FOCUS OPERATOR FO-1

Documentation

SMS consent

How an accountability partner opts in to Focus Operator SMS.

Summary

Focus Operator’s accountability feature notifies a user’s chosen partner via SMS when the user ends a focus session early. Partners are added through a public web consent form — not by the user submitting the partner’s number on their behalf.

Every recipient on our messaging service has affirmatively opted in through the form below. Opt-out is honored immediately on receipt of STOP.

Step 1 — The user generates an invite

Inside the Focus Operator iOS app, a user types their chosen partner’s name and creates an invite. The app receives a shareable link from our service.

No message is sent at this stage. We do not have the partner’s phone number yet.

Step 2 — The user shares the link

The user shares the link via the standard iOS share sheet (iMessage, WhatsApp, email, AirDrop, or any other channel of their choice) — from their own phone, on their own communication channel. Our messaging service does not participate.

Step 3 — The partner reaches the consent page

The partner taps the link and lands on a public consent page on focusoperator.com over HTTPS. The page presents:

  • The inviter’s name
  • A program disclosure: purpose of the messages, expected frequency (typically <5 messages/month), the “Msg & data rates may apply” carrier disclosure, and the opt-out method (Reply STOP)
  • A phone number input
  • An unchecked consent checkbox: “I agree to receive SMS notifications from Focus Operator”
  • Links to Privacy and Terms
  • An anti-bot challenge
  • A submit button

The partner enters their own phone number, ticks the consent checkbox, completes the challenge, and submits the form. This submission is the express, recipient-supplied opt-in of record.

Step 4 — The submission is validated

On submit we validate the submission against the consent disclosures shown to the partner, retain a consent record as required by carrier compliance, and prepare to send the confirmation SMS.

Step 5 — A single confirmation SMS is sent

The partner receives one transactional SMS:

Focus Operator: You’re confirmed as [inviter]’s focus partner. You’ll get a text when they end a focus session early. Reply HELP for help, STOP to opt out anytime. Msg&data rates may apply.

Future break-focus notifications go to confirmed partners only. Our A2P messaging service is used solely for the confirmation message above and the break-focus notifications the partner explicitly consented to receive.

Opt-out

A partner can opt out at any time by replying STOP to any Focus Operator SMS. Opt-out is honored immediately. The partner’s record is deleted and no further messages are sent.

Replying HELP returns:

Focus Operator: You receive alerts when the user who added you ends a focus session early. Reply STOP to opt out. Support: hello@focusoperator.com. Msg&data rates may apply.

Abuse protection

We protect against misuse of the invite flow with a layered set of controls. Specific thresholds, scoping rules, and review policies are not published.

  • Invite links are single-use and expire automatically.
  • Invitations to the same recipient are rate-limited.
  • Invite generation is rate-limited.
  • Form submissions are rate-limited and gated by an anti-bot challenge.
  • Recipients who opt out cannot be re-invited.
  • Suspicious activity is reviewed and may result in suspension.

Data retention

We retain partner records only while the relationship is active. On opt-out (STOP) or removal by the inviter, the record and its consent record are deleted. Unconfirmed invites expire automatically and become unrecoverable.

Compliance contact

For SMS compliance inquiries: hello@focusoperator.com.

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