Permissions
Why Offly asks for the accessibility service
Android's accessibility service is powerful, and Google rightly asks apps to explain themselves before using it. Here is Offly's explanation, in the same words you see in the app.
What Offly uses it for
- Grey screen. To switch the display to black and white for the apps and hours you chose, Offly needs to know which app is in front and to toggle the system colour-correction setting. Android exposes both only through an accessibility service (or through a developer-mode setting granted over USB, which Offly also supports for people who prefer it).
- Slow touch in kids mode. To make rapid tapping impossible for a child, Offly delays touches by up to three seconds. This needs the service's gesture dispatch.
- Blocking short videos. If you ask Offly to block Shorts, Reels or Stories while leaving the rest of YouTube or Instagram alone, Offly watches for those sections opening and steps in front of them. This needs the service's window-change events.
What it never does
- It does not read, record or send the content of your screen, messages, passwords or anything you type.
- It does not run unless you turned on one of the three features above. Turn them off and Offly asks you to disable the service.
- It is not used for anything else, including analytics, advertising or "core" launcher features. The launcher, pauses, limits and hiding all work without it.
How you're asked
Before Offly opens the Android accessibility settings, it shows a screen titled "Why grey needs accessibility" (or the equivalent for slow touch and short videos) that says the above and needs your explicit tap to continue. You can revoke the service at any time in Android Settings → Accessibility → Offly.
This is the prominent disclosure required by the Google Play Accessibility API policy. See also the full permissions list and the privacy policy.