Effective date: 4 October 2026
Last updated: 4 October 2026
App: Shortly: URL & Link Shortener (Google Play package com.newagedevs.url_shortener)
Developer: NewAgeDevs (Md. Imam Hossain), Bangladesh
Contact: imamagun94@gmail.com
This policy explains what Shortly (“the app”, “we”, “us”) does with information: what stays on your phone, what leaves it, who receives it and why, and the choices you have. It replaces the earlier “Url Shortener” privacy policy, last revised on 17 December 2024, which no longer described the app accurately.
1. The short version
- No account, no sign-in, and no servers of our own. The app talks directly from your phone to the services described below.
- When you shorten a link, the full long URL is sent to the shortening service you pick. That service stores the link on its servers so the short link keeps working, and short links are generally public (section 4.1).
- If you use Cutt.ly without entering your own API key, the link is created in our Cutt.ly account, so it is visible to us there (section 4.1).
- When you expand a short link, the app itself visits that link and every redirect it leads to (section 4.2).
- Your link history, settings and any API keys you enter stay in the app's private storage on your phone.
- The app is free and shows ads unless you buy “Remove Ads”. Ads are served by AppLovin and its partner ad networks, which collect device identifiers and similar data (section 4.5).
2. What the app does
Shortly turns long web addresses into short links using a third-party URL-shortening service of your choice, expands short links to show where they really lead, shows a QR code for each link, and keeps a searchable history of the links you have created or expanded.
Shortly does not run a shortening service of its own. Every short link is created and hosted by one of the services listed in section 4.1, not by us.
3. Information kept on your device
The app stores the following in its private storage. No other app can read it, and it is not sent to us:
- Link history. For each successful shorten or expand: the service used, the original URL, the short URL, the expanded destination and the date and time.
- API keys and access tokens you choose to enter for TinyURL, Cutt.ly or Bitly. They are stored as you typed them in the app's private storage (the app does not encrypt them separately) and are sent only to the service they belong to.
- Settings such as theme, language and default shortening service, plus small flags the app needs to work: whether you have seen the introduction screens, whether you have been asked for a rating, when an app-open ad was last shown, and whether you have bought “Remove Ads”.
QR codes are drawn on your device from the short link; no QR service is contacted. You can delete a single history entry by swiping it away. Clearing the app's data in Android settings, or uninstalling the app, deletes everything listed above. There is no cloud backup and no way for us to restore it.
4. Information that leaves your device
4.1 URL-shortening services
When you tap Shorten, the app sends your long URL directly from your phone to the service you selected. Each service receives:
- The full long URL, including anything inside it (search terms, tracking codes, tokens or personal details that are part of the address).
- Your IP address and standard request headers, as with any internet request. The app does not add your name, an account, your advertising ID or other device identifiers.
- For TinyURL (if you entered a token), Cutt.ly and Bitly: the API key or access token used for the request.
| Service | How the app uses it | Privacy policy |
|---|---|---|
| Da.gd (the default) | Sends the URL to da.gd/shorten. No key. | Da.gd does not publish a privacy policy. Service: https://da.gd/ |
| TinyURL | Without a token, sends the URL to TinyURL's public api-create.php endpoint. With your own API token, uses api.tinyurl.com and the link is created in your TinyURL account. | https://tinyurl.com/app/privacy-policy |
| Cutt.ly | Sends the URL and an API key to cutt.ly/api/api.php. Uses your key if you entered one, otherwise our built-in key (see below). | https://cutt.ly/privacy |
| Bitly | Requires your own Bitly access token. Sends the URL to api-ssl.bitly.com; the link is created in your Bitly account. | https://bitly.com/pages/privacy |
| CleanURI | Sends the URL to cleanuri.com/api/v1/shorten. No key. | https://cleanuri.com/privacy |
| Clck.ru (Yandex Clicker) | Sends the URL to clck.ru, a service operated by Yandex. No key. | https://yandex.com/legal/confidential/ |
| is.gd | Sends the URL to is.gd/create.php. No key. | https://is.gd/privacy.php |
| Osdb.link | Sends the URL to osdb.link. This service only shortens opensubtitles.org and opensubtitles.com addresses. | Osdb.link does not publish a privacy policy. |
The services keep your links. A short link works only because the service stores the original URL on its servers, usually for as long as the link exists. Short links are generally public: anyone who has, or guesses, a short link can open it, and services may record visits and show click statistics. is.gd, for example, says it keeps IP addresses to track abuse and makes link statistics public. Deleting a link from Shortly's history removes it from your phone only — it does not delete it from the service. Links created in your own TinyURL, Cutt.ly or Bitly account can be managed there; for anything else, contact the service. Do not shorten addresses that contain private information.
Cutt.ly built-in key. If you choose Cutt.ly and have not entered your own API key, the app uses an API key that belongs to NewAgeDevs. Cutt.ly then creates the link in our Cutt.ly account, so the link — and the click statistics Cutt.ly provides for it — appear in that account. We do not use these links for any other purpose. If you would rather this did not happen, enter your own Cutt.ly key in Settings → Configure Providers, or use a different service.
4.2 Link expander
When you expand a short link, the app requests it directly from your phone and follows up to 10 redirects (HTTP redirects, meta-refresh tags and simple JavaScript redirects) to find the final destination. Each server in that chain receives your IP address and a request that identifies itself as a desktop web browser, much as if you had opened the link yourself; the link's owner may count it as a click. The app reads each page only to look for a redirect. It does not display the page or run its scripts.
4.3 Website icons
To show a small icon next to links in your history, the app asks Google's favicon service (www.google.com/s2/favicons) for the icon of each link's website. Google receives the website's scheme and domain name (for example https://example.com, not the full address) along with your IP address. This is handled under the Google Privacy Policy.
4.4 Fonts
The app's typeface is downloaded from Google Fonts the first time it is needed and then kept on your phone. Google receives a standard request with your IP address. See the Google Fonts privacy FAQ.
4.5 Advertising
The app shows app-open, interstitial and native ads through AppLovin MAX, which selects ads from AppLovin and the partner networks built into the app:
- AppLovin: https://legal.applovin.com/privacy/
- Meta Audience Network: https://www.facebook.com/privacy/policy/
- InMobi: https://www.inmobi.com/privacy-policy/
- Liftoff (Vungle): https://liftoff.ai/privacy-policy/
To select, show and measure ads, and to prevent ad fraud, these companies may collect:
- Your device's advertising identifier
- Device information such as model, operating system version, language and network type
- Approximate location derived from your IP address
- Your interactions with the ads shown to you
We do not receive, store or have access to this data. It is handled by these companies under their own policies, linked above.
Your choices. You can reset or delete your advertising identifier at any time under Settings → Privacy → Ads on your Android device, which also opts you out of personalised ads. Doing so does not remove ads, but makes them non-personalised. If you buy “Remove Ads” (section 4.6), no further ads are shown, and the ad SDK is not started at all on later launches.
4.6 Google Play services
“Remove Ads” is a one-time in-app purchase processed by Google Play. We never see your payment details; the app only asks Google Play whether the purchase exists and remembers the result on your phone. The app also uses Google Play to check for app updates and to let you rate the app. All of this is handled by Google under the Google Privacy Policy.
4.7 Sharing, opening links and email
When you share a link, Android's share sheet hands it to the app you choose. When you open a link, it opens in your browser. When you send feedback, the app opens your own email app with a draft addressed to us; nothing is sent until you send it.
5. Permissions and clipboard
- Internet and network state — to reach the services above and to load ads.
- Google Play billing — for the “Remove Ads” purchase.
- Advertising ID and network/Wi-Fi state — added by the advertising SDKs for the purposes described in section 4.5.
The app asks for no location, contacts, camera, microphone or storage permissions. It reads your clipboard only when you tap the Paste button, and writes to it only when you tap Copy. When you share text to Shortly from another app, the text is placed in the link field; nothing is sent until you tap Shorten.
6. What we collect
We do not run servers for this app and do not collect personal information about you through it. The two things that can reach us are:
- Emails you send us. If you email us for support or feedback, we receive your email address and whatever you write, and keep it only as long as needed to answer you.
- Links created with our built-in Cutt.ly key, as described in section 4.1.
The app contains no analytics SDK and no crash-reporting service of our own.
7. Retention and deletion
Everything the app keeps lives on your phone. Swipe a history entry away to delete it, or clear the app's data in Android settings or uninstall the app to remove all of it. Links stored by shortening services, and data held by the advertising networks and Google, are kept under those companies' own policies, linked above. Support emails can be deleted on request.
8. Children
The app is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect information from them. If you believe a child has sent us information, email us and we will delete it.
9. Your rights
Because we hold no personal data about you beyond any emails you send us, there is little for us to export or erase on request — you control the app's data from your own device. For links held by a shortening service, use that service's own tools or contact it under its policy. For data held by the advertising networks, use the advertising-identifier controls in section 4.5, or contact those companies directly.
If you have emailed us, you can ask us to delete that correspondence at any time.
10. Security
The app keeps its data in Android's private per-app storage, which other apps cannot read. All the shortening services above are contacted over HTTPS. The link expander follows each link exactly as written, so a link that starts with http:// is fetched without encryption. No method of storage or transmission is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.
11. Links to other sites
Short links, expanded destinations and ads can lead to websites that we do not operate. We have no control over their content or privacy practices, so please review the privacy policy of any site you visit. The link expander can help you check where a short link goes before you open it.
12. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as the app changes. The date at the top always reflects the current version. Continuing to use the app after a change means you accept the updated policy. The app's terms of use are at https://newagedevs.com/products/shortly/terms.
13. Contact
Questions or requests about this policy:
imamagun94@gmail.com
NewAgeDevs — Md. Imam Hossain, Bangladesh