Better Tap — Privacy Policy
Last updated: 18 September 2026
Better Tap does not collect your data. This page explains what that means concretely.
What the app can see, and where it stays
App usage. Better Tap asks for Android's Usage access so it can notice when you open an app you chose to pause or block, and show you your own screen-time numbers. That information is read from your phone and processed on your phone. It is never transmitted anywhere — the app does not request the Android permission required to use the internet, so it could not send data even by accident. You can verify this yourself: the app's entry under Settings → Apps → Permissions lists no network access, and the claim can be checked with any manifest viewer.
Your settings and history. Which apps you pause, your affirmations, your schedules, and the weekly history the app keeps for you are stored in files on your device, readable only by the app.
Every permission the app asks for
This is the complete list. There are no others, and each one is checkable against the app's manifest.
| Usage access | Notice which app you have just opened, and measure your own time in the apps you chose. This is the permission the whole app is built on. |
|---|---|
| Display over other apps | Draw the pause or block screen over the app you opened. |
| Foreground service | Keep that detector running while your screen is on. |
| Notifications | The ongoing notification Android requires a foreground service to show. Optional — decline it and the app still works. |
| Run at startup | Turn protection back on after you restart your phone. |
| Billing | The optional one-time purchase, handled entirely by Google Play. |
What the app deliberately does not ask for: internet access, the permission to see every app installed on your phone, and any accessibility service. Screen-time apps often request that last one, because it can read what is on your screen. Better Tap declares no accessibility service at all, so it has no mechanism for reading your screen contents.
What leaves your device
Nothing, unless you carry it out yourself:
- The export file. Settings → Your data can write a backup file to a location you choose. That file is yours: the app does not see where you put it or send it anywhere. It deliberately does not contain your purchase entitlement.
- Android's automatic backup is switched off for this app, in both directions (cloud backup and device-to-device transfer). Your data does not go to your Google Drive backup. The export file above is the only copy that exists off the phone, and only if you make one.
Purchases and ratings
The optional purchase is a single payment — there is no subscription and nothing renews. It is processed entirely by Google Play. Better Tap never sees your payment details; it only learns from Play whether the purchase exists. If the app ever invites you to rate it, that dialog is Google Play's own. Google's handling of both is covered by Google Play's Terms of Service and Google's Privacy Policy.
What does not exist
No account. No sign-up. No analytics. No advertising. No tracking of any kind. No crash reporting service. The app contains no third-party SDK other than Google Play's billing and review libraries, neither of which is granted network permission by this app.
Children
Better Tap does not collect data from anyone, including children.
Changes
If a future version of the app ever changes any of the above — in particular, if it ever gains the ability to transmit data — this policy will be updated before that version ships, and the change will be stated in plain language, not buried.
Contact
Questions about this policy, or about the app: