morsebits
This policy explains how the Thumbsight app for Android ("Thumbsight", "the app") handles your information. Thumbsight is made by Morsebits ("we", "us", "our"). It covers only the app. Our website has its own privacy policy.
The short version
- Everything stays on your phone. Thumbsight works out your counts, topics and patterns on the device and stores them there. Nothing is sent to us or anyone else.
- We collect nothing. There is no account, no server, no ads, no analytics and no tracking. We can't see your data, even if we wanted to.
- It only looks inside short-video apps. It reads the screen only in supported short-video apps, and steps aside when a payment or bank app opens.
- It never stores what anyone says. Captions are used to guess a topic and then thrown away. Chat and call stats are off by default and keep counts only.
- You're in control. Back up to a file you own, or delete everything with one tap.
1. Who we are
Morsebits is the developer of Thumbsight and is responsible for this policy. You can reach us about privacy at privacy@morsebits.com.
Because Thumbsight processes your data only on your device and never sends it to us, we don't receive, hold or control your app data. You do.
2. What Thumbsight reads and keeps on your phone
To count reels and show you useful patterns, the app creates the following records. All of them are stored in the app's private storage on your phone, which other apps can't read.
| Data | Why | What's kept |
|---|---|---|
| Reel and Short views | Count each reel you swipe to, live and over time. | Time of each view, which app it was in, how long you watched. |
| Captions and hashtags | Guess the topic of a reel (comedy, fitness, tech and so on). | Only the topic. The caption text is discarded right after. |
| Creator names and profile pictures | Show the creators who hold your attention longest. | The creator's public display name and profile picture, as shown on screen. |
| Reel labels | Count AI-made reels, paid partnerships and reels pushed by friends' likes and reposts. | Which label a reel had. Not who liked or reposted it. |
| Instagram stories | Count the stories you view. | Number of stories and the display name of who posted them. |
| Short vs long-form time | Compare time on reels with time on full-length videos. | Minutes in each format, per app. |
| Phone usage | Build your Thumbscore and day story, and compare social and productive apps. | Screen time per app, pickups and phone-free breaks. |
| Things you enter | Run your goals, limits and check-ins. | Mood check-ins, to-dos, intents, topic limits, schedules, detox progress and badges, and reels you save to your learning list. |
| Chat and call stats (off by default) | Show "beyond reels" stats if you turn them on. | Counts, times and contact display names only. Never message or call content. |
Thumbsight does not read or store passwords, payment details, your messages, your photos, your contacts list or your precise location.
3. Permissions and why we ask for them
Before asking for any permission, the app shows a plain-language walkthrough explaining what it will read and why. You can refuse or withdraw any permission in Android's settings at any time. Features that need it will stop working, and the rest of the app carries on.
| Permission | What it's used for |
|---|---|
| Accessibility service (required for counting) | Notice when you swipe to a new reel, and read the on-screen caption, creator name and labels of that reel. See section 4. |
| Display over other apps | Show the live counter pill, nudges, break screens and Focus Play gates on top of short-video apps. |
| Usage access | Measure screen time, pickups and time per app for your Thumbscore and the social vs productive breakdown. |
| Notifications | Send reminders such as bedtime nudges, detox program check-ins and challenge results. |
| Notification access (optional, off by default) | Count messages and spot Snapchat streak alerts, if you turn on chat stats. Message text is never stored. |
| Call log (optional, off by default) | Count calls and their length, if you turn on call stats. |
4. How we use the Accessibility service
Android's Accessibility service is the only way an app can notice when you swipe to a new reel in another app. Because it's powerful, here is exactly how Thumbsight uses it:
- Only in supported short-video apps: Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Snapchat, Moj, Josh, Chingari and popular YouTube builds. In every other app, Thumbsight ignores what's on screen.
- Only to read, never to act. It never taps, skips, likes, comments, follows or blocks anything in another app. It only shows its own screens on top.
- Pauses for payments. When a payment, banking or wallet app opens, Thumbsight stops reading the screen until you leave it.
- Processed on the device. What it reads is turned into counts and topics on your phone. Raw screen content is never stored or sent anywhere.
- Not used to help people with disabilities. Thumbsight is not an accessibility tool. It uses this service only for the digital wellbeing features described here.
You can turn the service off any time in Android's Settings, under Accessibility. Reel counting stops, and your existing history stays until you delete it.
5. What we collect
Nothing. Thumbsight has no account and no server, and it doesn't include advertising, analytics or tracking code from us or anyone else. We never receive your app data, and we don't sell, rent or share it, because we don't have it.
Google Play, which delivers the app, may collect information such as your device type, installs and crash reports under Google's privacy policy. Google Play may show us anonymous, combined crash and performance statistics. They don't include your Thumbsight history.
6. Sharing you choose
Some features let you share something. Nothing is shared until you tap share, and you see what will be sent first.
- Weekly challenge codes. A code holds only your reel total for the week, so friends can compare scores. You send it yourself, in whatever app you like.
- Accountability buddy and Wrapped cards. These are images of your summary that you share through Android's share menu, for example to WhatsApp. Once sent, the app you share to handles them under its own privacy policy.
- Buddy lock. A friend sets a code that locks stricter rules. The code is stored only on your phone.
7. Backups
You can export your Thumbsight data to a backup file and save it wherever you choose, such as your phone's storage or your own cloud drive. We don't receive a copy. Anyone who has the file can read your history, so keep it somewhere safe. Restoring a backup reads it back into the app on your phone.
8. Keeping and deleting your data
- Your history stays on your phone until you delete it.
- Delete everything: Settings › Delete all data removes every record from the app in one tap.
- Uninstalling Thumbsight also removes all of its data from your phone. Backup files you exported are not touched, so delete them separately if you want.
- You can also clear the app's storage from Android's app settings.
9. Security
Your data lives in the app's private storage, protected by Android's app sandbox and your phone's lock screen and encryption. Because nothing leaves your device, there's no server for anyone to break into. Keep your phone locked and up to date to keep your data safe.
10. Children
Thumbsight is not directed at children under 13 and is intended for users who are old enough to use the short-video apps it works with. Because the app collects no personal information, we don't knowingly collect information from children. If you're a parent with questions, email us.
11. Your rights
Depending on where you live, laws such as the GDPR, the UK GDPR, India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act and the California Consumer Privacy Act give you rights to access, correct, delete and port your data, and to object to its use. With Thumbsight you can exercise all of them yourself: view your data in the app, export it to a file, and delete it at any time. Since we hold none of your app data, there's nothing for us to hand over or delete on our side. If you have a question or complaint, contact us below. You can also contact your local data protection authority.
12. Google Play Data safety
On the Google Play listing, Thumbsight declares that it collects no data and shares no data with third parties. This matches the policy above.
13. Changes to this policy
If the way Thumbsight handles data changes, for example a future feature that needs the internet, we'll update this page and the date at the top, and tell you in the app before the change applies. We'll never start sending your data anywhere without asking first.
14. Contact
Questions about this policy or your privacy in Thumbsight: privacy@morsebits.com.