Heliograph Privacy Policy

Last updated August 27, 2026

Heliograph moves a file from one device to another directly — over Bluetooth, a local Wi-Fi network, or a flickering QR code read by a camera. There is no server in the middle. Nothing you send passes through us, and we never see it, store it, or have a copy of it at any point.

This page explains the little that Heliograph does touch: the device permissions it asks for, the advertising that funds the free version on iOS and Android, and the in-app purchase used for Heliograph Premium.

Information we don't collect

No account, sign-up, username, or password — the app doesn't know who you are.
No server. Files move device-to-device; we have no copy, backup, or log of what was sent.
No analytics or crash-reporting SDK added by us. The barcode scanner's own telemetry is explicitly turned off in the app's configuration.
Nothing is collected from or about children. Heliograph isn't directed at children and doesn't knowingly collect information from anyone under 13.

Device permissions, and why

Permission	What it's for
Camera	Reading the flickering QR codes shown on the other device when receiving a file that way. Frames are processed on the device and never saved or uploaded.
Photo library	Letting you pick a file to send. Nothing is accessed until you choose something.
Bluetooth	Finding and connecting to the other device, and — for smaller transfers — carrying the file itself.
Local network / Wi-Fi	The faster path for larger transfers, once Bluetooth has introduced the two devices.

Advertising (iOS and Android free version)

The free iOS and Android builds show ads — one when the app opens, and one on the home screen — served through Google AdMob. Heliograph Premium (see below) turns both off.

Serving those ads involves Google collecting, on its own behalf:

An advertising identifier (Android's Advertising ID, or Apple's IDFA on iOS — the latter only if you allow tracking when asked).
Standard ad-request technical data: device type, OS version, approximate location from IP address, and ad interaction data (impressions, clicks).

Where required (including the EEA and UK), a consent prompt asks how your data may be used before any ad is requested, and you can revisit that choice at any time from the Privacy options link on the home screen. On iOS, the system's own App Tracking Transparency prompt separately asks whether the app may track you across other apps and websites — declining still shows ads, just untargeted ones.

Google is an independent controller of the data it collects this way. See Google's Privacy Policy and how Google uses data for advertising.

Heliograph Premium (in-app purchase)

Premium is a $7/year subscription — sold through Apple's App Store or Google Play — that removes ads on iOS and Android, and is what unlocks the app on macOS, where there's no ad-supported tier. Purchases are handled entirely by Apple or Google: Heliograph never sees your payment details, and only receives confirmation of whether the subscription is active.

What's stored on your device

A couple of small preferences — your theme choice (light/dark/system) and, where relevant, a cached record of whether Premium is active — are kept in the app's local storage on your device only, so they're not shipped anywhere.

Your choices

Revisit ad consent any time via Privacy options on the home screen.
Change App Tracking Transparency permission for Heliograph in your device's system settings at any time.
Reset or limit your device's advertising identifier in your device's system settings.
Uninstalling the app removes everything it stored locally — there's nothing left behind on a server, because there never was a server.

Changes to this policy

If this policy changes, the date at the top of this page will change with it. Continuing to use Heliograph after an update means you accept the revised policy.

Contact

Questions about this policy: jameskaguo@live.com

Heliograph · this page is bundled in the app (Settings/Home → Privacy Policy) and hosted at the URL configured in the App Store and Google Play listings.