🔐 Data & Permissions

Requested when you tap to submit proof for a challenge check-in (photo or video, depending on the challenge's tracking type).

• Why: proof-based challenges require a real-time photo or video captured in the app to verify you actually completed the activity.
• When asked: the first time you open the in-app camera to submit proof.
• If denied: you can still join and track challenges that don't require photo proof; challenges that do require it will prompt you to enable camera access when you try to submit.
• Data captured: the photo/video you take is compressed on-device before upload to reduce size, then stored in our cloud storage and shown to whoever your proof is visible to (peers, group, or per your Story visibility setting).

Requested when you choose "Upload from gallery" instead of taking a new photo, or when setting a profile picture.

• Why: to let you select an existing photo for your profile picture or (where a challenge allows it) as proof.
• When asked: the first time you tap the gallery/image picker.
• If denied: you can still use the in-app camera; you just can't pick existing photos.
• Data captured: only the specific photo you select is read and uploaded — Philiabit does not scan or access your full photo library.

Requested when you use "Invite someone" to find friends who are already on Philiabit or invite new ones.

• Why: to match phone numbers/emails in your address book against existing Philiabit accounts, and to make it easy to send an invite link.
• When asked: the first time you open the Invite drawer.
• If denied: you can still invite people manually by sharing your profile link or username.
• Data handling: contact matching happens using hashed identifiers where possible; we do not store your full address book or message your contacts without your action.

Requested only inside the proof-capture screen for challenges that support location-tagged proof.

• Why: some challenges (e.g., outdoor or location-specific activities) let you optionally attach an approximate location to your proof for extra credibility with peer reviewers.
• When asked: the moment you submit a proof photo for a challenge that supports location tagging — never on app launch, and never in the background.
• If denied: your proof is still submitted normally, just without a location tag.
• Data handling: we do not continuously track your location, build location history, or use it for advertising. You can disable location tagging entirely in Privacy Settings even after granting the OS-level permission.

Requested shortly after onboarding, or the first time a feature that needs alerts is used.

• Why: to deliver check-in reminders, challenge milestones, level-ups, chat messages, friend requests, and peer-approval notifications via Firebase Cloud Messaging.
• If denied: Philiabit works fully in-app; you'll just need to open the app to see new activity instead of receiving alerts.
• Control: fine-grained toggles (chat, social, reminders, marketing) are available in Privacy Settings independent of the OS-level permission.

Not a device permission, but part of how your data is handled: profile info, challenge/habit data, and uploaded media are stored on our backend (a PostgreSQL database plus cloud object storage), transmitted over encrypted (TLS) connections reinforced with certificate pinning.

Philiabit checks whether a device appears to be jailbroken or rooted, and applies screen-capture protection on sensitive screens (like payment or proof-review flows, if introduced). This isn't a permission prompt — it's a background safety check used to protect your account from higher-risk environments, and no personal browsing or app data is read in the process.