Last updated: 26 August 2026
No data collection
Zen Focus Lock has no account, no analytics, no ad network, and makes no network requests of any kind. Every setting and session record it keeps — your duration, allowed apps, and session history — is stored only in this app's private local storage on your device. Nothing is ever sent anywhere, and nothing is shared with any third party.
What the Accessibility permission is used for
Zen Focus Lock uses Android's Accessibility service mainly to detect which app is in the foreground, so it can show a restriction screen in place of apps you didn't allow during an active session — this only needs window-change events, not screen content. It additionally detects interaction (tapping play/pause/next, seeking, etc.) inside a floating (Picture-in-Picture) window belonging to a restricted app during a session, so it can return you to the lock screen instead of letting that video keep playing over it. This is the one case where it reads window content, and only for that floating window — it never reads the content of any other app's screen, never reads form contents or typed text, and never collects, stores, or transmits anything it reads.
How call state is detected
Zen Focus Lock listens for the system's call-state broadcast to detect whether a call is ringing or active, so it can guarantee it never blocks or interferes with incoming calls or the in-call screen. This does not require the READ_PHONE_STATE permission and never accesses your phone number, call log, or contacts.
What the Usage Access permission is used for
Zen Balance (and the Awareness screen) use Android's Usage Access permission to read how many minutes each app has been on screen — nothing else. The Awareness screen can show this for today, the past week, or the past month, but in every case it's only ever screen-on time, never what's inside an app. Usage totals are computed on the fly from Android's own records and are not stored or transmitted anywhere by this app.
Audio during Zen Balance
When a Zen Balance app goes over its session limit, this app claims audio focus to stop that app's music or video from continuing to play in the background — the same standard Android mechanism any media app already listens for (e.g. a phone call interrupting music). This only affects playback in the exact moment a limit is reached; audio focus is released as soon as the intervention screen closes.
Optional floating status bubble
If you separately grant "Display over other apps" (Android's own special permission, not a normal one — it's granted from Settings, and Zen Focus Lock never assumes it's on), a small floating bubble can appear over a restricted app's Picture-in-Picture window (e.g. a YouTube Short) showing your remaining time, with a tap to return to the app. This is entirely optional and purely informational — it has no enforcement power of its own, and every restriction still works fully whether or not you grant it.
"Turn off floating video" shortcut
The first time a restricted app's Picture-in-Picture video is detected, the lock screen offers a one-time button that opens that app's own Picture-in-Picture setting in Android Settings — this only opens the screen; it cannot change that app's settings for you, only you can, by confirming it there yourself. Zen Focus Lock has no partnership or affiliation with any app named here (e.g. YouTube) — it's just naming which app's settings screen the button opens.
Payment apps, outgoing calls, social media, games, entertainment, shopping, food delivery, and browsers
During Zen Lock or Sleep Mode, payment apps, outgoing calls (via your device's default Phone app), social media apps, games, entertainment apps (YouTube, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar, Pinterest, and other video-streaming/OTT apps), shopping apps, food delivery apps, quick-commerce/grocery apps, and web browsers are always restricted — there's no way to allow any of these, even individually. Zen Focus Lock only controls whether these apps can be opened; it never reads, stores, or otherwise interacts with any payment credentials, PINs, OTPs, transactions, social media content, game progress, purchases, orders, or browsing history.
What always stays available
Incoming calls, emergency calling, your Camera app, and any Calendar, Calculator, or Clock app are always reachable, regardless of what's running or which mode is active. You can uninstall Zen Focus Lock or revoke any of its permissions at any time from Android Settings — the app never prevents this.
Ads and payments to end a session early
The "watch ads" and "pay to unlock" options shown when ending a session early are self-imposed friction, not a discount or reward — they exist to make quitting early cost some effort. The ad option is a placeholder in this build: no ad network is integrated yet. The payment option is processed entirely through Google Play Billing — this app never sees or stores your card, UPI, or account details; Google handles the transaction and the app only learns whether it succeeded. Letting the timer finish on its own is always free and instant.
Temporary "watch an ad" unlock
During any active session, watching one placeholder ad unlocks every app for 5 minutes without ending the session — capped at 2 uses per rolling hour so it can't be chained to defeat the session entirely. Like the early-exit ad option, no real ad network is integrated in this build yet.
Zen Premium subscription
Zen Premium is a recurring subscription (monthly or yearly) processed entirely through Google Play Billing — this app never sees or stores your card, UPI, or account details. Prices are set and localized to your country by Google Play. Premium removes the ad requirement from the two unlock mechanics above (still capped the same as for everyone else) — it does not change what data this app collects, since it collects none. Manage or cancel your subscription any time from Google Play's own subscriptions page.
Known limitations
Outgoing-call restriction only applies to your device's default Phone app; calls placed from other apps (e.g. VoIP or messaging apps) cannot be blocked without enterprise device-management enrollment, which this app does not use. Camera access is allowed at the whole-app level only — it cannot be limited to just photo-taking, since doing so would require reading on-screen content, which this app deliberately never does.
Changes to this policy
If this app's behavior changes in a way that affects your privacy, this page will be updated to match before that change ships.
Contact
Questions about this policy can be sent to support@sarvixbyte.com.