Share FilesLegal
Privacy Policy
The short version
- Your files, text and links go straight from one of your devices to another, over your own Wi-Fi. They are never sent to us.
- No account, no name, no email address needed. No ads and no advertising ID.
- Anonymous usage and crash reports are off by default. If you turn them on, they never include file names, device names, addresses or anything you send.
- We never sell or share your data. We don't have a server that stores your files.
- Transfers between devices are encrypted (HTTPS). Browser mode is the one exception: it is plain HTTP, off by default and turns itself off after 15 minutes.
This policy explains what information Share Files ("the app", "we", "us") handles, why, and the choices you have. Share Files is developed by ASK Technology.
1. What stays on your devices
The app keeps the following only on the device it runs on. We never receive it.
- The files, text and links you send or receive, and the files you browse in the file manager.
- The names of devices you paired with, and the access keys that let them send to each other.
- A certificate that identifies this device to others on your network.
- A short history of what you sent, your settings, your favourites and a Trash folder for files you delete (kept 30 days).
- Network locations you add (a NAS, PC or server): the address, user name and password. The password is encrypted with a key held by the Android Keystore and is used only to connect to that server.
Uninstalling the app removes its data. Files you received are saved in your Downloads folder and stay until you delete them.
2. What goes over your network
When you send, the chosen files, text or links travel directly to the device you picked, on your own network. Transfers use HTTPS with a certificate that identifies the receiving device, and each file is verified so a damaged file is rejected.
Browser mode
Browser mode is optional and off by default. It lets a phone or computer without the app send files through a web page on your Wi-Fi. That page is not encrypted, uses a long random address, and switches itself off after 15 minutes. Use it only on a network you trust.
Network locations
If you add a NAS, PC or server (SMB, FTP, SFTP or WebDAV), the app connects to it with the details you entered. We are not involved in that connection.
3. Optional anonymous usage and crash reports
Usage and crash reports are off unless you turn them on, at the end of first-run setup or later under More → Usage and crash reports. While they are off, the app sends nothing to us. If you turn them on, the app sends the following to Google Firebase:
| What | Examples | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Feature usage events | Which screen was opened, "a send finished", "pairing failed: wrong PIN", the type of file (such as image or video) and rough size and time ranges | Understand which features are useful and where people get stuck |
| Device and app information | Device model, Android version, app version, language, approximate country (derived from the IP address), session length | Collected automatically by Firebase Analytics; used to support the right devices |
| Crash reports | Technical details of a crash (stack trace), device model, Android version | Find and fix bugs |
| Anonymous identifier | A random app-instance ID created by Firebase. It isn't linked to your name, email, Google account or advertising ID | Link events from the same install so counts and crash reports are accurate |
These reports never include file names, folder names or contents, device names, network addresses, PINs, text or links you send, details of network locations (host, user name, share), words you search for, your location or your contacts. The app doesn't use your advertising ID, and the advertising ID permission is removed from the app.
Where the GDPR or similar laws apply, our legal basis is your consent. You can withdraw it at any time with the same switch. Turning it off stops collection immediately, resets the analytics data on your device and deletes any crash reports that haven't been sent.
4. Services we use
Google Firebase (Analytics, Crashlytics)
Only if you turn on usage and crash reports. Firebase processes the information in section 3 on our behalf. Advertising features are disabled: there is no Google Ads link and Google signals are off, and the app tells Firebase that ad storage, ad user data and ad personalisation are not allowed. See Firebase's privacy information and Google's Privacy Policy.
Google Play
If you install Share Files from Google Play, Google handles the download and may collect information under its own policies. We receive only aggregated install and rating statistics.
Open-source libraries run inside the app (for example OkHttp, Media3, libarchive, SMBJ, JSch, Apache Commons Net and ZXing). They don't send data anywhere on our behalf.
5. Permissions
If you decline a permission, only the related feature is affected.
| Permission | Used for |
|---|---|
| All files access (or storage on older Android) | The Files tab: browse, open, copy, move, zip and delete files you choose, and save received files. Nothing is read or uploaded in the background |
| Notifications | Progress of transfers with a Cancel button, and a note when a file arrives (tap it to open the file) |
| Install apps | Only when you open an APK or app bundle yourself. The system asks you to confirm. The app never installs anything by itself |
| Internet, network state and Wi-Fi state | Finding your devices on the local network and transferring files. If you turn them on, usage and crash reports |
| Foreground service and wake lock | Keeping a transfer or background music running with the screen off |
Share Files doesn't request location, contacts, camera, microphone or advertising ID permissions.
6. What we never do
- Show ads or use advertising SDKs.
- Sell, rent or trade your information.
- Share your information for advertising or cross-app tracking.
- Upload your files, texts or links to our own servers. We don't have any.
- Ask for an account, your name or your email address.
Because your files never reach us, we cannot hand them over to anyone. We would only ever hold the limited anonymous reports described in section 3, and only if you turned them on.
7. Retention and security
Data on your device stays until you delete it or uninstall the app. Anonymous analytics events are kept for no longer than 2 months and crash reports for 90 days, after which they are deleted automatically. Data sent to Firebase is encrypted in transit (HTTPS), and so are transfers between your devices, apart from browser mode (section 2).
8. Your rights and choices
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct or delete your personal data, to withdraw consent, to object to processing, and to complain to your local data protection authority. These laws include the EU/UK GDPR and US state privacy laws.
- Stop anonymous reports: turn off More → Usage and crash reports.
- Delete collected reports: email us at the address below. Because the data is anonymous, we may ask for the app-instance ID so we can find it.
- Remove your data on a device: remove paired devices, clear history, delete received files and remove saved network locations inside the app, or uninstall it.
- Revoke permissions: at any time in Android Settings → Apps → Share Files → Permissions.
We will reply within 30 days.
9. Children
Share Files is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has sent us information, contact us and we will delete it.
10. Changes to this policy
If we change this policy, we will update the date at the top of this page. If a change significantly affects how your data is used, we will also tell you in the app before it takes effect. We will never start collecting more data without asking you first.
11. Contact
Questions or requests about privacy: dnsmodifier@gmail.com
Developer: ASK Technology