Why we ask for so few permissions (and what we do with the ones we need)

Permission prompts are one of the few moments an app directly asks you to trust it. We try to make that an easy "yes" by only asking for what we'll actually use.

Storage — to save what you ask for

Our downloader and media apps request storage access for one reason: writing the file you tap "download" on into your device's storage. That's it. We don't scan your existing files, index your gallery, or read anything you didn't just create through the app.

Notifications — for things you started

We use notification permission to tell you when something you initiated finished — a download completed, an export is ready. We don't use it as a re-engagement channel to nudge you back into the app with unrelated alerts.

Network — obviously, for the download itself

Internet access is required for an app whose entire job is fetching media from a link. We don't request elevated network permissions beyond standard internet access, and we don't run background network activity beyond what an in-progress download needs.

What we deliberately don't ask for

No contacts. No precise location. No microphone or camera access on apps that have no use for either. No "device admin" privileges. If a permission doesn't map directly to a feature you're actively using, we don't request it — and if a feature we want to build would require a permission disproportionate to what it's worth, we either find another way to build it or don't build it.

Permissions get reviewed, not just added

When we deprecate a feature, we also remove the permission tied to it in the next release. A shrinking permission list over a few versions usually means cleanup is happening; a permission list that only ever grows is usually a sign that old, unused requests never get revisited. We check ours specifically for this during every major update.

You can verify all of this yourself

Android shows you exactly what each installed app can access under Settings → Apps → [app] → Permissions. We'd rather you check than take our word for it — and if anything there ever looks broader than it should for what the app visibly does, that's worth reporting to us directly.

Trust isn't really built by a privacy policy nobody reads. It's built by the permission prompt matching, exactly, what the app turns out to actually do.