Where it lives |
|---|---|---|
| An anonymous ID | Created automatically on first launch so your streak and pause count can persist. It is a random identifier. It is not linked to your name, email, Apple ID, or device advertising ID. | Our database (Supabase) |
| Completed pauses | Each time you finish a breath, we record that one happened, when, and which kind it was — a standard pause, a wind-down pause, or a doorway pause. This powers your streak, your daily count, and the community total. | Our database (Supabase) |
| Which app a doorway breath was for | When a breath happens at the doorway of an app you set up, the record includes that app's name (for example Instagram) so we can understand which doorways people actually use. It does not include anything you did inside that app. | Our database (Supabase) |
| Streak and last pause date | To show your current streak. | Our database + your device |
| Interest in a locked theme | If you tap a premium theme, we record which one, to gauge interest. Nothing else. | Our database (Supabase) |
| Your settings | Your chosen theme, breath length, haptics and notification preferences, and which apps you've set up a doorway for. | Your device only |
What we do not collect
- No name, email address, phone number, or Apple ID.
- No advertising identifier (IDFA), and no App Tracking Transparency prompt, because we do not track you.
- No location data.
- No contacts, photos, microphone, camera, or health data.
- No browsing history, and nothing at all about what you do inside Instagram, TikTok, or any other app. The Pause only ever knows that a doorway breath happened before one opened.
- No third-party analytics, advertising, or crash-reporting SDKs are embedded in the app.
3. How the doorway works, and why it is private
The doorway is built on Apple's Shortcuts app. You create an automation that runs The Pause's "Breathe before opening" action when a chosen app opens. That automation lives on your iPhone and is run by iOS.
The Pause has no ability to see, monitor, or control your other apps. It is not a screen-time or content blocker, it does not use Apple's Screen Time API, and it never receives a report of your app usage. It is simply handed a cue by Shortcuts saying "this app is opening" — and it shows you a breath.
4. Notifications
If you turn them on, The Pause can send you a gentle daily invitation to take a pause. These are local notifications, scheduled and delivered entirely by your iPhone. No notification data leaves your device, and we do not use push notifications or marketing messages. You can turn them off in the app or in iOS Settings at any time.
5. Who processes our data
We use one third-party service provider:
- Supabase — hosts the database that stores the anonymous records described above. They process this data on our behalf as our service provider and do not use it for their own purposes. See supabase.com/privacy.
Separately, Apple provides us with aggregate, anonymised App Store statistics (such as how many people installed the app). We cannot identify individuals from it, and it is governed by Apple's own privacy policy. If you buy the premium unlock, the payment is handled entirely by Apple — we never see your payment details.
We do not sell your data, we do not share it with advertisers or data brokers, and we do not use it to build advertising profiles. We may disclose data only if legally required to do so.
6. How long we keep it
Pause records are kept while the app remains in use, so that streaks and totals stay accurate. Because the records are anonymous, they cannot be traced back to you personally. You can ask us to delete everything tied to your anonymous ID at any time (see below). Deleting the app from your iPhone removes all settings stored on your device.
7. Your choices and rights
- Delete your data. Email hello@trythepauseapp.com and we will delete the records associated with your anonymous ID. Because there is no account, please send the request from the device where you use the app and tell us roughly when you started using it, so we can find the right record.
- Ask what we hold. Email the same address and we will tell you.
- Stop all collection. Delete the app. Nothing further is recorded.
- Turn off notifications. In the app's settings, or in iOS Settings → Notifications.
Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights under laws such as the GDPR (UK/EU) or the CCPA (California) — including the right to access, correct, delete, or port your data, and to complain to your local data protection authority. We honour these requests for everyone, regardless of location. We do not sell or "share" personal information as those terms are defined by the CCPA.
Where the GDPR applies, our lawful basis for processing the anonymous usage records is our legitimate interest in operating and improving the app. Data may be processed on servers outside your country, including in the United States, under appropriate safeguards.
8. Children
The Pause is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact us and we will delete it.
9. Security
Data is transmitted over encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS) and stored on Supabase's managed infrastructure with access restricted to us. No system is perfectly secure, but the amount of data we hold is deliberately tiny and anonymous, which limits what could ever be exposed.
10. Changes to this policy
If we change this policy we will update the date at the top of this page. If a change is significant, we will note it in the app or on this website. Continuing to use The Pause after a change means you accept the updated policy.
11. Contact
Questions, requests, or concerns: hello@trythepauseapp.com — the same address handles privacy requests and general support, and it reaches a person, not a queue.