Operator and contact
Nayan Sapers operates Cogz. Email paperssapers@gmail.com for privacy or support questions.
What stays on your iPhone
Cogz stores the reasons you type (or choose at the Screen Time pause's shield), the app names from your Be Cognizant automation in Apple's Shortcuts app, how many times a day you open each app you've set up, the time you asked for, whether that time was reached or you ended it early, your optional check-ins (Yes / No), the times you changed your mind, your reason and time settings, and your app selections. It is kept in the app's local shared container, excluded from device backups. Apps are represented by random local identifiers and by Apple's opaque tokens, which Cogz uses only to apply its shield and to show each app's own name and icon inside Cogz. There is no Cogz account, developer server, advertising, analytics, crash-reporting or session-replay SDK in this release, and no import or cloud restore.
Screen Time controls
Only if you use the Screen Time pause, or choose to have Cogz close an app when your time's up: with your authorization, Apple's Family Controls, Managed Settings, Managed Settings UI and Device Activity frameworks let you choose apps, show Cogz' shields, and learn when your chosen amount of use, or of time, has passed. Cogz uses this only to help you manage your own device use. It cannot read the contents of messages, websites, other apps, passwords or keystrokes, does not identify apps from their tokens, and never includes tokens in exports. This information is not used for advertising and is not sold or shared with data brokers.
Your Cogz Score and History
The score is calculated on your device from why you opened apps (the groups your reasons fall into) and your own Yes/No check-ins. History's charts and patterns are calculated on your device from the same records. Unanswered check-ins don't count toward Follow-through. Apple's Screen Time report data is never an input.
Isolated activity reports
The Screen Time totals shown in Cogz are drawn by a separate Apple DeviceActivityReport extension. That extension has no shared App Group, no access to your Cogz history, no networking and no file export. Its numbers stay inside it and never enter your history or score.
Notifications
Cogz sends no notifications unless you turn on "Nudge me when time's up" (Settings > Be Cognizant). Even then, it notifies only for an app you haven't matched to close when your time's up: one local notification, when your time's up, asks whether you used the app to do what you wanted to, showing the reason you gave (hidden on the lock screen if your iPhone hides notification previews); you can answer Yes or No from it. Apps you've matched, and the Screen Time pause, ask on screen instead, with no notification. It never repeats, uses no push server, and respects Focus. Cogz asks for notification permission only when you turn this on, and you can turn notifications off any time in iPhone Settings.
On-device models
Two small models read the reasons you type, both on your iPhone. One, built into Cogz, sorts them into groups (connecting, something specific, browsing, no reason) for your history and score. Apple's language model, part of iOS, compares their meaning with example answers to tell whether there's a reason. Rules in the app decide what Cogz says next, and its replies are lines written into the app. All of it runs on your iPhone. Your reasons are never sent anywhere, never used to train anything, and no cloud AI service is used.
Apple's Shortcuts app
The Be Cognizant automation you set up in Shortcuts tells Cogz only the name of the app that opened (and, for an app not on Cogz' list, an optional link you type so Cogz can send you back to it). Cogz cannot see what you do inside apps.
Widgets
The optional widget shows today's Cogz Score and counts only (sessions, minutes asked, times you changed your mind, and waiting check-ins). It never shows app names or reasons.
Exports, support and website
When you export your history or send a support message, the information you choose leaves the app. Exports include your typed reasons with the app names from your Shortcuts automation, your Screen Time pause reason names with random local app IDs, requested times and check-ins; they never include tokens or Screen Time report data. Your email provider and the static website host may process correspondence or access logs under their own policies.
Deletion and security
Delete all data clears your local history, settings, app selections and any Cogz notifications, and pauses protection. It does not remove files you exported elsewhere, or your automation in the Shortcuts app (delete that in Shortcuts). Cogz uses Apple's sandbox, file protection and transactional local storage; no software can guarantee absolute security.
Retention and your choices
Your data stays on your iPhone until you use Delete all data or delete Cogz. The operator never receives it, so there is no copy held anywhere else to access, correct or delete: use Export and Delete all data in Settings, and you can revoke Screen Time access any time in iPhone Settings > Screen Time.
Children
Cogz is a general-audience app and isn't directed to children. It collects no personal information from anyone; everything it stores stays on the device.
Changes
This policy will be updated if the app's practices change. Future cloud, analytics or third-party AI processing is not enabled by this policy. Contact the operator with questions or visit support.