Privacy Policy
CounterWait is an iPhone app made by Stepping Stone Elite LLC ("we", "us"). You can reach us at support@steppingstonegroup.net or (980) 330-1415.
The short version: we don't run servers, we don't use analytics or advertising tools, we don't sell or share your information, and we don't track you across apps or websites. Most of what you do in CounterWait stays on your iPhone. When you link with family or an accountability buddy, the information you share moves between your phones through Apple's iCloud, in the iCloud account of the person who set up the group. We can't see it. The only information that reaches us is what you choose to send us: a share code when you use a friend's code, and any email you send us.
What CounterWait uses, where it's kept, and who can see it
| Information | Where it's kept | Who can see it |
|---|---|---|
| Your first name | Your iPhone. If you link with someone, it's shown with what you share | You and the people you link with |
| Your birthday, and optional setup answers like "I have a pet" | Your iPhone only. The birthday is used to work out your age range and for a birthday note, and you can change or remove it in Settings. A child's phone doesn't ask; their parent or guardian picks the child's age group to suggest rules | Only you, except a child's age group |
| Apps and websites you choose to lock | Your iPhone, through Apple's Screen Time system. Apple gives the app a code for each choice, not the app's name | No one, including us. A linked parent or buddy sees only how many items changed |
| Minutes, history, weekly goal, tasks, rules and the allowance tracker | Your iPhone. If you link with someone, the parts you share are kept in iCloud in the account of the person who set up the group | You and the people you link with |
| Steps, workouts, Exercise minutes and mindful minutes from Apple Health | Read on your iPhone, and those totals stay there. The app never writes to Apple Health | You. If you link with someone, they see the minutes you earn, not your steps, workout times or mindful minutes |
| Camera during workouts | Each frame is analyzed on your iPhone to count reps and then discarded. Workouts are never recorded, saved or sent. It isn't used to recognize anyone | No one |
| Task photos | Only taken on a phone someone checks, and only when the person who approves your tasks asks for a photo, or sets a task to always ask for one. Then you take one photo of the finished task. It is kept on your iPhone for up to 30 days, sent to them through iCloud, and deleted from iCloud after 90 days. A phone nobody checks never takes task photos | You and the people who check your tasks |
| Activity and alerts on a checked phone, such as unlocks, pausing, wrong passcode tries, or turning off Screen Time access | Sent to the people who check you | The people who check you |
| People you invite | You send invites with Apple's share sheet, like a text in Messages, and choose who gets them there. The app never reads or keeps your contacts | The person you invite |
| Stories sent with earlier versions | Earlier versions let adults send us a story. The app no longer shows or accepts stories. Any a phone sent are still deleted by Delete all my data | Us |
| Share codes (test versions before October 2026 only) | Your code is kept on your iPhone, including after you delete the app, so a code can't be used twice. When you use a friend's code, a record with that code is saved in our app's public iCloud database | Us, and the phone that owns the code |
Linking with family or a buddy
CounterWait uses Apple's iCloud sharing. The person who sets up a group (a parent or guardian, or a buddy) invites people by sending an invite with Apple's share sheet, like a text in Messages, and only the person it was sent to can join. The group's information is stored in the iCloud account of the person who set it up, and it counts toward their iCloud storage.
When you join a group, the person who set it up can see your first name, tasks and photos you send for approval, workouts you share, minutes earned and spent, your allowance tracker totals, and activity alerts. On a child's phone, a parent or guardian also sets the rules, limits, grounding and passcode. For an adult who is checked by a buddy, the buddy can take away minutes and set a passcode, as the join screen explains before you accept. We can't read any of it.
The group owner can remove anyone, and anyone can leave a group in Settings. Leaving stops sharing from then on. What was already shared stays in the owner's group until the owner deletes it, or until it expires under "How long information is kept".
Apple Health
CounterWait only reads steps, workouts, Exercise minutes and mindful minutes, and only with your permission, which you can change at any time in the Health app. It never writes to Apple Health. Health information is used only to give you minutes and show your progress. It is never used for advertising or marketing, never sold, and never given to anyone. The people you link with see the minutes you earn, not your health data.
Notifications
Notifications about tasks, decisions, payouts and weekly summaries are delivered by Apple, through iCloud and Apple's push service, or scheduled on your iPhone. You can turn them off in Settings.
Purchases
CounterWait Plus is an auto-renewing subscription, and tips are one-time purchases. Apple processes all payments. We never see your card or payment details, and we only get Apple's sales reports. Subscription terms are in our Terms of Use. The allowance tracker only records amounts. CounterWait never holds, sends or receives money.
What we don't do
We don't sell or share personal information, show ads, use analytics or tracking tools, build profiles, or use your information to train AI. We don't respond to Do Not Track signals because we don't track anyone.
Children
CounterWait has a child setup for children under 13 and for teens whose parent or guardian manages their phone. A parent or guardian must be present to finish it: Apple asks for the parent or guardian's Apple Account to approve Screen Time access, and the parent or guardian approves the child joining the family group on their own phone. Anyone whose birthday shows they're under 13 can use only the child setup.
On a child's phone:
- The child's first name, tasks, task photos, workouts they share, minutes, allowance totals and activity go only to the parent or guardian, and to anyone the parent or guardian adds to the family group, such as a second parent or guardian. They travel through iCloud and are kept in the parent or guardian's iCloud account. We can't see them.
- The child can't use share codes, invite anyone, pick from Contacts, or see purchases. The child's phone never records camera video.
- Photos in the family group are deleted from iCloud after 90 days. Everything else stays until the parent or guardian removes the child or deletes the group.
Parents and guardians can see everything their child shares on their own phone. They can delete their child's information at any time by removing the child from the family group or deleting the group, and they can delete what's on the child's phone with Settings > Delete all my data. Removing the child stops any further sharing. If you have a question about your child's information, contact us at support@steppingstonegroup.net. Our full contact details are at the end of this policy.
We don't knowingly receive personal information from children under 13. If we learn that a child under 13 has sent us any information, we'll delete it.
What parents and guardians see in the app
Before a child joins, the parent or guardian's phone shows this notice and asks them to agree:
CounterWait is made by Stepping Stone Elite LLC. Here's what happens when your child uses it:
- Your child's phone will send you their first name, tasks, a task photo when you ask for one or set a task to always ask, camera workouts they share, minutes, allowance totals and activity alerts.
- It all travels through iCloud and is stored in your iCloud account. We can't see it, and we don't run servers, ads or analytics.
- Photos are deleted from iCloud after 90 days. Workouts are never recorded. You can remove your child or delete the group at any time to delete the rest.
- Your child can't contact us, share outside the family, or make purchases in CounterWait.
How long information is kept
- On your iPhone: until you delete it, use Delete all my data, or delete the app. Task photos are kept for up to 30 days.
- In a family or buddy group: task photos are deleted after 90 days. Other shared information stays until the group's owner removes the person or deletes the group.
- Stories sent with earlier versions: until you ask us to remove them or use Delete all my data, and in any case we remove any older than two years.
- Share-code records: deleted within 90 days after they are used.
- Your share-code history in your iPhone's keychain: kept after the app is deleted so a code can't be used twice. Delete all my data removes it.
- Emails to support: deleted within two years after your question is resolved.
Deleting your information
- In CounterWait, open Settings > Delete all my data. It erases the app's information on your iPhone, deletes any groups you own (with everything in them), leaves groups you've joined, and deletes share-code records, and any stories an earlier version sent, from this iPhone.
- Deleting the app erases what's on your iPhone, except the share-code history described above.
- You can also manage CounterWait's iCloud information in the iPhone Settings app: tap your name, then iCloud, then Manage Account Storage (the wording varies by iOS version).
- To have a story or share code removed, or for any other request, email support@steppingstonegroup.net. We'll respond within 30 days.
Security
Information in iCloud is protected by Apple's security, including end-to-end encryption for some data when you turn on Advanced Data Protection. Passcodes are stored only as a salted, one-way hash. No system is perfectly secure. If we learn of a breach that affects information we're responsible for, we'll notify you as the law requires.
Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to know, access, correct or delete personal information, and to appeal a decision. Because we hold almost nothing, most requests can be handled in the app. For anything else, email support@steppingstonegroup.net. We don't discriminate against anyone for using these rights.
Consumer health data
CounterWait reads steps, workouts, Exercise minutes and mindful minutes from Apple Health on your iPhone to give you minutes, and counts exercise reps with the camera on your iPhone. These numbers stay on your iPhone, except that the people you link with see your minutes and progress. We don't receive, sell or share this information. You can stop it at any time in the Health app or by leaving a group. For questions or requests, email support@steppingstonegroup.net.
Where CounterWait is offered
CounterWait is offered in the United States. Information in iCloud is stored by Apple under Apple's own privacy policy.
Changes
If we change this policy, we'll update the date at the top and tell you in the app before the change takes effect. If a change affects how children's information is handled, we'll ask parents and guardians to agree again first.
Contact
Stepping Stone Elite LLC
352 Ovada Ave, Lexington, NC 27295
(980) 330-1415
support@steppingstonegroup.net