Blackout Solo - Privacy Policy (iOS)

Last updated: 21 September 2026

Blackout Technologies Limited ("Blackout", "we" or "us") provides the Blackout Solo mobile application for iOS ("Solo" or the "App"). Blackout is a company registered at 6th Floor Capital Tower, 91 Waterloo Road, London, United Kingdom, SE1 8RT with company number 10437246.

Solo lets you set your own rules for when apps on your iPhone or iPad are blocked. Unlike the Blackout Platform used by schools, fleets and employers, Solo has no organisation behind it and no Blackout server. You are the only person who decides what is blocked and when.

For the purposes of data protection law, Blackout is the data controller for the small amount of information described in this policy. This policy applies to Solo only. For how we handle personal data in the Blackout Platform, on our website, or in other contexts, please see our other privacy policies or contact us at info@blackout-technologies.com.

Please read this policy carefully. By using Solo, you accept the practices described here.

• Solo has no account, no sign-up and no Blackout server. We do not know who you are.
• Your blocking rules, schedules and chosen apps are stored on your device and never sent to Blackout.
• The App does not see which apps you use, for how long, or what you do inside them.
• Nothing leaves your device unless you switch on diagnostics: crash reports and anonymous usage statistics, sent to Google Firebase under a random installation identifier. One switch covers both, and if you leave it off the App sends nothing at all.
• We do not sell personal data, use it for advertising, or share it for third-party marketing.

Solo does not ask you to create an account and does not ask for your name, email address or phone number. Everything you set up in the App is stored on your device and is not sent to Blackout.

• Your blocking rules. The apps, app categories and websites you choose to block, and the schedules or conditions that switch blocking on and off. Apple's Screen Time framework gives the App opaque tokens for the apps you select, not their names, so the App itself cannot see or report which apps you have chosen.
• Your settings and preferences, such as whether diagnostics are enabled.
• Block counts. The App may keep a count of how often the blocking screen has been shown so it can show you your own progress. This count is not linked to any particular app and stays on your device.

Solo requests the following permissions. Revoking a permission may stop part of the App from working.

• Screen Time. We use Apple's Screen Time API to block the apps and websites you choose. We do not gather data about which apps you use, how long you use them, or what you do inside them.
• Location (only if you create a location-based rule). If you choose to block apps when you are in a particular place, the App uses Location Services and the name of the Wi-Fi network you are connected to, on your device, to decide whether you are inside that zone. The App does not keep a history of where you have been, does not track your location in real time, and never sends location data to Blackout or anyone else.
• Notifications. Used for reminders you schedule, such as a warning before a block starts. These are local notifications created on your device. No notification data is collected.

If you back up your device to iCloud or to a computer, the App's data is included in that backup. Backups are controlled by Apple and are covered by Apple's privacy policy, not this one.

Solo uses two services from Google's Firebase platform. These are the only services the App sends information to. Google processes this information on our behalf under the Firebase Data Processing and Security Terms.

Firebase Crashlytics (crash reporting). If you have switched diagnostics on and the App crashes or hits an error, Crashlytics sends us a report so we can fix it. A report contains:

• a random Crashlytics installation identifier and Firebase installation ID, generated for your copy of the App;
• the crash trace and the state of the App at the time, including short diagnostic log lines written by the App;
• your device model, operating system version, CPU architecture, free memory and disk space, orientation, and whether the device was jailbroken;
• the App version and the time of the crash.

We do not attach your name, an email address or any account identifier to crash reports, because Solo has none. Crash reports do not include your blocking rules or the apps you have selected.

Google Analytics for Firebase (usage statistics). If you switch usage statistics on, Analytics tells us how the App is used in aggregate, for example how many people set up a schedule or which screens are visited most. For this, Google collects:

• a random app instance identifier and Apple's identifier for vendor (IDFV);
• events describing actions in the App, such as "rule created" or "block started", and the screens you open. Events do not include the names of the apps or websites you block;
• your device model, operating system version, App version, language, and time zone;
• a coarse location (country and city), which Google derives from your IP address and then discards. For users in the UK, EU and Switzerland, Google does not log or store the IP address.

The App does not include Apple's advertising framework, so Google never receives your advertising identifier (IDFA), and we do not use Analytics data for advertising.

Crash reporting and usage statistics are off unless you turn them on. The App asks you once, when you first open it, and a single diagnostics switch in the App's settings covers both, so you can change your answer at any time.

For more detail on how Google handles this information, see Privacy and Security in Firebase.

We only use the information described above when data protection law allows us to. We use it to:

• find and fix crashes and errors in the App;
• understand how the App is used in aggregate, so we can decide what to improve;
• respond to you if you contact us for support;
• enforce our terms of service; and
• comply with legal obligations.

Our legal basis for crash reporting and usage statistics is your consent, given when you switch diagnostics on. Nothing is collected until you do, and you can withdraw your consent at any time in the App's settings, which stops collection from that point. The information is held under random identifiers, is not combined with anything that identifies you, and is not used for advertising or profiling.

If you email us, we use your email address and message to reply to you, on the basis of our legitimate interest in providing support.

We do not make decisions about you by automated means, and we do not use your information to build a profile of you.

Blackout does not operate any server for Solo. The crash reports and usage statistics described above are stored by Google on Firebase infrastructure, which may be located outside the United Kingdom and the European Economic Area, including in the United States. Google is our processor and may only use this information to provide the Firebase services to us.

Where information is transferred outside the UK or EEA, we rely on Google's certification under the EU-U.S. and UK Extension to the Data Privacy Framework and on the standard contractual clauses and UK International Data Transfer Addendum included in Google's data processing terms. Contact us at info@blackout-technologies.com if you would like more information about these safeguards.

We may also share information:

• with any member of our group, meaning our subsidiaries, our ultimate holding company and its subsidiaries, for the purposes set out in this policy;
• with law enforcement agencies, public authorities or other organisations if legally required to do so, or if we have a good faith belief that it is reasonably necessary to comply with a legal obligation, enforce our terms of service, detect or address security, fraud or technical issues, or protect the rights, property or safety of us, our users, a third party or the public; and
• with a prospective buyer or seller if we sell or buy any business or assets, or if we sell, merge or partner with another business. In such transactions, user information may be among the transferred assets.

We do not sell personal data, and we do not share it with advertising networks or for third-party marketing.

• On your device. Your rules, settings and block counts stay on your device until you change them, delete the App, or erase the device. Deleting the App removes them.
• Crash reports. Google keeps crash traces and the identifiers attached to them for 90 days, then begins removing them from live and backup systems.
• Usage statistics. Google keeps event-level and user-level Analytics data for no longer than 14 months. After that, only aggregated reports that do not identify any individual device remain.
• Support emails. If you contact us, we keep your message for as long as needed to deal with your request and for a reasonable period afterwards in case you follow up.

• Turn diagnostics on or off. Crash reporting and usage statistics are off unless you switch them on. One switch in the App's settings covers both, and collection stops as soon as you switch it off.
• Delete your data on the device. Deleting the App removes all rules, settings and counts stored on your device.
• Data rights. In certain circumstances, you have the right to access a copy of the personal data we hold about you, to have inaccurate data corrected, to receive it in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format, to object to our processing, and to request its deletion. You can exercise these rights by contacting us at info@blackout-technologies.com.

Because crash reports and usage statistics are held under random identifiers that are not linked to your name, email address or any account, we usually cannot find the data belonging to a particular person. If you contact us, we will explain what is and is not possible and help where we can.

• Consent. Where we rely on your consent, you can withdraw it at any time in the App's settings. This does not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before you withdrew it.
• Complaints. If you wish to complain about how we process your personal data, please contact us first at info@blackout-technologies.com and we will deal with your request as soon as possible. You also have the right to complain to your data protection authority. In the United Kingdom, this is the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at https://ico.org.uk.

Solo is designed for people who want to manage their own screen time. It is not intended for children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe a child under 13 is using the App, please contact us and we will help remove any related information. Parents looking to manage a child's device should use Apple's built-in Screen Time and Family Sharing features.

Information stored on your device is protected by iOS's built-in app sandboxing and device encryption, and by the passcode or biometric lock you set on your device. Information sent to Google Firebase is encrypted in transit. Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure. Although we and Google have put in place appropriate measures to prevent information from being accidentally lost, used or accessed in an unauthorised way, we cannot guarantee the security of information transmitted from the App; any transmission is at your own risk.

Any changes we make to this policy will be posted on this page, and the date at the top will be updated. If we make a material change, such as sending new categories of information off the device, we will tell you in the App before the change takes effect. Please check back from time to time.

Questions, comments and requests regarding this policy are welcome and should be addressed to info@blackout-technologies.com, or by post to Blackout Technologies Limited, 6th Floor Capital Tower, 91 Waterloo Road, London, SE1 8RT, United Kingdom.