1. Who we are
Settings Home is an Android launcher. In this policy, "we", "us" and "our" refer to Settings Home, which is responsible for the personal information described here.
This policy covers the Settings Home app for Android (package com.settingspanel.app) and this website at settingshome.site. It does not cover other apps, sites or services that we do not operate, even where they are linked from ours.
2. Summary
This summary is here to help you scan the policy. The sections that follow are the ones that apply.
- Your controls stay on your phone. Turning Wi-Fi on or changing brightness is a local operation. We do not receive a record of the switches you flip.
- We do not run an account system. There is no sign-up, no profile and no password. Notes you write are stored locally in the app.
- Advertising identifiers and device data are collected. Settings Home is free and supported by ads. Our advertising, measurement and analytics partners collect device and usage information as described in section 7.
- Approximate location is used for weather and local news. With your permission we use device location; if you decline, we may approximate your city from your IP address.
- You can opt out of personalised advertising. Use your Android ad settings, or contact us to exercise a privacy right. See section 13.
- We do not sell your notes, searches or notification content. We do not have access to them in the first place.
3. Information we collect
3.1 Information you give us
If you email support, send feedback or submit a rating prompt, we receive what you choose to include: your email address, the content of the message, and any attachments or device details you add. We use this only to answer you and to fix the problem you reported.
3.2 Information created on your device
The app reads and writes the following on your device in order to work. Unless you explicitly share it, this information is not transmitted to us:
- System state — whether Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, mobile data, airplane mode, location, NFC, dark mode, do-not-disturb and similar switches are on, plus brightness and volume levels. This is read to draw the panel and written when you tap a control.
- Device health figures — battery level, battery health, temperature, voltage, storage used and memory in use, read from Android system APIs.
- Installed app list — read to populate the app drawer and the "Apps" settings page, and to check whether an app you installed from an offer is present. The list itself is not uploaded.
- Notes — stored in a local database inside the app's private storage. Notes are not uploaded. If you export a note to PDF and share it, that share is initiated by you.
- Preferences — layout, icon arrangement, folders and widgets, saved locally.
3.3 Information collected automatically
When the app runs, it connects to our servers and to the third-party services listed in section 7. Those connections can include:
- Device and app details — device model and manufacturer, Android version, screen characteristics, system language, app version, and a randomly generated installation identifier.
- Advertising identifiers — the Android Advertising ID (resettable), and where available the App Set ID.
- Network information — IP address, mobile carrier or network operator, and connection type.
- Approximate location — coarse location derived from IP address, or precise location if you grant the permission for weather and local news.
- Usage events — which screens and features are opened, session length, taps on settings rows, search queries you submit to the app's search bar, and which content cards are shown or clicked.
- Diagnostics — crash reports, stack traces, ANR reports, performance timings, and remote-configuration values fetched by the app.
3.4 Information from partners
Advertising networks, attribution providers and app stores may tell us that an install or an in-app event happened, and may return aggregated campaign performance. We do not receive your name, contacts or payment details from them.
4. Device permissions and why we ask
Android shows a system prompt for each of these. You can deny any of them and keep using the launcher; the related feature simply will not work. You can revoke them later in Android Settings.
| Permission | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Home / default launcher | Makes Settings Home your home screen. Android asks you to confirm; you can switch back at any time. |
| Write system settings | Applies brightness and similar system values when you move a slider. |
| Fine and coarse location | Weather for where you are, and local news. Optional. |
| Notifications | Service messages and reminders. Optional. |
| Notification access | Shows notification dots on app icons. The app does not read or store notification content. |
| Usage access | Detects completed app installs from partner offers so that rewards and reporting are accurate. |
| Set wallpaper | Applies a wallpaper you selected. |
| Bluetooth connect | Reads and toggles Bluetooth state. |
| Advertising ID | Lets advertising SDKs measure and personalise ads, subject to your Android ad settings. |
| Storage / files | Exports a note to PDF when you ask for it. |
Settings Home never reads your SMS, call logs, contacts, microphone, camera or keystrokes. If a future version needs a new permission, we will ask for it in context and update this policy.
5. How we use information
- Provide the launcher and its settings panel, and remember your layout.
- Show weather, news, sports scores and wallpapers for your area.
- Serve advertising that keeps the app free, and measure whether it worked.
- Understand which features are used, so we can improve or remove them.
- Detect crashes, diagnose faults and protect against abuse and fraud.
- Answer support requests and honour privacy requests.
- Comply with law and enforce our Terms of Service.
We do not use your information to make decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects about you, and we do not build profiles for sale to data brokers.
6. Legal bases (EEA and UK)
Where the GDPR or UK GDPR applies, we rely on:
- Contract — to provide the app and the features you request, such as weather for your location.
- Consent — for precise location, push notifications, and personalised advertising where consent is required. You can withdraw consent at any time.
- Legitimate interests — to keep the app secure, prevent fraud, measure aggregate usage, and improve the product, balanced against your rights.
- Legal obligation — to respond to lawful requests and meet record-keeping duties.
7. Advertising and third-party SDKs
Settings Home is free. To pay for development, the app integrates advertising and measurement SDKs. These SDKs operate under their own privacy policies and may collect device identifiers, IP address, approximate location, and ad interaction data independently of us.
| Provider | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Google AdMob and Google Play services | Ad serving and mediation, advertising ID, app set ID, diagnostics. |
| CloudX | Ad serving and bidding. |
| Meta Audience Network | Ad serving through mediation. |
| Mintegral | Ad serving through mediation, including HTML ad templates. |
| Moloco | Ad serving and demand-side bidding. |
| Vungle (Liftoff) | Ad serving through mediation. |
| Firebase (Google) | Remote configuration, cloud messaging, crash reporting and app integrity. |
| Braze | Push notifications and in-app messages. |
| Singular | Install attribution and campaign measurement. |
| RudderStack | Event pipeline and audience attributes. |
| Microsoft Clarity | Session interaction analytics, where enabled by remote configuration. |
| Google Maps Platform | Reverse geocoding for weather and local news. |
Some of these providers act as independent controllers for their own advertising purposes. We encourage you to read their policies. Where required, we obtain consent before personalised advertising is enabled, and you can change your choice at any time through your Android ad settings or by contacting us.
You can reset or delete your Android Advertising ID, and opt out of ad personalisation, in Android Settings → Privacy → Ads. Doing so does not remove ads; it makes them less relevant.
10. US state privacy rights
Residents of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia, Utah and other states with comprehensive privacy laws have specific rights, described in section 13. The categories of personal information we have collected in the past twelve months are:
| Category | Collected |
|---|---|
| A. Identifiers (IP address, advertising ID, installation ID) | Yes |
| B. Customer records (email address if you contact us) | Yes, only if you write to us |
| C. Protected classifications | No |
| D. Commercial information (app store purchase records) | Yes, for purchases |
| E. Biometric information | No |
| F. Internet activity (screens and features used, ad interactions) | Yes |
| G. Geolocation data | Approximate; precise only with permission |
| H. Sensory data (audio, video, keystrokes) | No |
| I. Professional or employment information | No |
| J. Education information | No |
| K. Inferences drawn from the above | Limited ad-interest inferences by partners |
| L. Sensitive personal information | No |
We have "shared" category A, F and G information with advertising partners for cross-context behavioural advertising as that term is defined under California law. We have not sold personal information for monetary consideration. To opt out of sharing, see section 13.
We do not knowingly collect or sell the personal information of consumers under 16 years of age.
11. How long we keep information
- Support email — kept for up to 24 months after the conversation closes, then deleted.
- Usage and diagnostic events — typically retained for up to 14 months in identifiable form, then aggregated or deleted.
- Advertising identifiers — retained by partners according to their own schedules; we do not keep a separate copy beyond the campaign period.
- Data on your device — stays until you clear the app's storage or uninstall it.
Where we no longer need information, we delete it or anonymise it. If deletion is not immediately possible because data sits in a backup archive, we isolate it until deletion can be completed.
12. Security
We use transport encryption in transit, access controls on our systems, and least-privilege access for staff and contractors. App integrity checks help detect tampered builds. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot promise absolute security; we will notify you and the relevant authority if a breach affects your rights, as required by law.
13. Your rights and choices
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:
- Know what personal information we hold about you, and obtain a copy.
- Correct inaccurate information.
- Delete information we hold about you.
- Opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information, and of targeted advertising.
- Limit the use of sensitive personal information (we do not collect any).
- Not be discriminated against for exercising these rights.
- Appeal a decision we make about a request.
To make a request, email [email protected] with the subject line "Privacy request". Tell us what you want and, if relevant, your advertising ID (found in Android Settings → Privacy → Ads). We may ask for information to verify that the request relates to you, but we will not ask for more than necessary. We respond within 30 days, or 45 days where the law allows an extension, and we will tell you if we need more time.
You can authorise an agent to act for you. We may ask the agent for written permission and may still contact you directly to confirm.
Deleting app data. Most data the app creates lives on your device. Uninstalling Settings Home, or clearing its storage in Android Settings → Apps → Settings Home → Storage, removes it. To have server-side events deleted, email us with your advertising ID and we will pass the request to the relevant partners where technically possible.
Opting out of personalised ads. Use Android Settings → Privacy → Ads → Delete advertising ID (Android 12 and later). You can also contact us and we will flag your identifier for opt-out with our advertising partners.
Global Privacy Control. This website honours the GPC signal for any future cookie-based analytics. The Android app does not use browser signals; use the in-app and Android controls described above.
If you are in the EEA or UK, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority. We would prefer the chance to resolve it first.
14. Children
Settings Home is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact us and we will delete it. Where local law sets a higher age for consent to data processing, that age applies.
15. International transfers
We and our providers process information in the United States, the European Union and other countries where we or they operate. Where information subject to the GDPR or UK GDPR leaves those regions, we rely on adequacy decisions or standard contractual clauses, together with supplementary measures where needed. You can ask us for a copy of the relevant safeguards.
16. Changes to this policy
We update this policy when the app changes. The "Last updated" date at the top always reflects the current version. If a change materially affects how we use information we already hold, we will notify you in the app or by other reasonable means before the change takes effect. Continuing to use the app after an update means you accept the revised policy.
17. Contact us
Questions, requests or complaints about privacy:
See also our Terms of Service.