Is GrowthJar safe and private for my child?
UK guide · Updated 17 July 2026
Yes. GrowthJar was built privacy-first: no accounts, no data collected, no ads, and no third-party code. Everything your child enters stays on the device, the app works fully offline, and a real parental gate keeps the controls in your hands. It holds no real money, so there is nothing financial to put at risk.
Nothing leaves the phone. No sign-up, no email, no analytics, no trackers, no ads. The only time GrowthJar needs the internet is the optional one-time Family Unlock purchase, which Apple handles. Child screens carry no links, ads or buy buttons.
What data does GrowthJar collect?
None. GrowthJar has no accounts and no sign-up, so there is no email or password to give. Everything — your children's names, their coins, jobs, and history — is stored only on your device using Apple's on-device database. Nothing is sent to GrowthJar or to any third party, and the App Store privacy label reflects this as "Data Not Collected". If you add a photo of a cash gift, that photo is compressed and stored on the device only; it is never uploaded.
Are there ads or trackers?
No. There are no ads, no analytics, and no third-party code anywhere in GrowthJar — nothing is trying to sell to your child or watch what they do. Because there are no trackers, the app also needs no cookie banners or tracking permissions. This is not a setting you switch on; it is how the app is built.
Does it work offline?
Yes — GrowthJar works entirely offline. All the everyday features run with no internet at all, because the data lives on your phone. The single exception is the optional one-time Family Unlock purchase (to add more than one child), which is processed by Apple and needs a connection just for that moment.
How do the parental controls work?
A parental gate stands between the child's screens and everything a parent controls. To open it, the app tries Face ID or Touch ID first; if that is unavailable it shows a quick maths challenge, and you can always fall back to a PIN you set during setup. Three wrong answers lock the gate, and the lockout gets longer each time — so it cannot be guessed by a determined child, while the real device owner (via Face ID) is never locked out.
Control also runs through approval: every coin your child earns or adds waits for your approval before it counts, and you are the one who records money going out when you hand over real cash. Nothing changes the balance without you.
Is it suitable for the Kids category?
GrowthJar is designed to the App Store's stricter standards for children: a real parental gate, a privacy policy, no third-party analytics or ads, and no external links, adverts or purchase prompts on any child-facing screen. The purchase and restore options live only behind the parental gate. It also supports the accessibility features families rely on — VoiceOver, larger text (Dynamic Type), reduced motion, and a dark mode — and sounds can be turned off.
GrowthJar keeps score of pocket money on your phone, privately — no bank, no real money, no accounts, no data, no ads — with you in control of every coin.
Common questions
Does GrowthJar collect my child's data?
No. No accounts, no sign-up, no analytics; everything stays on the device and nothing is sent to GrowthJar or any third party. It works fully offline, apart from the optional Apple-handled Family Unlock purchase.
Does GrowthJar have ads?
No ads and no third-party code at all. Child screens have no adverts, external links, or purchase buttons — the only purchase sits behind the parental gate.
How do the parental controls work?
A parental gate using Face ID or Touch ID, then a maths challenge, then a PIN you set, with an escalating lockout on wrong answers. Every coin a child earns or adds waits for your approval; you make withdrawals yourself.
More detail
- GrowthJar privacy policy — growthjar.co.uk/legal/privacy.
- GrowthJar support (parental gate, approvals, deleting data) — growthjar.co.uk/support.
A money app you can hand over without worry
No accounts, no data, no ads — GrowthJar keeps pocket money private and puts you in control. Free with one child. iPhone.
