Privacy Policy — Smart Cast

1. Introduction and scope

This Privacy Policy explains what information Smart Cast (the "App"), an Android application published by Aivio Apps, reads, stores and sends, who receives it, and what choices you have. It applies only to the App. Our website has its own privacy policy.

By using the App you acknowledge this policy. If you do not agree with it, please do not use the App.

2. Summary

Media you cast is streamed from your phone straight to the receiver you choose over your local network, and only while it plays.
Your casting history and favourite devices are stored on your phone. We do not receive them.
The App has no account, and we operate no server that collects your information.
The App is free and shows ads served by Google AdMob. Google may collect device identifiers such as your advertising ID, and the App asks for your consent first where the law requires it.
We do not sell your personal information.

3. Information the App reads and stores on your device

To provide its features, the App uses the following. It is shown on your screen and, where noted, saved on your phone.

Receivers on your network: The names, models and network addresses of Cast receivers the App finds, shown on screen and, if you save them, kept as device history and favourites on your phone.
Media you choose to cast: Videos, photos and music from your phone that you pick, and web pages or media links you enter. Local files are served to the receiver you cast to by a small server inside the App, using a separate unguessable link for each file.
Casting history: If "Save casting history" is on, what you cast, to which receiver and when, stored on your phone and clearable at any time.
Thumbnails and cached metadata: Small preview images and recently used websites, kept on your phone to make lists faster and clearable in Settings.
Your settings: Casting, quality, orientation, notification and appearance choices.
Local counters: Small counters kept on your device to decide how often full-screen ads and the rating prompt are shown, and which version of the Privacy Policy and Terms you accepted.

What the App does not access: your contacts, location, microphone, camera, messages or call history. It reads only the media you choose to cast, and it does not upload your media to us.

4. Where your information lives and your control over it

Storage: history, favourites and settings are kept in the App's private storage on your phone, are excluded from Android backups and are not uploaded by the App.
Your control: turn casting history off, clear casting history, device history or cached metadata in Settings > Privacy, withdraw media or notification permissions in Android settings, or uninstall the App.

5. Information sent off your device

Smart Cast does not send your content or settings to Aivio Apps, and we operate no server that receives them. We do not use analytics or crash-reporting services of our own in the App.

The App does connect to the following services because of its own features. Each handles ordinary connection data, such as your IP address and the time of the request, under its own privacy policy.

Your Cast receiver: When you cast, the media is sent over your local network to the receiver you chose, which plays it under its own software and policies. For a web page or media link, the receiver downloads it from the Internet itself. Receivers made by other companies handle what they receive under their own privacy policies.
Google Cast: The App uses Google's Cast framework to find receivers and manage the session. It handles ordinary connection data under Google's own privacy policy.

The App also connects to Google for ads and ad consent, as described in the Advertising section.

If the App asks you to rate it and you choose to, Google Play shows its own review screen. The App is not told whether you rated or what you wrote.

6. Permissions

The App declares the following Android permissions. You can review or withdraw the ones that need your approval in your device settings, although some features may then stop working.

INTERNET: Stream media between your phone and the receiver over your network, load web pages you cast, and load ads.
ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE: Check your connection and Wi-Fi network before looking for receivers or requesting ads.
com.google.android.gms.permission.AD_ID: Lets Google's advertising services read your Android advertising ID, as described in the Advertising section.
CHANGE_WIFI_MULTICAST_STATE: Discover Cast receivers on your Wi-Fi network.
ACCESS_WIFI_STATE: Check the Wi-Fi network you are on before looking for receivers.
NEARBY_WIFI_DEVICES: Find receivers on your network on Android 13 and newer. The App does not use it to work out where you are.
READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE (Android 12L and older): Let you pick videos, photos and music to cast.
READ_MEDIA_VIDEO, READ_MEDIA_IMAGES and READ_MEDIA_AUDIO (Android 13 and newer): Show your videos, photos and music so you can choose what to cast.
READ_MEDIA_VISUAL_USER_SELECTED (Android 14 and newer): Lets you share only the photos and videos you pick.
POST_NOTIFICATIONS: Show the casting notification and optional connection alerts.
FOREGROUND_SERVICE and FOREGROUND_SERVICE_MEDIA_PROJECTION: Keep a screen-sharing session running when the receiver supports it.

7. Advertising and consent

The App is free and supported by ads from Google AdMob, a service of Google LLC. It may show an adaptive banner ad on browsing screens and a full-screen ad after you finish certain actions.

What you cast, your device and casting history, and your media are never given to Google or to advertisers by the App. Ads are not shown while you are casting, on the player or on connection screens.

When ads are requested or shown, Google and its partners may collect or receive:

your Android advertising ID and similar device identifiers;
your IP address, from which an approximate location may be derived;
device and app information, such as device model, operating system version, language, and app name and version;
ad interaction information, such as ads viewed or clicked.

Google uses this to deliver, measure and personalise ads and to prevent fraud and abuse.

Consent. The App starts the Google Ads SDK only after Google's consent step has run and, where the law requires it (for example in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland), after Google's consent form has recorded your choice. This happens after the App's own first-run screens, never over them. You can review or change your choice at any time in the App's Settings, where an ad privacy option is shown for your region.

Other controls on Android:

Settings > Privacy > Ads (the path varies by device): reset your advertising ID or opt out of ad personalisation.
Settings > Google > Ads: manage ad personalisation for your Google account.

9. How we use information

Information handled by the App is used only to:

provide the features described above on your device;
remember your settings;
show ads and ask for ad consent, through Google;
keep the App working and secure.

If you email us, we use what you send (such as your email address and message) only to reply to you and to improve the App.

10. Disclosure

We do not sell your personal information. Information goes to others only:

to the services described in the Information sent off your device and Advertising sections, which receive the technical data described there;
where we are required to do so by law, by a court order or by a public authority;
where it is reasonably necessary to protect rights, safety or security.

11. Storage, retention and deletion

Casting history, device history, favourites and cached metadata stay on your phone until you clear them or uninstall the App.
Media you cast is not kept by the App after it plays.
On our side: we hold no database of your content or any user profile, because the App has no accounts and sends us nothing.
Google: data processed by Google for advertising is kept under Google's own policies. To manage it, use the controls described in the Advertising section and your Google account at https://myaccount.google.com.
Email: if you email us, we keep the correspondence only as long as needed to handle your request and for ordinary record-keeping. You can ask us to delete it.

12. Security

We take reasonable steps to protect information handled by the App. Your content stays on your phone and is not transmitted by us, which limits exposure. No method of storage or transmission is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security. Keeping your device locked and your Android version up to date helps protect you.

13. Children's privacy

The App is not directed at children under 13, or under any higher minimum age that applies in your country. The App does not knowingly serve ads to users who are under the applicable age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has given us personal information, contact us at Aivio.Apps@hotmail.com and we will delete it.

14. Your rights and choices

Depending on where you live (for example under the EU and UK General Data Protection Regulation, or under the California Consumer Privacy Act as amended), you may have the right to:

ask whether we hold personal information about you, and ask for a copy of it;
ask us to correct or delete it;
restrict or object to certain processing;
withdraw consent you have given, at any time, without affecting earlier processing;
not be discriminated against for exercising your rights;
lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

We hold very little personal information about App users, usually only an email you choose to send us. Most of your data is on your device, where you can view and delete it yourself in the App. To make a request, email Aivio.Apps@hotmail.com. We may need to verify your identity before acting, and we will respond within the time required by law. Requests about advertising data held by Google must be made to Google.

California residents. We do not sell or share your personal information for cross-context behavioural advertising through our own systems. Google, as an advertising provider, may process advertising identifiers as described in the Advertising section. You can limit this through your device's advertising settings.

15. International transfers

Google may process advertising-related data on servers in countries other than your own, including the United States. Where required, it relies on lawful transfer mechanisms such as standard contractual clauses. See Google's privacy policy for details.

16. Third-party links

The App or its ads may open other websites or apps. We do not control them and are not responsible for their content or privacy practices. Please read their policies.

17. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy when the App, the services it uses or the law changes. The "Last updated" date shows the latest revision. If a change is significant, we will highlight it on the page where this policy is published and, where the App asks for acceptance, in the App. Using the App after a change takes effect means you accept the updated policy.

18. Contact us

If you have questions about this policy or about how the App handles information, contact:

Aivio Apps — Email: Aivio.Apps@hotmail.com