Legal
Privacy Policy
Last updated October 26, 2026
1. Introduction
Shoko is a productivity app that helps you stay focused. It locks apps you choose until you finish a task, pass a quiz or show progress on a goal.
This policy explains what information Shoko handles, where it goes and what control you have over it. Shoko has no accounts, so there is no sign-up, email address or password tied to you on our servers.
2. Information We Handle
2.1 What you submit for verification
When you use a session, you may provide:
- Task descriptions, goals and what counts as "done"
- Photos you take or choose from your library
- Notes you write as proof of your work
- Study material, including text read from files you add (for example PDFs)
This content is sent for AI processing only when a quiz is created or your work is checked (see Section 4). It is not stored on our servers.
2.2 Information kept only on your device
The following stays on your device and is never sent to us:
- The name you enter for the greeting
- Your answers to the setup questions during onboarding
- Your session history, streaks, daily goal and milestone progress
- Your app and theme settings
- Your emergency unlock password. It is stored as a salted hash in your device's secure Keychain, never as plain text.
Deleting the app removes this information. The emergency unlock password and the device identifier described in Section 2.4 are kept in the iOS Keychain, and iOS may keep them after the app is deleted.
2.3 Screen Time
Shoko uses Apple's Screen Time APIs to lock the apps you choose.
- Apple gives Shoko only anonymous tokens for the apps you pick. We cannot see app names, your app usage or anything you do inside other apps.
- We do not collect or track your app usage.
- You control what is locked, and you can revoke Screen Time access in iOS Settings at any time.
2.4 Subscription information
To check whether you have an active subscription and to apply its usage limits, our server stores:
- A random identifier created by the app on your device. It is not linked to your name, Apple ID or email address.
- Your Apple subscription details: the original transaction ID, the product, plan level, expiry date and status
- A count of how many AI requests of each type (task check, quiz, goal check) were made each month
- A count of how many second looks (see Section 4) were used each day
Payment is handled entirely by Apple. We never see your payment details or your Apple ID.
2.5 Technical data
We do not use analytics, advertising or tracking tools.
Our server keeps limited technical logs: which AI model answered, how long it took, token counts and error messages. These logs do not include the content you submitted. Like any internet service, our hosting provider processes your IP address in order to deliver requests.
If you contact support by email, we receive whatever you include in the message, such as your app version and device model.
3. How We Use Information
We use information only to:
- Run focus sessions and lock the apps you choose
- Create quizzes and check your work with AI
- Confirm your subscription and apply its usage limits
- Fix problems and keep the app working reliably
- Reply to you when you contact us
We do not sell your data. We do not use it for advertising or to build profiles about you.
4. AI Features
Shoko uses AI to create quizzes, check photos of completed tasks and review evidence for your goals.
You are asked first. Nothing is sent for AI processing until you allow it in the app. You can turn this off at any time in Settings › Privacy › Share with AI. Sessions can't start while it is off, because they can't be verified.
How it works:
- Your submission is sent securely (encrypted in transit) to our server, which forwards it to OpenRouter, an AI routing service.
- OpenRouter sends it to an AI model. The model is usually from Anthropic (Claude). If that model is unavailable, a model from OpenAI is used instead.
- The AI's answer comes back to the app. We do not store your photos, notes or study material on our servers.
- Second look: if a check doesn't pass, you can ask for a second look. The same submission is sent again and reviewed from scratch by an Anthropic model. A second look is never sent to OpenAI.
What is sent: the photos, goal text, completion criteria, notes and study material for that request.
What is not sent to AI providers: your name, Apple ID, device identifier or which apps you lock. The device identifier goes only to our own server, to apply your subscription's limits.
Under their API terms, these providers do not use API data to train their models by default. They may keep it for a limited period, typically up to 30 days, for safety and abuse monitoring. Their own privacy policies describe how they handle data:
- OpenRouter: openrouter.ai/privacy
- Anthropic: www.anthropic.com/legal/privacy
- OpenAI: openai.com/policies/privacy-policy
5. Service Providers
We share data only with the services needed to run Shoko:
| Provider | Purpose | Data |
|---|---|---|
| Supabase | Hosts our server and subscription database | Device identifier, subscription details, usage counts, technical logs |
| OpenRouter | Routes AI requests | Content you submit for verification |
| Anthropic, OpenAI | AI models that create quizzes and check your work | Content you submit for verification |
| Apple | App Store, subscriptions and Screen Time | Handled under Apple's privacy policy |
We may also disclose information if the law requires it.
6. Data Retention
- On your device: kept until you delete it or delete the app.
- Content you submit for AI: not stored by us. AI providers may keep it for a limited time as described in Section 4.
- Subscription records and usage counts: kept while your subscription is active and afterwards for as long as needed for billing, accounting and legal purposes.
- Technical logs: kept for a limited time by our hosting provider, then deleted.
7. Security
All data sent between the app and our server is encrypted with HTTPS. Subscriptions are verified with Apple's signed transaction data. The emergency unlock password and device identifier are stored in the iOS Keychain. No method of storage or transmission is completely secure, but we work to protect your information.
8. Your Choices and Rights
You can:
- Turn AI sharing off in Settings › Privacy at any time
- Revoke Screen Time, camera, photo library or notification access in iOS Settings
- Clear your session history in the app, or delete the app to remove all data stored on your device
- Cancel your subscription in your Apple ID settings
- Contact us to ask about, access or delete the subscription records we hold
Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct or delete your personal information, or to object to how it is used. Email us and we will respond within a reasonable time. Because there are no accounts, we may ask you for details, such as your subscription's purchase date, to find your records.
9. Children's Privacy
Shoko is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13. If we learn that a child under 13 has provided personal information, we will take steps to delete it.
10. International Users
Our service providers may process data in the United States and other countries. By using Shoko, you understand that your information may be processed outside your country, where data protection laws may differ.
11. Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we will change the date at the top. If the changes are significant, such as a change in where your data is sent, we will also tell you in the app.
12. Contact
Questions or requests: support.shoko@gmail.com