Telos Systems Inc. (“we,” “us,” “our,” “Telos”) operates the Telos mobile application (the “App”). Telos is an academic productivity application that helps university students manage their time, tasks, and focus through features including Open Timetables, Flow Blocks, Telic Timers, and Deep Work Mode (collectively, the “Service”).
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your information when you use our Service. By using Telos, you agree to the practices described in this policy.
Private data stays on your device. Telos uses Apple’s Family Controls framework solely for App Shielding. We do not read, collect, or store any Screen Time data, app usage statistics, or device activity information — not on your device and not on our servers.
Minimal data collection. We collect only the data strictly necessary to deliver and improve the Service. We do not sell your data, serve advertising, or share personal information with third parties for marketing purposes.
University-verified access. Telos restricts access through verified university email addresses (.edu domains). This verification data is used solely for authentication and eligibility purposes.
When you create a Telos account, we collect your university email address, which serves as both your login credential and your eligibility verification. We may also collect a display name if you choose to provide one.
If you grant calendar access, Telos reads your device’s calendar events to display them within the Foresight timeline. Calendar data is also synced to our servers (hosted by Supabase) for backup and account continuity purposes. Events you create in Telos (Moments, Flow Blocks) may be written back to your device’s calendar for cross-device synchronization. See our Calendar Data Policy below for full details.
Telos uses Apple’s Family Controls framework solely to provide App Shielding — overlaying a barrier on apps you select as distracting. We do not read, collect, or store any Screen Time data, app usage statistics, or device activity information. The apps you choose to shield are represented by opaque tokens provided by Apple; Telos cannot see which apps they are. No data from this feature is transmitted to our servers. See our Screen Time & Device Privacy Policy below for full details.
We request notification permissions to deliver timely alerts for your Moments, Molecules, and Telic Timers. Notification tokens are stored to route push notifications to your device. We do not access notification content from other apps. See our Notification Policy below for full details.
If you use Open Timetables, course catalog data (class names, times, locations) from supported universities is fetched from our servers and stored locally on your device. Your specific course selections remain on-device.
We collect anonymized, aggregated usage data such as feature engagement, crash reports, and session frequency. This data cannot be used to identify individual users and is used solely to improve the Service.
We do not collect or have access to: your app usage or Screen Time data; which apps are installed on your device; your Focus or Do Not Disturb settings; the content of your notifications from other apps; your contacts, photos, or location; any financial or payment information (all transactions are handled by Apple through the App Store). We do not use any Screen Time monitoring, device activity reporting, or usage tracking features of Apple’s frameworks.
We use the data we collect to: authenticate your university affiliation; deliver the core Service (timeline, notifications, timetables); improve the Service through aggregated analytics; communicate important service updates; and comply with legal obligations.
Account data is stored on servers provided by Supabase, which uses industry-standard encryption at rest and in transit. Local app data (your timeline, tasks, course selections) is stored on-device using an encrypted SQLite database. We retain account data for as long as your account is active. You may request deletion at any time.
Supabase — Authentication and account data storage.
Resend — Transactional email delivery (account verification, service updates).
Apple — Family Controls (App Shielding), EventKit (calendar), Push Notification Service, and App Store payment processing.
Each third-party service operates under its own privacy policy. We select partners that meet high standards of data protection.
Telos is designed for university students and is not intended for children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13 in accordance with COPPA. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.
You may request access to, correction of, or deletion of your personal data at any time by contacting us at privacy@telosguide.com. You may also delete your account directly within the App.
If you are a California resident, you have the right to: know what personal data we collect and why; request deletion of your personal data; opt out of any sale of personal data (we do not sell personal data); and not be discriminated against for exercising these rights.
If you are a resident of the European Economic Area, our lawful bases for processing include: performance of our contract with you (delivering the Service); your consent (for optional features like calendar access and notifications); and legitimate interests (improving the Service, preventing fraud). You have the right to access, rectify, erase, restrict processing, data portability, and to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be communicated through the App or via email. Continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.
For questions about this Privacy Policy or your data:
Telos Systems Inc. · privacy@telosguide.com
When you grant Telos calendar access, the App uses Apple’s EventKit framework to read your existing calendar events and display them within the Foresight timeline alongside your Molecules and Moments. This gives you a unified view of your fixed commitments and flexible tasks.
Read from your device. Calendar events are read from your device’s calendar store using Apple’s EventKit API and displayed within the Foresight timeline.
Synced to our servers for backup. Calendar event data (event titles, times, and associated metadata) is transmitted to and stored on our servers, hosted by Supabase, for backup and account continuity purposes. This ensures your schedule is preserved if you switch devices, reinstall the App, or need to restore your data. This data is encrypted in transit and at rest.
Write-back for synchronization. When you create Moments or Flow Blocks in Telos, the App may write these events to your device’s calendar so they appear on your other Apple devices via iCloud. These events are managed by Apple’s calendar infrastructure in addition to Telos servers.
We do not analyze the content of your calendar events for advertising or profiling. We do not share calendar data with any third party. We do not sell, rent, or license your calendar data. Calendar data stored on our servers is used exclusively for backup and service delivery. If you revoke calendar access, Telos can no longer read or write to your device calendar. You may request deletion of server-stored calendar data at any time by contacting us or deleting your account.
You can revoke calendar access at any time through iOS Settings → Telos → Calendars. Revoking access will prevent Telos from reading new calendar events or writing new ones to your device. Events previously created by Telos in your calendar will remain unless you manually delete them. Calendar data already backed up to our servers will be retained for account continuity unless you request its deletion or delete your account entirely.
Calendar data is governed by Apple’s EventKit framework and iCloud terms of service. Apple enforces permission boundaries at the operating system level. Telos operates within these boundaries and cannot bypass them.
Telos uses push notifications to power core features of the Service. Without notifications, your Moments won’t alert, your Molecules won’t nudge, and your Telic Timers won’t fire. Notifications are essential to the time-aware, task-driven experience Telos provides.
Moment reminders — Alerts for your fixed calendar events and deadlines.
Molecule nudges — Prompts to begin or continue scheduled task sessions.
Telic Timer events — Start, progress, and completion signals during focused work flows.
Deep Work Mode transitions — Notifications when entering or exiting a focused state.
Service updates — Rare, critical communications about your account or the Service (e.g., required updates, security notices).
We do not send promotional or marketing push notifications. We do not send notifications on behalf of third parties. We do not access or read notifications from other apps on your device. We do not use notification engagement data for advertising or profiling.
When you grant notification permissions, Apple provides a device token that routes push notifications to your specific device. This token is stored on our servers solely for the purpose of delivering notifications. It does not contain personal information and cannot be used to identify you outside of the notification delivery system.
You can manage or disable Telos notifications at any time through iOS Settings → Telos → Notifications. Disabling notifications will prevent alerts for Moments, Molecules, and Telic Timers. Core app functionality (timeline, task creation, timetables) will continue to work, but time-sensitive features will be impaired.
Because Moments and Flow Blocks sync to your device calendar, you may receive duplicate notifications from both Telos and iOS Calendar. We recommend disabling iOS Calendar notifications (Settings → Calendar → Notifications) and letting Telos handle all event alerts with its more tailored focus system.
Telos uses Apple’s Family Controls framework to provide a single feature: App Shielding. When you activate a Telic Timer, App Shielding overlays a gentle barrier on apps you’ve identified as distracting. The shield introduces friction — not a hard block — to help you stay intentional during focused work. You always retain the ability to bypass the shield.
Of Apple’s Screen Time suite of frameworks (Family Controls, Managed Settings, Device Activity), Telos currently uses only the Family Controls framework for the sole purpose of applying and removing app shields. We do not use Device Activity for monitoring, we do not read usage reports, and we do not track how much time you spend in any app.
Opaque tokens only. When you select which apps to shield, Apple’s framework provides Telos with opaque tokens — not app names, bundle identifiers, or icons. Telos literally cannot see which apps you have chosen. These tokens are stored on your device and are never transmitted to our servers.
OS-enforced boundaries. Apple enforces these privacy guarantees at the operating system level. No app, including Telos, can bypass these protections or reverse-engineer the tokens.
Telos collects zero data through its use of Apple’s Family Controls framework. We do not collect, read, store, or transmit: which apps are installed on your device; which apps you select to shield; how much time you spend in any app; when or how often you open any app; whether you bypass a shield; or any other device activity or usage information. This is both a policy commitment and a technical constraint enforced by Apple.
For transparency, Telos does not currently use the following capabilities, even though they may be referenced in our product materials as planned features: Do Not Disturb / Focus mode activation; screen greyscaling or color filtering; Screen Time usage monitoring or reporting; Device Activity scheduling. If and when any of these features are introduced, this policy will be updated accordingly and you will be notified.
You can revoke Screen Time permissions at any time through iOS Settings → Screen Time → Telos. Revoking access will disable App Shielding but will not affect core Telos functionality such as timeline management, task creation, or notifications.
Apple’s Family Controls framework was specifically designed to prevent apps from accessing sensitive device usage data. Your device activity data is protected by Apple at the hardware and software level and never leaves your device. For more information, see Apple’s Privacy Policy.
