backbone.
Privacy Policy
Effective 23 September 2026
backbone is an Android app for rehearsing difficult workplace conversations. You pick a scenario, talk it through with an AI counterpart, and get a scored debrief afterwards.
The app has no accounts. You never give it a name, an email address, or a phone number, and there is nothing to sign in to.
Who runs it
backbone is built and operated by ochinimus, an independent developer based in Chisinau, Moldova. Questions, or requests about your data, go to ochinimus@gmail.com.
What the app handles
- What you type during a rehearsal. Your messages are sent over an encrypted connection to our server at backbone-api.ochinimus.app, which forwards them to Anthropic's Claude API to write the counterpart's reply and, at the end, your debrief. We do not keep your conversations in a database.
- A random device identifier. Generated on your device the first time you open the app and sent with each request, so daily usage limits can be applied and so we can count how many devices use backbone. Our server stores only a shortened one-way hash of it. It is not linked to you, and it is not shared with anyone.
- Your rehearsal history. Scenario name, scores, and date stay on your phone in the app's own storage. They are not uploaded.
- Reports you send. If you report an AI reply as inappropriate, that reply and the report are sent to us so we can review it, and are kept while we look into it.
- Purchases. Subscriptions are handled by Google Play, with RevenueCat managing the subscription status on our side. We receive whether a subscription is active and an anonymous identifier for it. RevenueCat keeps the purchase history under that identifier, which also gives us subscription and revenue totals. We never see your card, your bank details, or your Google account.
- Notifications. backbone uses OneSignal to send reminders. From the first time you open the app, OneSignal receives a push token and basic technical details such as device model, operating system version, language and time zone, plus when you open the app and whether you tap a notification. That is how reminders are timed, and how they stop once you are back. Reminders only appear if you allow notifications. OneSignal never receives your rehearsals, scores or messages.
- Operational logs. Our server keeps technical logs, for example timestamps, error codes, request counts and the hashed device identifier, to keep the service running, to diagnose faults and to count usage.
Not collected, at all: your name, email address, phone number, contacts, GPS or network location, photos, files, calendar, or advertising identifier. backbone shows no ads. We do not sell or rent data to anyone, and we do not use your data for advertising.
Who else processes it
- Anthropic generates the counterpart replies and the debrief. Anthropic states that data submitted through its API is not used to train its models. See anthropic.com/legal/privacy.
- Google Play processes the payment and manages the subscription. See policies.google.com/privacy.
- RevenueCat records subscription status and purchase history against an anonymous identifier. See revenuecat.com/privacy.
- OneSignal sends reminders and records the app opens and notification taps that time them. See onesignal.com/privacy_policy.
These providers operate outside Moldova, including in the United States, so the limited data described above is processed there.
How long it is kept
Rehearsal messages are processed as the conversation happens and are not written to a database. Usage logs, which carry the hashed device identifier, are kept for up to 90 days and then deleted. Error logs carry no identifier. Reported content is kept while it is reviewed. Subscription records are kept for as long as the subscription exists, and afterwards only as long as tax and accounting rules require.
Your choices
- Notifications can be turned off at any time in Android's system settings for backbone.
- Everything stored on your device, including your rehearsal history, is removed when you uninstall the app or clear its storage.
- Subscriptions are cancelled in Google Play, under Subscriptions.
- Anything held on our side can be deleted on request. Email ochinimus@gmail.com and we will act on it within 30 days. Because the app has no accounts, include the report or the approximate date so the record can be found.
Security
All traffic between the app and our server uses HTTPS. Access to the server is restricted to the developer. No system is perfectly secure, so the app is built to hold as little as possible in the first place.
Children
backbone is made for working adults and is not directed at children. It should not be used by anyone under 18.
Changes
If this policy changes, the updated version is posted on this page with a new effective date. Material changes will also be noted in the app's Play Store listing.