Privacy & Data
Distant doesn't have accounts, and Odd Omens has no server that stores your sessions. Your data stays on your device, with a small part synced through your own iCloud account.
What Distant stores
| Data | Where it's kept |
|---|---|
| Session history: focus type, start and end time, planned and actual length, Deep Focus, completed or ended early, ratings and notes | On your device only |
| XP, levels, streaks and daily goal progress | On your device only |
| Custom focus types | On your device only |
| Your Block Apps selection | On your device only, as private tokens from Apple. Distant can't see which apps they are. |
| Customization, language and other preferences | On your device only |
| The Notifications list | On your device, and in your private iCloud database when iCloud is on |
| An internal record of each session's start time, length and Emergency Override count, used to restore sessions after the app closes | On your device, and in your private iCloud database when iCloud is on |
Data kept on your device is included in your normal iPhone or iPad backups. Your session history, XP and settings don't sync between devices.
iCloud
If you're signed in to iCloud, Distant syncs the notifications list and the internal session records through your private iCloud database. Odd Omens can't read this data. To stop syncing, turn off iCloud for Distant in the iOS Settings app under your name > iCloud.
What leaves your device
| Destination | What's sent | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Your iCloud account (Apple) | The notifications list and internal session records | iCloud sync |
| Apple App Store | Requests for Full Access availability, purchases and restores | Full Access |
| oddomens.com | A request for a small file with the date of the current Terms of Service. Nothing about you or your sessions is sent. | So Distant can tell you when the Terms or Privacy Policy change |
| GitHub (gist.githubusercontent.com) | A request for a list of other Odd Omens apps, made when you open Settings. Nothing about you or your sessions is sent. | Reserved for a list of other apps. Distant doesn't currently show it. |
Distant has no analytics, advertising or crash-reporting tools. It sent usage analytics through Oddlytics from version 2026.02.1 until version 2026.10.1, which removed it.
Screen Time blocking happens on your device. Apple gives Distant opaque tokens for the apps you pick, not app names or usage data, and Distant doesn't read your Screen Time reports.
Links in Settings, such as Documentation, Rate Distant, the privacy policy and the support emails, open in your browser, the App Store or your email app. Nothing is sent until you choose to.
Permissions
| Permission | When it's asked | What it's for |
|---|---|---|
| Screen Time | When you first open Distant, and when you start a session without it | Blocking and unblocking apps during sessions. Required to start a session. |
| Notifications | When you first open Distant | Session progress and completion alerts, milestones, achievements, level-ups and streaks |
Distant also uses iOS background refresh and silent push notifications to keep sessions and iCloud sync up to date.
To change Screen Time access, open the iOS Settings app, then Screen Time, and find Distant in the list of apps with access. To change notifications, open the iOS Settings app, then Notifications > Distant.
Export your data
Distant doesn't have an export feature.
Delete your data
- Parts of your data: in Settings > Data & Privacy, use Clear All Notifications, Clear All Achievements (deletes your session history), Clear Levels & Progress or Clear All Data. See Settings.
- One session: in History, swipe left on it and tap Delete.
- Everything on this device: delete the Distant app.
- Your iCloud copy: in the iOS Settings app, go to your name > iCloud > Manage Account Storage, choose Distant if it's listed, and delete its data.
Policies
Read the full Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.