Privacy and Accessibility Service
Answer: Prayer First uses Android Accessibility Service for one stated purpose: detecting when a user-selected locked app comes forward so the shield can appear. BeforeScroll Studio says the service does not read screen content, capture keystrokes, or transmit foreground app names, selected app lists, journals, or photos.
What the service does
Detects a selected app opening
Before today's unlock is complete, Prayer First needs to know when a blocked app is in front. That is the narrow behavior Accessibility Service supports.
Shows the shield
When a selected app is detected, Prayer First can display its Scripture-first shield and offer unlock paths such as a Bible app, physical Bible timer, or journal.
Respects revocation
You can turn off Accessibility Service in Android settings. If you do, the app-blocking feature will no longer function as intended.
Works with Usage Access
Android app blocking may also require Usage Access, depending on device and OS behavior.
What Prayer First says it does not do
- It does not read your screen content.
- It does not capture keystrokes.
- It does not send foreground app names off device.
- It does not upload your selected blocked app list as a readable list.
- It does not cloud-sync journal text, Bible photos, or local settings. Cloud Assist has been retired. Tidy and Smart Topics use on-device AI on supported Apple and Android devices; journal text stays on the device for this processing. Photos and images are never uploaded.
How to verify or revoke it
Users should be able to confirm the permission state without reading source code. In Android settings, the Accessibility Service entry for Prayer First should be visible alongside the system warning text. If the user turns that service off, Prayer First should no longer be able to place the shield in front of selected apps.
Verify
Open a selected app before completing today's unlock. If Accessibility Service and Usage Access are enabled, the Prayer First shield should appear before the distracting app becomes the first experience.
Revoke
Turn off Prayer First in Android Accessibility settings or revoke Usage Access. The blocker should stop because the user controls the permission.
Review
Read the privacy policy when the permission prompt feels too broad. Android's generic warning is intentionally serious, but Prayer First should explain the narrower product use.
Report
If the shield remains after today's unlock is complete or appears for an app you did not select, report it as a product bug rather than accepting it as normal behavior.
What may leave the device
Prayer First may send limited anonymous product analytics such as app opened, onboarding step completed, and paywall shown. It stores website waitlist and payment reconciliation records where users choose those flows. Referral records from earlier releases may remain for account support and abuse prevention; the referral rewards program has ended.
Honest limitations
Accessibility Service is a powerful Android permission, and users should grant it only if they trust the app and understand why it is needed. Prayer First is not impossible to bypass, and Android device makers may affect reliability through battery, background, and overlay behavior.