Privacy Policy
The short version: Smart Data Transfer moves files directly between your devices over Wi-Fi. There is no account, no cloud server, and no company database, because none exist for this app. Everything described below happens on your device, or travels straight to the other device you choose to connect to. The app shows ads through Google AdMob to stay free, which is the one third-party data flow this policy covers in detail below.
1. What we access
Each of these is read only at the moment you use the matching feature, never in the background, and never bundled or sent anywhere on its own.
| Data | Used for |
|---|---|
| Photos, videos, audio, documents | Listed so you can pick what to send. Only files you explicitly select ever leave the device. |
| Contacts | Only touched if you turn on "Contacts" in Phone Clone. Exported to a single .vcf file for that one transfer. |
| List of installed apps | Powers the "Apps" send category, so you can send an app's install file to another device. |
| Camera | Only while the QR scanner is open, to read a pairing code. No photos are taken or stored. |
| Nearby Wi-Fi devices / Wi-Fi state | Required by Android to discover and connect to nearby devices over Wi-Fi Direct. Not used to determine or record your location. |
2. What we don't do
- No account or sign-up. Nothing to register, no password, nothing tied to your identity.
- No cloud upload. Files never pass through a server we run. We don't run one.
- No ad tracking beyond what Google AdMob needs. We don't add our own analytics or tracking SDKs. See Advertising below for what our one ad partner collects.
- No selling or sharing data. There is no data collected in the first place to sell.
3. How a transfer actually moves
Most transfers use Wi-Fi Direct: your device connects straight to the other device's radio, with no router or internet connection involved. The Connect to PC and Connect to iOS features work slightly differently: your phone briefly runs a small local web page, reachable only by devices on the same Wi-Fi network, and only with the one-time access code shown in that session's QR code or link. Either way, the data path is device to device. It never touches infrastructure we operate. Group Share and Phone Clone use the same direct connection.
4. Android permissions this app requests
| Permission | Plain-language reason |
|---|---|
| ACCESS_WIFI_STATE / CHANGE_WIFI_STATE | Check and manage the Wi-Fi Direct connection itself. |
| NEARBY_WIFI_DEVICES | Find nearby devices to connect to (Android 13+). Declared with the "never for location" flag. |
| ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION | Older Android versions require this for Wi-Fi Direct discovery. Still not used to record your location. |
| CAMERA | Scan a QR pairing code, nothing else. |
| READ_MEDIA_IMAGES / VIDEO / AUDIO | List your media so you can pick files to send. |
| READ_CONTACTS | Only used if you enable Contacts in Phone Clone. |
| POST_NOTIFICATIONS | Show transfer progress in the notification shade. |
| FOREGROUND_SERVICE | Keep an active transfer running reliably. |
| REQUEST_INSTALL_PACKAGES | Lets the receiving device open a received app installer when you tap it. |
| INTERNET | Used only for local network sockets between devices, not for calling out to any remote server of ours. |
5. Data storage
Your transfer history (file names, sizes and timestamps) is written to a private file inside the app's own storage on your device. It is never transmitted anywhere and is removed if you clear the app's data or uninstall it. Your display name and chosen save folder are stored the same way. Temporary files the app creates for itself, like the Contacts export used by Phone Clone, live in a private cache folder and are cleaned up automatically. Files you receive are saved to the folder you choose (by default Download/WiFiDirectTransfer) and stay there until you delete them.
6. Deleting your data
Clear the app's storage in Android settings or uninstall the app to remove the history and settings. Delete received files yourself from your save folder or from the My Files screen. Step by step instructions are on the data deletion page.
7. Advertising and third-party services
This app shows ads through Google AdMob to stay free. To select and measure ads, AdMob may collect: a device advertising identifier, general device information (model, OS version), your IP address (used only to estimate a broad, city-level region, not your precise location), and basic ad interaction data (which ad was shown or tapped). This data is handled under Google's own policies, not ours. See Google's Privacy Policy and how Google uses data for ads.
Users in the EEA, UK and Switzerland are shown Google's consent message before ads load. You can limit ad personalization at any time from your device's Settings → Google → Ads, by opting out of ads personalization or resetting your advertising ID.
| Service | Purpose | Data involved |
|---|---|---|
| Google AdMob | Shows in-app ads | Advertising ID, device info, IP-based region, ad interactions |
| Google Fonts | Renders the app's typeface | Font name only, no personal information |
No other third-party service, SDK or API is integrated into this app.
8. Children's privacy
Smart Data Transfer is not directed at children under 13, and the app does not knowingly collect personal information from anyone, of any age. See "What we don't do" above.
9. Changes to this policy
If this policy changes, the update will be posted at this same address with a new "last updated" date above. Continued use of the app after a change means you accept the revised policy.
10. Contact
For privacy questions, support or feedback about Smart Data Transfer, email support@arbeelabs.com.