# Privacy Policy for DumbPhone Launcher
**Last Updated:** October 15, 2026
**Effective Date:** October 15, 2026
This Privacy Policy applies to the **DumbPhone** mobile application (Package Name: `com.dumb.launcher`, hereinafter referred to as “DumbPhone”, “the App”, “we”, “us”, or “our”).
DumbPhone is designed as a minimalist Android home screen launcher created to reduce screen time and encourage digital mindfulness. We believe that your privacy is a fundamental human right. **DumbPhone does not collect, transmit, store on remote servers, share, or sell any of your personal data.** The application functions completely offline on your device.
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## 1. Summary of Core Privacy Principles
* **100% Offline by Design:** DumbPhone does not request the Android `INTERNET` permission. The App cannot establish network connections, communicate with external servers, or transmit data off your device.
* **No Accounts Required:** You do not need to register, create an account, log in, or provide any email address or personal credentials to use the App.
* **Zero Third-Party Trackers & Ads:** We do not embed any advertising SDKs, tracking pixels, or third-party behavioral analytics tools (e.g., Google Analytics, Firebase, Mixpanel, Meta/Facebook SDKs).
* **Local-Only Storage:** All preferences, customized home screen layouts, tile configurations, and app restriction settings are stored strictly in private, sandboxed local storage on your physical device.
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## 2. Permissions We Request and Why
DumbPhone requests only the permissions strictly required to provide its core functionality as an Android launcher and digital wellbeing tool. Below is a detailed breakdown of each permission requested, what data it accesses, and how that data is handled.
### A. Query All Packages (`android.permission.QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES`)
* **Purpose:** Core Launcher Functionality.
* **How It Is Used:** As a replacement home screen (launcher), DumbPhone must be aware of applications installed on your device in order to:
1. Display your installed applications in the “All Apps” drawer and allow you to launch them.
2. Map installed apps to category shortcuts (e.g., Phone, Messaging, Camera, Maps, Notes, Music, Alarms).
3. Allow you to add custom application shortcuts (up to 5 dynamic app tiles) to your home screen.
4. Allow you to select applications to add to your “Restricted” list to introduce mindful friction.
* **Data Retention:** The list of installed packages is queried locally via Android’s `PackageManager`. Package names mapped to your tiles or restricted list are stored only in the App’s local database on your device. This data is never transmitted externally.
### B. Read Calendar (`android.permission.READ_CALENDAR`)
* **Purpose:** Home Screen Glanceable Event Tile.
* **How It Is Used:** When granted, DumbPhone queries your device’s local calendar provider (`CalendarContract.Instances`) to read your next upcoming calendar event occurring within the next 72 hours (3 days). It displays solely the event title and start time on the “Calendar” home screen tile.
* **Data Retention:** Calendar event data is read on-demand in memory while the launcher is active. DumbPhone **never saves, caches to database, logs, or exports** your calendar events, meeting descriptions, attendees, or schedules.
### C. Notification Listener Service (`android.permission.BIND_NOTIFICATION_LISTENER_SERVICE`)
* **Purpose:** Mindful Notification Management, Unread Counts, and Ephemeral OTP Display.
* **How It Is Used:** If you choose to enable the notification listener service, DumbPhone processes incoming status bar notifications locally for three specific features:
1. **Silencing Restricted App Notifications:** When an app configured in your “Restricted” list posts a notification, DumbPhone intercepts and dismisses it (excluding ongoing media playback notifications like music or podcasts) to prevent habitual distraction. A daily aggregate counter of silenced notifications is incremented locally to display your estimated “time saved today”.
2. **Minimalist Unread Counters:** The App checks for active missed calls (`CATEGORY_MISSED_CALL`) and unread chat messages (`CATEGORY_MESSAGE`) solely to display minimal numeric badges (e.g., “3 unread”, “1 missed”) on the respective Phone and Message tiles.
3. **Temporary One-Time Passcode (OTP) Extraction:** For your convenience, when an incoming verification message contains an OTP pattern (a 4-to-8 digit code accompanied by verification keywords such as “code”, “otp”, or “verification”), the code is temporarily displayed on the Message tile.
* **Data Retention:**
* The OTP code and active notification counts are held **strictly in volatile device memory (RAM)**. The OTP automatically self-destructs and is cleared after 120 seconds (2 minutes) or upon app launch.
* The message body and notification text are **never saved to the database, never recorded in log files, and never transmitted**.
* The only persistent value stored is an integer counter representing how many restricted notifications were silenced on the current calendar day.
### D. Device Administration (`android.permission.BIND_DEVICE_ADMIN` – Force Lock)
* **Purpose:** Quick Screen Lock Tile.
* **How It Is Used:** DumbPhone includes an optional “Lock” tile on the home screen. To allow you to lock your screen with a single tap, the App utilizes Android’s `DevicePolicyManager.lockNow()`.
* **Policy Used:** DumbPhone requests only the single `force-lock` device admin policy (`uses-policies:
* **Limitations:** DumbPhone does **not** use, request, or have access to any other device administration policies (such as wiping data, resetting passwords, camera disabling, or storage encryption). You can revoke this Device Administrator privilege at any time in Android Settings under **Security > Device Admin Apps**.
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## 3. Data Storage, Security, and Retention
* **Storage Location:** All data generated by the App (including custom tile sizes, tile order, app-to-tile mappings, selected restricted app package names, theme and background color preferences, and daily unlock counts) is stored locally on your device using Android’s private `Room` database and private `SharedPreferences`.
* **Security:** Data is protected by Android’s standard sandboxing and application permission model, ensuring other standard applications cannot read DumbPhone’s private storage.
* **Data Deletion:** You have complete control over your data. Because no data is held on external servers:
* Resetting app data via **Android Settings > Apps > DumbPhone > Storage > Clear Data** immediately wipes all stored database records and preferences.
* Uninstalling DumbPhone permanently deletes all associated data from your device.
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## 4. Children’s Privacy
DumbPhone does not target children under the age of 13, nor does it knowingly collect personal data from anyone. Because the App operates entirely offline and collects no personal information, it complies with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and the Google Play Families Policy.
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## 5. Third-Party Links and Third-Party Applications
DumbPhone functions as a launcher and facilitates opening other applications or viewing web links chosen by the user (such as launching default dialing, camera, or mapping apps, or navigating to URLs in your default browser).
Please note that once you leave DumbPhone and interact with third-party applications or websites, their respective privacy policies, terms of service, and data collection practices govern your activity. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of the third-party apps installed on your device.
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## 6. Google Play Store Compliance
This policy specifically complies with the Google Play Developer Program Policies regarding:
* **User Data:** Clear disclosures of all data access, in-memory processing, and on-device storage.
* **High-Risk Permissions:** Transparent justification for `QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES`, `READ_CALENDAR`, Notification Access, and Device Administrator capabilities.
* **No Deceptive Practices:** Full alignment between declared permissions in `AndroidManifest.xml` and actual software implementation in the codebase.
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## 7. Updates to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect new features, architectural improvements, or changes in legal and regulatory requirements. If we make material changes, we will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this document and publish the revised version on the Google Play Store listing.
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## 8. Contact Information
If you have questions, feedback, or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy or DumbPhone’s privacy practices, please contact:
* **Email:** akshay@flarecam.cc