Effective date: 7 July 2026
This policy describes the app's current behavior. Features and data handling may change in later releases; check this page for the current version.
Depending on the features you use, SOSAppLock processes account information such as email address, display name, username and phone number; profile pictures; chat messages and delivery metadata; emergency contacts and requests; app-lock and safe-zone settings; and subscription state.
Fitness Centre records can include activity type, distance, duration, calories and timestamp. If you opt in to Health Connect, SOSAppLock imports supported exercise sessions from the past year, including session type and time, distance and total calories. SOSAppLock does not read routes or other health records through this connection. Imported sessions are stored in your private Fitness Centre history and can be re-synced when you open the screen. You can revoke Health Connect access in Android settings. Optional community check-ins include a safety status, activity note and available coordinates.
Fitness Groups are separate opt-in groups. They store group names, membership, challenge goals and dates, and—when you join a challenge—your display name and aggregate distance, duration and workout count for its leaderboard. Group members can see those challenge totals; individual activity records and route locations are not included in the leaderboard. Totals are calculated from saved activities and are not independently verified.
For contact matching and friend search, SOSAppLock maintains a limited user-discovery profile containing display name, username, phone number, country code, profile picture and phone-search keys. This directory is readable by signed-in app users, so your phone number can be discovered by other signed-in users. If you grant contacts permission, SOSAppLock reads contacts on your device to match phone numbers against these profiles; it does not upload your whole address book as a contact list. Your own account phone number is stored in your profile and discovery entry.
Chats are available to accounts with a verified phone number. SOSAppLock uses the phone numbers in your device contacts to match people against app user profiles; your full address book is not uploaded. Before a new one-to-one conversation can begin, the recipient must accept a one-time chat request. After acceptance, the participants can continue messaging without repeated approval requests. Group conversations are created with selected app users.
Chat data stored in Firebase can include message text, image or video attachments, voice notes, sender details, timestamps, delivery/read status, replies and conversation metadata. SOSAppLock may also create Firebase alert records containing a message preview to notify a recipient. Chat is not end-to-end encrypted; do not treat chat content or media as accessible only to conversation participants. Message previews may appear in notifications. Messages may be subject to the in-app retention setting. Deleting a conversation or message may not immediately remove copies already delivered to other participants, notifications, backups or provider records.
When you explicitly enable Live Tracking, SOSAppLock collects device location while sharing is enabled, including when the app is not on screen. Android may provide approximate location unless you grant precise access. SOSAppLock sends fresh location fixes, fix time and accuracy to Firebase in a separate live-location record. Within the app, only you and viewers with an active location-sharing grant you control can read that live location; administrator status alone does not grant access. Privileged Firebase project operators may still access stored records for service operation and support. Temporary SOS contact access expires automatically. Emergency features may share your location when you initiate them. If you explicitly authorize a contact for SMS location requests, that contact can text LOCATE or FIND_PHONE and SOSAppLock may try to obtain a current or last-known location and reply with a map link by SMS, including when the app is closed, subject to Android location permissions. This is a one-time request and does not start ongoing tracking. When you choose to share a workout location, SOSAppLock sends a non-emergency activity-start notice to the SOSAppLock-linked emergency contacts you select and temporarily authorizes those contacts to view your live location. This workout-specific access ends when you finish the activity or automatically expires after four hours. Contacts with a separate permanent location authorization retain that access under your normal Live Tracking settings. Workout sharing does not send an SMS or automatically escalate to an SOS alert. The workout screen uses foreground GPS to calculate distance and stores GPS route points with the fitness activity record. If you enable a community check-in, your status, activity note and available coordinates are posted to the community check-in feed.
Background location access supports Live Tracking and other location-sharing sessions you initiate. Enabled Safe Zone overlays and local network rules can also check location on-device to apply their boundaries; a configured Safe Zone may send an alert when its boundary is crossed. A persistent, low-importance Android foreground-service notification is shown while Live Tracking, SOS or workout-location sharing is active and includes a Stop Live Tracking action. SOS and workout sharing end through their respective features. Firebase Cloud Messaging is used for chat and other app notifications; the app does not use it to wake a device for silent location tracking. Android, GPS reception, battery controls and network availability can delay or interrupt location delivery. Turning Live Tracking off stops new routine location updates but does not erase the last stored fix.
Fitness Group leaderboards show your display name and aggregate distance, duration and workout count when you opt into a challenge; they do not include individual activity records or route locations. Health Connect imports do not read workout routes.
Location delivery depends on Android, GPS reception, device settings and network availability. Updates can be delayed or unavailable. SOSAppLock identifies old fixes as stale and does not promise uninterrupted or exact-interval tracking. Turning Live Tracking off stops routine updates but does not itself erase the last stored location or emergency records.
Alerts Centre currently contains Community and Fitness Tracking. Official-information, news and weather feed tabs have been removed; the app does not fetch those feeds from RSS sources or Open-Meteo.
If you choose to enable Network protection in App Lock, SOSAppLock uses Android's VpnService API to create a local network interface on your device. For each app whose separate “Block internet” option you enable, Android routes that app's IPv4 and IPv6 traffic into this interface and SOSAppLock discards the packets. This blocks that app's network access over Wi-Fi and mobile data while protection is active. SOSAppLock does not forward this traffic to a remote VPN provider, inspect packet contents, retain traffic logs, or use the traffic for advertising. The selected app package names and block settings are App Lock configuration and may be included in the existing Firebase account backup when you are signed in; packet contents and network traffic are not uploaded by this feature. Network protection is optional, requires your affirmative in-app action and Android's separate VPN consent, displays an ongoing notification, and can be stopped in App Lock or from that notification. If you leave it enabled, SOSAppLock attempts to resume it after device restart; turning protection off preserves your per-app selections. Android supports one active VPN per user/profile; another VPN may replace or conflict with SOSAppLock. Blocking an app can disable its messaging, calls, emergency, and other online functions. Do not block an app you need for an emergency unless you understand that consequence.
Information is used to authenticate accounts, provide messaging and contact matching, deliver emergency and location-sharing features you request, synchronize settings, protect locked apps, provide support, process subscriptions and show ads in applicable app versions.
SOSAppLock integrates Firebase Authentication, Cloud Firestore, Realtime Database, Cloud Messaging and Google Mobile Ads. The in-app assistant answers from help content stored in the app; unanswered questions are not automatically transmitted to an AI service or administrators. If you choose to submit a report through Report an Issue, its description and associated report details are saved locally and submitted to Firebase for administrator review when connectivity and access permit. Registration OTP requests go to the configured SOSAppLock OTP service. Optional Aura emergency-response features may communicate with the configured Aura service. These providers process information under their own terms and privacy policies. Google Play handles in-app purchase transactions. The exact information processed by advertising and platform SDKs can depend on SDK configuration, consent choices and device settings.
Account and feature information is retained in app storage and Firebase while needed to provide the features you use. You can deny optional permissions, turn off Live Tracking in Tracing or from its ongoing notification, and remove contacts. Turning tracking off stops future routine location updates but leaves the last stored fix. You can use in-app account deletion or submit a deletion request through the account deletion request page. The in-app flow deletes the account identity and the user's own profile, live-location record, fitness activities, challenge participation and selected safety records. Shared chat messages and other shared content may remain available to the other participants in their accounts; deleting your account does not delete their copies. Some records held under other users' accounts and provider-held copies may require a separate request or may be retained where law requires.
Information is sent using encrypted network connections provided by the platform services. No mobile application or transmission method can be guaranteed perfectly secure.
Age eligibility is subject to the app's Google Play age rating and applicable local law. Contact the publisher if you believe a child has provided personal information.
SOSAppLock is operated by SOS App Lock, registered in South Africa. For privacy questions or deletion requests, contact info@sosapplock.co.za.