Privacy Policy for the Decibelion app for Android

Mandy Software LLC of Colorado

Last updated: 2024-05-27

1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy explains the data collection practices of the Decibelion app developed by Mandy Software, LLC. By using the app, the End User (hereafter "User") accepts this policy and agrees to the data collection and processing described herein.

2. Microphone Data

2.1. Access to the Microphone

The Decibelion app requires the device microphone permission in order to use the audio-related features of the app.

2.2. Usage of Microphone Data

The audio data from the microphone never leaves the device, and it is never written to the phone's internal storage.

If enough people ask for a recording feature, a recording feature might be added in the future, but right now no audio data is saved.

Even if a recording feature is added in the future, the recorded data will still never leave the device without the User's explicit consent, such as via a "share" button that the User would use and then select where the User would like to share the data to.

2.3. Audio Data vs Usage Statistics

Microphone audio data is NOT a usage statistic and is NEVER sent to any server for processing or storage.

3. Anonymous Usage Statistics

Each time the User uses the app, certain anonymous usage statistics and other information is collected by Mandy Software. This is done for analytics purposes in order to improve the app.

While some of the app events' timestamp information may be used for identifying a particular app installation instance for better app analytics insight, none of the information can actually be linked to the person or the device from which this usage data originated.

For security purposes and to combat abuse, each time the data is collected, a hash of the User's current IP address is saved. However, the User's IP address itself is never retained.

The information collected may be divided into 3 categories, and there are separate rules for opt-out for each category.

3.1. Basic Info - Required

The following basic information is always collected by the app, regardless of opt-out status of the other two categories.

Activity Name: Which screen of the app is opened (math mic, music mic, home page, etc.).
Decibelion App Version: The app version and package name.
Terms Accepted Timestamp: A timestamp of when the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy were accepted.
App Install Timestamp: A timestamp of when the Decibelion app was installed.
Current Timestamp: A timestamp in GMT of when the app is being used.
Usage Data Flag: Whether or not the device or usage data collection is enabled in the app settings.

3.2. Device Info - Optional

The following device information is collected and processed for analytics purposes if opted in.

Device: Manufacturer and model; to know which devices to focus development and testing efforts on.
Locale: The region and language setting of the device; to gauge app language translation needs.
Android OS: Specifically, the API level; used for determining what new OS features can be integrated for most users.

3.3. Usage Info - Optional

The following usage information is collected and processed for analytics purposes if opted in.

Configuration: Device screen size and orientation to understand what screen configurations need to be optimized.
Battery Capacity: How quickly the app uses the battery to understand battery consumption and to optimize accordingly.
User Interaction: To improve app features based on popularity. Data includes but is not limited to:
- Usage count for each feature.
- Usage duration for each feature.
- Usage values if applicable: for example, the name of the clef that is selected on the "music mic" page.
Purchase Summary: Information on which in-app features the User has purchased.
App Performance: Basic information on the app's performance profile to understand the algorithm optimization needs.
Debug: Any unexpected conditions that might occur that require developer attention. This debug info is kept generic/anonymous.

3.4. Privacy

To maintain User anonymity, Mandy Software does not capture or associate any personal identifiers such as the device ID, user ID, advertisement ID, or IP address. Usage data is sent each time the app is either launched, closed, or navigated between the different screens of the app, but no personally-identifiable information (PII) is collected nor stored with this usage data.

4. Financial Data

The Decibelion app contains features available for in-app purchase.

However, the financial transaction process as well as the record-keeping of which User has purchased which product are both services that are handled entirely by the Google Play Store and not by Mandy Software or the Decibelion app directly. The Decibelion app does not have access to the User's financial information or to any other personal information, and the only information that the Decibelion app acquires from the Google Play Services is the basic purchase information (order ID, purchase state, and which products were purchased) as provided by the Google Play Billing library.

Furthermore, the user-identifiable purchase information is never linked to the usage data that is collected by the app. For example, the order ID is not collected with the usage data. The only piece of the purchase information that is included with the collected usage data is a Boolean value (purchased or not?: yes/no) of whether or not each app feature has been purchased, and this information is used for analytics purposes to gauge the effects of different app features as well as different user interactions on whether or not the users decide to make the in-app purchase.

For the User, this means that the Google Play service takes care of handling the payment and all financial and personal information while the Decibelion app has no access to the User's personal information other than determining whether or not the User has purchased the in-app products in order to unlock the feature in question and for Mandy Software's analytics purposes to improve the app.

5. Data Handling and Storage

This section describes how the data is stored and handled.

Data Storage: The usage data are stored on a server in the United States with backups of the data stored in Switzerland. The timestamps of the app use are still stored, but no device or user-specific information is retained. No personal data is stored.
Data Processing: The data is used for analytics purposes only, and it is processed in aggregate to reveal platform and usage patterns which allow for making informed decisions concerning the further development of the Decibelion app. App event timestamps such as the app installation time may be used for semi-identifying an app installation instance in order to gain better insight into the usage patterns and aggregate user behavior, but these timestamps are useless for identifying the User herself or himself, and the timestamps are also useless for identifying the device itself, so the User and the device both remain anonymous.
Third-Party Processing: The data is never sent to any third parties and is always processed in-house by Mandy Software on its own servers in the United States.
Data Retention: The anonymous usage data are retained indefinitely.

6. Consent and User Rights

This section describes the actions that the User can take with regards to the data collection.

User Consent: Upon the first time launching the app, there is a dialog that allows the User to either accept the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy or to exit the app. No usage statistics nor any other information is collected on the User until the User accepts the terms. The dialog has clickable web links for the User to read the policies before accepting. The User can decline the terms and policy, but they may not proceed to use the app if they choose to decline, and they must exit the app.
Data Collection Opt-out: Upon the first time launching the app, the terms and privacy acceptance dialog also has a checkbox for allowing to collect anonymous usage statistics to help improve the app. The checkbox is checked by default, but the User may clear it before accepting the terms if they choose to opt out of the collection of the optional usage data. Regardless of the checkbox, the required basic information will still be collected as described above. The User may change their preference in the app settings at any time.
Data Settings: The settings page of the app allows the User to change their data collection preference. The anonymous device information (manufacturer, model, locale, etc.) and the usage statistics are their own checkboxes in the settings, so those two categories of data collection may be enabled or disabled individually.
User Rights: Since the data is anonymous upon collection, the data is no longer linked to the User once it leaves their device. From that point forward, it is stored and processed in aggregate, and it is not the User's data. The data belongs to Mandy Software. Thus, there is no way for a User to request deletion of "their" data becuase it is not linked to them anymore.

However, the User may opt in or opt out of the anonymous data collection in the app settings at any time; while opting out does not delete the data that has already been collected, it does prevent more data from being collected except for the required category of basic info as described above.

7. Changes to This Policy

Mandy Software may update this Privacy Policy periodically, so it is recommended that the User check this policy occasionally to stay informed about how Mandy Software is collecting and protecting the data generated from the use of the app.

8. Contact Info

Should there be any questions or concerns, please contact Mandy Software at:

info @ mandysoftware.com