Effective date: 11 July 2026
Developer: Sam Ruston
Contact: samrustonhelp@gmail.com
All data pertaining to the app is stored locally on the device by default and is never sent to any server owned by me. There is no Headscratch account and no Headscratch database of users.
There are no ads, trackers, analytics or crash-reporting services in the app and no data is collected. The app only uses the internet for the optional features explicitly described below (sync, sync notifications and purchases). If you never enable sync or buy a theme, the app works entirely offline.
Headscratch accesses the following categories of data:
None of this data is sold, used for analytics, or used for advertising.
If you enable sync, you sign in with your Google account and the app stores your tasks and settings in a hidden app-data folder in your own Google Drive. The app uses Google's restricted "application data" scope, which means it can only read and write its own folder - it cannot see your other Drive files. I cannot see this folder either; the data goes directly from your device to your Google Drive and no copy passes through any server of mine. The sync file also contains two randomly generated identifiers (a device ID and a sync topic ID) used to coordinate your own devices; neither is derived from your identity, your Google account or your hardware. See Google's privacy policy for how Google handles your Drive data. You can stop syncing at any time by signing out in the app's settings, and you can delete the app's hidden Drive data from your Google account (Google Drive → Settings → Manage apps).
So that edits on one device show up quickly on your other devices, the app uses Firebase Cloud Messaging (a Google service). After you make a change, the app sends your random sync topic ID - and nothing else - to a small notification relay I operate, whose only job is to tell your other devices "something changed, sync now". Your tasks and personal data never pass through this relay and it does not store user records. Like any web request, it briefly sees your IP address in order to respond. See Google's privacy policy for Firebase Cloud Messaging.
Themes can be purchased through Google Play's billing system. Payments are handled entirely by Google Play - the app never sees your payment details. The app only learns which products you own so it can unlock them. See Google's privacy policy for Google Play billing.
If the user voluntarily decides to contact support, recent diagnostic logs - and, if sync is enabled, the Google account's numeric user ID and the random sync topic ID - are included as part of the generated email to help me investigate issues. This is only sent as part of the email and the user can see and edit its content before sending it. Only by clicking send on the email will the data be shared to me and it is only sent once.
Retention is controlled by you. Tasks and settings persist until you delete them in the app or uninstall Headscratch; uninstalling the app removes all data Headscratch has stored on your device. Backups you export and images you save are ordinary files under your control - delete them like any other file. Synced data lives in your own Google Drive and can be deleted from your Google account settings at any time. No off-device copies exist for me to delete on your behalf; the only off-device data that could exist is an email you have voluntarily sent to support, which you may request I delete at any time by emailing samrustonhelp@gmail.com.
Headscratch's data is stored in the app's private storage, which Android isolates from other apps via the operating system sandbox. Optional sync traffic goes directly between your device and Google's servers over an encrypted (HTTPS) connection, as do requests to the notification relay and Google Play.
If this policy changes in a way that affects how user data is handled, the updated policy will be published at this same URL with a new effective date above. Material changes will also be noted in the app's Play Store listing release notes.