Barriers
Privacy Policy
Barriers is built local-first: by default your information lives on your device and, if you enable it, in your own private iCloud account — we cannot see it. An optional online account is available only if you choose to sign in to share tasks with family; the app uses no advertising or analytics SDKs.
Who we are
Barriers is a product of IV Technologies Ltd, a company registered in England & Wales (company no. 17316561). IV Technologies Ltd is the data controller for the optional online account. In this policy, "we", "us", and "our" mean IV Technologies Ltd. You can reach us at support@ivtechnologies.uk.
Two ways to use Barriers
- On this device (default) — no account, no sign-in. Data stays on your device and, if enabled, your personal iCloud. We do not receive it.
- Online account (optional) — to share tasks with family members you sign in, and your family data is stored on our cloud backend. You can use the app fully without ever choosing this.
What you put in the app
- Tasks — titles, notes, deadlines, completion status, optional attached photos.
- Finance — income, outgoings, expenses, savings figures and your chosen currency.
- Receipts — photos you scan, plus vendor, amount, date and category.
- App lock — a 4–6 digit PIN (stored only as a salted, irreversible hash) and your biometric preference.
Where it is stored
- On your device — standard iOS/macOS local storage (UserDefaults) plus the app's sandboxed files for images.
- In your iCloud (optional) — if iCloud is enabled, text data syncs through Apple's iCloud Key‑Value store and backups/images through the app's private iCloud Documents container. This stays inside your Apple account; we never see it. Sync keeps your iPhone, iPad and the companion Mac app in step.
Online account (optional)
If you create or join a family, you sign in with Apple, Google, or an email one‑time code. Authentication and storage for this feature are provided by Supabase, our third‑party cloud processor. When you use an online account we store, on that backend:
- Your account identifier and, where provided, email and a display name you choose. Sign in with Apple uses a private relay address; we store your display name, not a real email.
- Your family membership and role.
- Family tasks you create, are assigned, accept, complete or decline — heading, description, deadline, status, which member assigned or completed them, and any short note you attach when declining.
- Any photo you attach to a family task, stored on the backend so other members of that family can see it.
- A push notification device token for each device you sign in on, so family events (a new task, an acceptance, a nudge) can reach you as notifications. The token is an anonymous identifier issued by Apple; it is deleted when it stops working and is used for nothing else.
- If you link Alexa, a pairing code and any voice‑added tasks awaiting import.
Family data you create or are assigned is visible to members of that family. You are responsible for who you invite. This data is transmitted over HTTPS and held by Supabase on your behalf; it is not sold, rented, or used for advertising.
Third-party services
Depending on the features you use, data may be processed by Apple (App Store, iCloud, Sign in with Apple, Speech, Vision, payments), Supabase (online‑account authentication and storage), Google (only if you choose Google sign‑in), and Amazon Alexa (only if you link it). Each is governed by its own privacy policy; we are not responsible for their independent practices.
What leaves your device
- Currency rates — to convert foreign amounts, the app makes an anonymous HTTPS request for public reference rates from
open.er-api.com. No personal or financial data is sent. - Speech‑to‑text — voice task dictation is handled by Apple's Speech Recognition (governed by Apple's privacy policy). Receipt/document OCR runs on‑device via Apple's Vision framework.
- In‑app purchase — the one‑time unlock is processed by Apple; we never receive your payment details.
Aside from the optional online account described above, that is the complete list.
Device permissions (requested only when used)
- Camera & Photos — scan receipts/documents and attach images.
- Microphone & Speech Recognition — dictate tasks.
- Face ID / Touch ID — unlock the app.
- Notifications — reminders and family‑assignment alerts.
You may decline or revoke any permission in system Settings; the related feature simply turns off.
Purchases & subscriptions
Barriers is free to use. Finance and Receipts unlock with a single one‑time purchase. Sharing tasks with a family is an optional subscription — one member subscribes and everyone they invite joins free. All purchases, subscriptions and restores are handled entirely by the App Store; we never receive your payment details.
Your control & deletion
- Export a full backup any time (Settings → Data).
- Deleting the app removes on‑device data. To remove synced data, delete it from iCloud (Settings → [your name] → iCloud → Manage Storage).
- Online account — leave a family in Settings to stop sharing. To delete your account and associated family data from our backend, follow the steps on Delete your account & data.
Children
Barriers is not directed at children under 13 and is not intended for their use.
Changes
We may update this policy; material changes will appear here.