Why AI Detox needs Accessibility Service on Android
AI Detox shows a short cognitive challenge when you open certain AI apps. To do this without tracking or sending any data anywhere, the app must locally detect when those apps are launched. On Android, the most privacy-preserving way to do that is via the Accessibility Service permission.
What exactly do we detect?
Only one thing: when a protected app becomes active. We listen for window and app-change events provided by Android and compare the active app's package name against a fixed list of AI apps. If there is a match, we trigger the local challenge screen.
Protected AI apps (packages)
- ChatGPTcom.openai.chatgpt
- Claudecom.anthropic.claude
- Grokai.x.grok
- Geminicom.google.android.apps.bard
- Perplexityai.perplexity.app.android
- DeepSeekcom.deepseek.chat
- Le Chatai.mistral.chat
- Lumome.proton.android.lumo
- Microsoft 365 Copilotcom.microsoft.office.officehubrow
- Piai.inflection.pi
- Poecom.poe.android
- Character.AIai.character.app
What we do NOT collect
- No messages, prompts, or screen content
- No keystrokes, clipboard, or voice data
- No analytics, crash reporting, or advertising IDs
- No server communication — 100% offline
Why Accessibility (not Usage Access)?
Accessibility gives reliable, low-latency foreground app detection across devices and vendors. It lets us react immediately and locally to show the challenge overlay before the AI app is used — without collecting any personal data. Some OEMs restrict Usage Access or make it unreliable in the background; Accessibility works more consistently for this single purpose.
Security and privacy, by design
The Accessibility Service runs entirely on your device. We use it only to detect the currently active app's package name and decide whether to show a local challenge. No data is transmitted, stored on servers, or shared with third parties.
You can disable the permission at any time in Android Settings → Accessibility → AI Detox.