PhoneRecap — Privacy Policy

Last updated: 17 October 2026

PhoneRecap is an Android app made by Madhav Kwatra, an independent developer in India. It shows you a recap of how you use your phone. This policy explains what the app reads, where that data goes, and your choices.

The short version

Your usage data never leaves your phone. PhoneRecap has no account, no server and no cloud copy.
The app cannot send data over the internet. The release version does not request Android's internet permission.
No ads, no analytics, no crash-reporting tools, no tracking.
You can delete everything at any time in Settings › Delete PhoneRecap's data.

What PhoneRecap reads (only with your permission)

With Android's Usage access permission, which you turn on yourself in Android Settings, PhoneRecap reads on your phone:

which apps were open and for how long, how often you unlocked the phone, and when the screen was on;
how much mobile data and Wi-Fi each app used (Android's own data counters);
how many notifications each app showed you — only the count per app per day, never what the notifications said;
app names and icons of the apps you use, and which of them are still installed (only apps with a home-screen icon), so the recap and the Apps list can show them;
when apps with a home-screen icon were installed and last updated, also apps you never opened;
how long apps kept running in the background with an ongoing notification, for example music, navigation or a VPN — only the time, not what they did;
how long the screen was on while the phone was turned sideways, and how often the phone was switched off and on;
once a month, your phone's storage totals: total and free space, and how much space photos, videos, audio and apps take up — only the sizes, never file names or the files themselves.

PhoneRecap does not read your messages, photos, contacts, location, browsing content, passwords, or what you type or see inside other apps.

Where the data is kept

Everything is stored in a small database inside the app on your phone. PhoneRecap saves a little each day because Android deletes detailed usage after about 10 days (and data use after about 3 months). Android's automatic Google backup is turned off for PhoneRecap, so this data is not copied to your Google account.

How the data is protected

Android keeps PhoneRecap's database in the app's private storage. Other apps cannot read it.
Your phone's screen lock and Android's device encryption protect it, like the data of your other apps.
PhoneRecap does not add its own encryption. An export file or a recap image is not protected once you send it somewhere, so share it only with people and apps you trust.

How long data is kept

PhoneRecap keeps the days it saved until you delete them (Settings › Delete PhoneRecap's data) or uninstall the app. There is no copy anywhere else, so nothing is kept after that, except an export file you saved yourself. We, the developer, never receive this data, so we have nothing to keep or delete.

Sharing

PhoneRecap never shares your data. You can choose to:

share a recap image through Android's share sheet — it goes only where you send it;
save a recap image to your phone's gallery (Pictures › PhoneRecap) — only when you tap Save; it stays on your phone, and PhoneRecap needs no photo or storage permission for this;
get recap reminders — if you turn them on in Settings, PhoneRecap asks Android for notification permission and schedules up to two reminders a month on your phone ("your month is ready", and on 1 December "your year is ready"); nothing is sent to us or anyone else, and you can turn them off any time;
get a saving alert — if you turn on "Saving alerts" in Settings, PhoneRecap schedules one local notification for 6 days after its last save, so you hear about it if your phone stopped it from saving; each new save moves it forward, so you only see it when saving really stopped; it contains no usage numbers or app names;
export your data as a file — it goes only where you save or send it; "Save export to phone" puts it in your phone's Download › PhoneRecap folder, where it stays until you delete it, also if you uninstall PhoneRecap;
import an export — Settings › Your data › Import from a file reads only the file you pick, on your phone, and adds its saved days to PhoneRecap; nothing is uploaded;
send feedback by email — this opens your own email app; you see the message (app version, Android version, phone model) before you send it.

If you contact us

If you email us, we receive your email address and your message, plus the app version, Android version and phone model if you leave them in. We use them only to answer you and fix problems. We keep these emails in our mailbox and delete them when you ask.

Crash reports from Google Play

If you installed PhoneRecap from Google Play and your phone shares usage and diagnostics data with Google (an Android setting), Android may send Google crash and performance reports about PhoneRecap. Google shows the developer only technical summaries, such as the phone model and where the app crashed, never your usage data. Google's privacy policy covers these reports, and you can turn them off in Android Settings.

Your choices

Turn Usage access off at any time in Android Settings; PhoneRecap then stops reading new data.
Delete all data PhoneRecap saved: Settings › Delete PhoneRecap's data. Uninstalling the app also deletes it.
Android's own usage records belong to Android and are not changed by PhoneRecap.
Questions, requests or complaints about your data: write to the contact below. We hold none of your usage data, so we cannot see, correct or delete it for you; you control it on your phone.

Children

PhoneRecap is meant for people aged 13 and over. The app itself collects no personal data from anyone. The only personal data that reaches us is an email you choose to send (see "If you contact us").

Changes

If this policy changes, the new version will be posted on this page with a new date. Because PhoneRecap collects no data, a change can never apply to data already collected.

Contact

Privacy contact: Madhav Kwatra · madhav.kwat+phonerecap@gmail.com