Legal

The Climb Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 23, 2026

The Climb is a faith-based Screen Time, discipline, and accountability app. This policy explains what information we collect, why we use it, and the choices available to you.

Information We Collect

• Account information, including your Firebase user ID, email address, display name, and sign-in provider.
• Personalization choices, including age group, goals, main struggle, streak goal, notification preferences, and app-blocking preference.
• Missions, devotionals, habits, prayer activity, journal entries, reflections, feedback, progress, saved scripture, streaks, OVR history, and achievements.
• Community information, including posts, groups, accountability interactions, reports, and blocked-user lists.
• Technical, security, diagnostic, crash, app-instance, and request information needed to operate Firebase services and protect the app.

Screen Time and App Blocking

The Climb uses Apple Family Controls, Device Activity, and Managed Settings only after you grant permission. Your selected apps, categories, and websites are represented by Apple-provided opaque tokens and stored in the app's local App Group. The Climb does not receive a readable list of installed apps and does not upload your Screen Time selection or browsing history to Firebase.

How We Use Information

We use information to authenticate accounts, personalize daily guidance, synchronize progress, operate blocking and timers, calculate streaks and achievements, provide accountability features, prevent abuse, investigate reports, and diagnose reliability problems.

AI Features

When AI generation is enabled, limited profile context, onboarding choices, recent mission history, and recent reflection signals may be sent through a Firebase Cloud Function to OpenAI to generate a daily mission and devotional. The payload is limited and sanitized before transmission. OpenAI API credentials remain on the server and are never included in the iOS app.

Service Providers

The Climb relies on Google Firebase for authentication, database synchronization, Cloud Functions, App Check, and crash diagnostics; Google and Apple for optional sign-in; and OpenAI for daily-plan generation. We do not sell personal information, show third-party advertising, or use personal information for cross-app tracking.

Retention and Account Deletion

We keep account and app data while your account is active and as needed to operate and secure the service. You can permanently delete your account from Profile > Account > Delete Account. The deletion flow removes your Firebase Authentication account and active Firestore data tied to your user ID. Limited records may remain temporarily in provider backups or security logs until they expire through normal retention processes.

Your Choices

You can edit settings, revoke notification or Screen Time permissions in iOS Settings, leave groups, end accountability links, block users, delete your own posts, sign out, or permanently delete your account. Contact us for an access, correction, deletion, or privacy request that cannot be completed in the app.

Security

We use Firebase Authentication, App Check, restricted Firestore rules, server-owned scoring and community writes, encrypted network connections, rate limits, and Apple platform security controls. No service can guarantee absolute security, so protect your credentials and contact us if you suspect compromise.

Age Requirement

The Climb is intended for users age 13 and older. We do not knowingly allow children under 13 to create accounts.

Changes

We may update this policy as the app or legal requirements change. The current version and effective date will remain available on this page.

Contact

For privacy, support, or community-safety questions, contact support@theclimbapp.org.