Privacy Policy
Last updated: August 2026
This Privacy Policy explains how Power in the Pause Ltd ("we", "us", "our") collects, uses, shares and protects your personal data when you use The Art of Pausing mobile app (the "App") or visit theartofpausing.app.
We are committed to handling your personal data lawfully, fairly and transparently, in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
Who we are
The data controller for the App is Power in the Pause Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales, trading as The Art of Pausing. Our founder, Katie, is the point of contact for all privacy matters. You can reach us at support@theartofpausing.app.
Information we collect
Account information
When you create an account, we collect your email address and, if you choose to sign in with Apple or Google, the name and email address those providers share with us. We do not use passwords; sign-in is via a one-time email link or your Apple/Google account.
Profile information
You may optionally add your first name, last name, date of birth and a profile photo. This is used only to personalise your experience (for example, greeting you by name) and is never required.
Emotional check-in and practice data
The core of the App is a set of guided creative practices (audio, drawing and card-based exercises) tied to how you’re feeling. When you use these features, we collect:
- the emotion you select and its intensity, both before and after a practice
- which type of practice you completed, when, and how long it took
- your drawings, if you choose to save or complete one
We treat this information carefully because it reflects your emotional wellbeing. We do not use it for medical or diagnostic purposes, we don’t sell it, and we don’t share it with anyone outside Power in the Pause Ltd except the service providers listed below who help us run the App.
How we use AI
We use AI models provided by Anthropic for two purposes.
Generating your reflection. After a practice, the App shows you a short written reflection on what has shifted. To produce it, our own server sends Anthropic only the emotion you selected and the intensity you recorded before and after the practice. We do not send your name, email address or account identifier.
Checking drawings shared to The Field.If you choose to share a drawing, the image is analysed by Anthropic’s vision model before it becomes visible to other members, so that we can identify content that breaches our Terms of Use. The image is sent for this check without your name, email address or account identifier.
In both cases the data is sent from our own server rather than directly from your device, and it is not used to train Anthropic’s models.
The Field (optional public sharing)
After some practices, you can choose to share your drawing and/or a short reflection to "The Field", a space visible to other users of the App. This is entirely optional and separate from your private check-in data; you decide, each time, whether to share or keep it private. Anything you choose to share is reviewed by an automated moderation check before it becomes visible to others (see How we use AI, above). You can ask us to remove anything you’ve shared at any time.
Favourites
We store which audio tracks or cards you mark as favourites, so we can show them back to you.
Subscription and purchase information
If you subscribe to the App, purchases are handled by Apple’s App Store or Google Play, not by us directly. We receive and store limited information about your subscription (plan type, status, renewal date, and an identifier from our subscription management provider, RevenueCat) so we can give you access to paid features. We do not receive or store your card details.
Camera and photo library
If you choose to add a photo of a physical drawing, the App will ask for permission to use your camera or photo library. We only access these if you actively choose to take or select a photo; we do not access them otherwise.
Push notifications
If you allow it, we send optional reminder notifications. You can turn these off at any time in your device settings.
Device and technical information
Like most apps, we automatically process some basic technical information (such as your app version and device platform) as part of running the App and diagnosing problems. We do not use third-party analytics or advertising trackers, and we don’t sell or share your data for advertising purposes.
Why we use your information and our legal basis
| Purpose | Legal basis |
|---|---|
| Creating and managing your account, providing the App’s core features | Performance of our contract with you |
| Personalising your experience (name, favourites, check-in history) | Performance of our contract with you |
| Powering the App’s guidance features and generating your written reflection using AI, based on your emotional check-in data | Performance of our contract with you, and your explicit consent, given when you complete a check-in |
| Sharing content you post to The Field | Your consent, given each time you choose to share |
| Checking drawings shared to The Field for content that breaches our Terms of Use | Our legitimate interests in keeping The Field safe for all members |
| Processing subscriptions and payments | Performance of our contract with you |
| Sending optional reminder notifications | Your consent |
| Keeping the App secure and fixing problems | Our legitimate interests in operating a secure, reliable service |
| Sharing consumption data with Apple to help resolve refund requests (where enabled) | Your consent, as described below |
Sharing your information with Apple for refund requests
Apple lets us provide additional context about how you’ve used a purchase when you request a refund, to help Apple make a fairer decision. Where we enable this feature, using the App and making an in-app purchase means you consent to us sharing limited information about your use of that purchase (for example, whether the content was delivered, and how it’s been used) with Apple, solely to help resolve refund requests. This information is shared only with Apple, and only for this purpose.
Who we share your information with
We use a small number of trusted service providers to run the App. They only process your data on our instructions, for the purposes described in this policy:
- Supabase – hosts our database, authentication and file storage
- Anthropic – provides the AI models that generate your written reflections and check drawings shared to The Field
- Apple and Google – process in-app purchases and, where you choose to use them, sign-in
- RevenueCat – manages and syncs subscription status across app stores
- Resend – sends transactional emails (such as sign-in links) on our behalf
- Vercel – hosts a small server function that keeps subscription status in sync
We do not sell your personal data, and we do not share it with anyone for their own marketing purposes.
International data transfers
Some of our service providers store or process data outside the UK, including in the United States. Where this happens, we rely on appropriate safeguards, such as Standard Contractual Clauses, to ensure your data continues to receive a level of protection consistent with UK data protection law.
How long we keep your information
We keep your account and check-in data for as long as your account is active, so the App can show you your history and progress. If you delete your account (which you can do at any time from Settings), we delete your personal data and check-in history within a reasonable period, save for anything we’re legally required to retain, or content you’ve shared to The Field that other users may have already seen (which we will remove on request).
Children
The App is not intended for children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children under that age. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will delete it.
Security
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data, including encryption in transit, access controls, and row-level security on our database so that your check-in data is only accessible to you.
Your rights under UK GDPR
Under UK data protection law, you have the right to:
- access the personal data we hold about you;
- ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete data (rectification);
- ask us to delete your data (erasure) — you can also do this yourself from within the App;
- withdraw your consent at any time;
- object to, or ask us to restrict, how we use your data; and
- ask for your data in a portable format, where applicable.
To exercise any of these rights, email us at support@theartofpausing.app and we will respond within one month.
How to complain
We hope we can resolve any concern you have about how we handle your data, so please contact us first. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK’s supervisory authority, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), at ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time, for example as the App develops or our use of third-party services changes. Any changes will be posted here and, where the changes are significant, we’ll let you know in the App.
Contact us
If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle your data, please contact us at support@theartofpausing.app.