Last updated: July 2026
Orby shows you a single number — how much of your daily social media time you have left — and lets the friends you choose see that same number. This policy explains exactly what that involves.
Orby measures social media time using Apple's Screen Time framework (DeviceActivity and Family Controls). Because of how Apple designed that framework, Orby cannot:
Orby only learns when your running total crosses each minute of your daily limit. That measurement happens entirely on your device, inside a sandboxed system extension that has no network access.
This data lives in Orby's private app container so the app, the widget, and the monitoring extension can share it. Nothing here is readable by other apps.
When you add a friend, Orby syncs a small profile record through Apple's iCloud (CloudKit). That record contains only:
No app names, no timestamps, and no usage history are ever included. Your record is only meaningful to someone who already has your friend code, which is random and which you choose who to give it to.
Orby has no sign-up, no password, and no email login. Syncing uses your device's existing iCloud account through Apple's CloudKit service; Orby never sees your Apple Account credentials. If you are not signed in to iCloud, the Friends feature simply will not be available — everything else in Orby continues to work.
If you allow notifications, Orby sends them locally from your device when your orb crosses a threshold you chose, or when a friend's orb does. Notification content is generated on-device.
Orby Friends is an optional paid subscription. All payment is handled by Apple through the App Store. Orby never receives, stores, or has access to your payment details. Apple provides the app only with whether a valid subscription exists.
Orby does not support profile photos. There is no image upload anywhere in the app, so there is no user-generated imagery to store, share, or moderate.
You can remove a friend at any time, which deletes the link between your accounts and the cached copy of their data on your device.
Deleting Orby removes all locally stored data. Your synced profile record stops updating immediately, and it contains only a first name and a percentage. To have your profile record removed from iCloud, contact us using the address below and include your friend code.
Orby is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child has provided information through Orby, contact us and we will remove it.
If this policy changes materially, we will update the date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, notify you in the app.
Questions about privacy in Orby: support@orbyfriends.com