ControlDeck — Privacy Policy
Last updated: 5 October 2026
ControlDeck ("the app") is made by Ogbar ("I", "me"). It lets your own devices on the same local network control each other: volume, brightness, media playback, app launching and similar functions. This policy explains what data the app handles and where it goes.
Summary
- The app has no servers, no user accounts, no analytics, no ads and no crash reporting.
- I do not collect, receive or store any data about you or your devices.
- Everything the app stores stays on your device. Data is only exchanged directly between devices you have paired yourself.
What the app keeps on your device
- Device identity: a randomly generated device ID and the device name shown to your other devices.
- Pairing keys: a random key created when you pair two devices, used to authenticate later connections. It is kept in encrypted storage on the device.
- Your setup: decks, widgets, groups, registered apps, Wake-on-LAN targets and settings.
This data is excluded from Android cloud backup and is deleted when you uninstall the app. Decks you export to a file are saved only where you choose to save them.
What the app sends to your paired devices
Only to devices you have paired, directly over your local network (or a USB cable, if you connect that way):
- device name, device ID, platform and supported functions;
- current control state, for example volume, mute, brightness, media playback status and, when the other device provides it, the title and artist of what is playing;
- your decks and groups, so they stay in sync across your devices;
- the commands you trigger, for example "set volume to 40%".
Devices find each other on your network with mDNS/DNS-SD. Connections stay on the local network and are not routed through the internet. They are authenticated with your pairing key but are not encrypted with TLS, so use the app on networks you trust.
Purchases (ControlDeck Pro)
ControlDeck Pro is an optional one-time in-app purchase. It is handled entirely by Google Play: your payment details, Google account and purchase history are processed by Google under the Google Privacy Policy, and I never see them. The app only asks Google Play whether Pro has been bought on your Google account, receives a purchase token to confirm it, and remembers the result on your device so Pro keeps working offline. Nothing about the purchase is sent to me or to your paired devices.
Permissions
- Camera — only to scan the pairing QR code. Images are processed on the device and never stored or sent.
- Nearby Wi-Fi devices, network state, multicast — to discover your other devices on the local network. Never used to determine your location.
- Internet — to connect to your paired devices on the local network.
- Modify system settings — to change screen brightness when you or a paired device asks for it.
- Display over other apps (optional) — so a paired device can open an app or link on this device while ControlDeck is in the background. The app draws no overlays.
- Vibrate — haptic feedback when you tap a control.
Children
The app is not directed at children under 13, and I do not knowingly collect data from them.
Deleting your data
Uninstall the app. I hold no copy of anything.
Changes
If this policy changes, the new version will be published at this address with a new date.