HoldoutPrivacy policy
The short version
- No email, phone number or password is needed to use the app. Your phone makes its own key and that is your account.
- During a holdout the app checks which app comes to the front, on your phone, to decide whether to cover it. That never leaves your phone.
- The server keeps only what your squad needs to see: your display name and color, your squads, and what happened in each holdout.
- No ads, no analytics or tracking SDKs, no data sold or shared for advertising.
- Delete everything in the app any time. Accounts unused for 180 days are deleted automatically.
What we collect and why
| Data | Why | Kept |
|---|---|---|
| Your phone's public key and an ID derived from it | To check that requests really come from your phone (no passwords exist) | Until you delete or 180 days unused |
| Display name and spark color you choose | So your squad knows who's who | Same |
| Squads you create or join, their names and invite codes | The core feature | Until the last member leaves |
| Holdout events: started, joined, escaped, ended early, held, with times | Your squad's streak, history and share cards | With the squad; your name is removed if you delete your account |
| Sparks, skins, plan reminders | Rewards and reminders | Until you delete |
| Holdout+ purchase: product, expiry, and a one-way hash of Google's purchase token | To confirm your purchase with Google Play | Until you delete |
| Reports and blocks you make | Safety and moderation | Until resolved or you delete |
| Beta sign-up email (website only, with your consent) | To send the beta invite and launch news | Until you ask, or 30 days after public launch |
| A daily, salted hash of your IP address | Rate limiting against abuse. The IP itself is never stored | Minutes to one hour |
What stays on your phone
The list of apps you choose to keep closed, which app is in front during a holdout, your settings, and the private half of your key (held in Android's secure keystore, never exportable). The app turns off Android backup so none of this is copied off your phone.
The Accessibility Service
Holdout asks you to turn on an Android Accessibility Service, with a full explanation first. It listens only for "a different app came to the front" and reads only that app's package name. It cannot read your screen, your messages or what you type (it is configured without access to window content). It does nothing outside a holdout you started or joined. Your squad learns only that you ended a holdout, never which app you opened.
Who processes data for us
- Cloudflare, Inc. hosts the app's server and database and this website. Data may be processed in Canada, the United States or elsewhere where Cloudflare operates.
- Google LLC processes Holdout+ payments through Google Play. We never see your card or Google account details.
We do not sell personal information and do not share it for cross-context advertising.
Your rights
Under Canada's PIPEDA, and laws such as the GDPR and California's CCPA where they apply, you can ask to access, correct or delete your data, and to withdraw consent. Most of this is built in: edit your name in the app, and use Settings › Delete my data to erase your account immediately. For anything else, or to remove a beta email, write to us below. We answer within 30 days. You can also complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada or your local authority.
Children
Holdout is not directed to children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect their data. If you believe a child under 13 is using it, contact us and we will delete the account.
Security
Every request is signed by a key that never leaves your phone and expires after 5 minutes, so it can't be replayed. Traffic is HTTPS only. The server stores no passwords, no IP addresses and no purchase tokens in readable form, and inputs are strictly validated. If we ever learn of a breach affecting you, we will notify you and the regulator as the law requires.
Changes
We'll post changes here with a new date, and tell you in the app if they matter.
Contact
Gautam Khosla, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada · developwith.gt@gmail.com