Support

Why does Pax Gate need accessibility permission?

The gate works by intercepting the moment you open one of your gated apps. Android's accessibility service is what lets us notice that intercept and step in with the gratitude prompt before the app loads.

The service inspects only the foreground app's package name (the technical identifier, like com.instagram.android). It does not read the content of any screen, log keystrokes, or transmit anything off your device.

Where is my data stored?

On your device, encrypted at rest. Your gratitude reflections, journal entries, mood logs, sanctuary configuration, and chain progress all live in local app storage. Pax Gate has no server that holds them.

The only paths off your device are the ones you trigger yourself, like exporting your journal or sending feedback. There is no automatic cloud sync of your entries.

How do I cancel my subscription?

Open Settings → Subscription → Manage subscription inside the app. That deep-links you straight to the Google Play subscription page for your account, where you can cancel in one tap.

Your premium features stay active for the rest of the current billing period, and your local data stays untouched.

I bought a Lifetime Pass on another device. How do I get it on this one?

Install Pax Gate on the new device, sign in to the same Google account you used for the original purchase, then open Settings → Subscription → Restore Purchases. Your Lifetime Pass entitlement will be restored without an additional charge.

The gate isn't appearing for one of my apps.

Two common causes:

Accessibility permission was revoked. Some Android cleanup tools and battery savers turn the service off in the background. Open the in-app reliability banner (or go to Settings → Accessibility) and toggle the Pax Gate service back on.

Battery optimization is killing the service. On some manufacturers (Samsung, Xiaomi, OnePlus, Huawei) you need to add Pax Gate to the "unrestricted" or "no battery optimization" list, and turn on "auto-launch" or "background activity" for the app.

If the gate still isn't firing, write to us at the email below with your device model and Android version and we'll work it out.

Can someone bypass my gates?

Anyone with access to your device can open Settings and disable individual gates or cancel a Sanctuary Lock. Pax Gate is designed for self-accountability, not as a hard restriction system.

If you find yourself bypassing often, raise the friction level on the offending gate (deep gate, longer reflection prompt, sanctuary lock). The goal is to make the intentional path the easiest one, not to make the bypass impossible.

Can I export my data? Can I delete it all?

Yes to both.

Export: Open the journal and tap the share icon. You can export your reflections as plain text or markdown to wherever you want them.

Delete: Uninstall Pax Gate from your device, or use Android's standard Apps → Pax Gate → Storage → Clear data. Because everything is local, removing the app removes the data with it. Nothing of yours lives on our servers to delete.

What counts as a day on my presence chain?

A day counts toward your presence chain if either you logged a gratitude reflection or you didn't reach for any of your gated apps that day.

So a quiet day where you simply stayed off the feeds still keeps the chain alive. You don't have to write to win.

What does the Sanctuary Lock do?

A Sanctuary Lock seals every gated app for a duration you choose (15 minutes up to a custom long block). While it's running, none of your gated apps will open, no matter how many times you tap them.

Pax stays with you on the sanctuary screen the whole time, counting down. The lock ends on its own; you can also cancel it from inside the app by pressing and holding the lock icon for five seconds.

I have a feature request or feedback.

We read everything. Open Settings → Send Feedback in the app, or write directly to the email below. Including a short description of what you'd want it to do (not just the feature name) makes it much easier for us to act on.