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SecretGrid

Privacy policy

Last updated

The short version

  • Your photos, videos, notes, cards and files are encrypted on your phone. We never receive them, and we couldn't read them if we did.
  • Your pattern and recovery phrase never leave your phone. Nobody, including us, can recover a vault without them.
  • There is no SecretGrid account. We don't ask for your name, email or phone number.
  • The app has no analytics or crash-reporting tools.
  • Google Play handles purchases, RevenueCat confirms them anonymously, and Google AdMob shows ads on the free plan only.
  • Backup is optional and goes to your own Google Drive, encrypted on your phone first.

Who we are

SecretGrid is made by Robin Dev Studios (“we”, “us”). This policy covers the SecretGrid app for Android and this website, trysecretgrid.com. Questions go to [email protected].

What stays on your phone

Everything you put in SecretGrid is stored on your phone, encrypted:

  • Files and notes. Photos, videos, documents, notes and secure cards are each encrypted with their own random AES-256-GCM key before they are written to storage. Thumbnails are encrypted too.
  • Your pattern and recovery phrase. These are turned into keys on the phone (with Argon2id) and are never stored or sent anywhere. We can’t reset them for you.
  • Vault details. Folder names, file names, dates and settings that belong to a vault are kept in an encrypted index that only that vault’s pattern opens.

A few things are kept on the phone unencrypted because the app needs them before any vault is open: device-wide settings (such as language, accent colour, whether to hide the pattern trace, and panic gestures), a random per-device value used in key derivation (in Android’s secure keystore), and timestamps used to space out ads. None of these reveal what’s in your vaults.

When you add a photo or video, SecretGrid removes its GPS location by default. Adding items doesn’t delete the originals from your gallery; that stays your choice.

Permissions

SecretGrid asks for as little access as it can:

  • Photos and files. You pick items through Android’s own photo and file pickers, which give the app only what you select. SecretGrid doesn’t request access to your whole gallery.
  • Camera. The app doesn’t hold the camera permission. The document scanner (Pro) uses Google’s on-device scanner, and scans come straight into the vault without being saved to your gallery.
  • Internet. Used only for the services listed below: optional backup, purchases, ads on the free plan, and app updates.

Services the app uses

These are the only outside services SecretGrid talks to, and what each one receives:

  • Google Drive (optional backup and sync). If you turn backup on, the app asks Google for access to a hidden app folder in your own Drive (the drive.appdata scope); it can’t see any of your other Drive files. Only encrypted data is uploaded. Google can see how many files there are and their sizes, but not their contents. Google’s privacy policy applies to your Drive.
  • Google Play Billing and RevenueCat (purchases). Google Play processes payments; we never see your card details. RevenueCat confirms whether you have Pro. It uses a random, anonymous ID created by the app, with device-identifier collection turned off, and receives purchase details such as the product, price, country and dates. See RevenueCat’s privacy policy.
  • Google AdMob (ads, free plan only). On the free plan the app shows occasional full-screen ads. Google’s ad SDK may collect your device’s advertising ID, IP address, approximate location derived from it, device information and how you interact with ads, to serve and measure ads. Ads never receive anything from your vaults. Where the law requires it (for example in the EEA and UK), you’re asked for consent first and can change it any time in Settings → Ad privacy choices. You can also reset or delete your advertising ID in Android settings. Upgrading to Pro removes ads. See how Google uses information from apps that use its services.
  • Expo (app updates). The app checks Expo’s update service for fixes when it starts. That request includes technical details such as the app version and platform, and your IP address, as any internet request does.

SecretGrid contains no analytics, tracking or crash-reporting software of its own.

Sharing a vault

When you share a vault (Pro), SecretGrid creates one encrypted file that only its 9-word share phrase opens, and hands it to whichever app you choose to send it with. We never receive the file or the phrase. Anyone you give both to can open the copy, so share them separately and only with people you trust.

This website

This website uses no cookies, analytics or advertising. Like any website, our hosting provider may keep standard server logs (such as IP address, browser and pages requested) for security and reliability, for a limited time.

Keeping and deleting your data

  • Items you delete go to the recycle bin and are permanently deleted after 30 days, or straight away when you empty the bin.
  • Uninstalling SecretGrid deletes everything it stored on your phone.
  • You can delete your Drive backup from the app (Settings → Google Drive backup), or in Google Drive under Settings → Manage apps.
  • To delete RevenueCat’s anonymous purchase record or ask about AdMob data, contact us and we’ll help, or contact those providers directly.

Because we hold no account or files for you, there is nothing else for us to delete.

Your rights

Depending on where you live (for example under the GDPR, UK GDPR or California law), you may have rights to access, correct, delete or object to the use of personal data, and to complain to a data protection authority. Since SecretGrid keeps your content only on your phone, most of these are in your own hands. For anything else, email [email protected]. We don’t sell personal data.

Children

SecretGrid isn’t directed at children under 13, and we don’t knowingly collect personal data from them.

Security

SecretGrid is designed so that your content is protected even if your phone or your backup is copied. No system is perfect, so keep your phone updated and your recovery phrase somewhere safe. Read more on our security page. To report a security issue, email [email protected].

Changes to this policy

If we change how SecretGrid handles data, we’ll update this page and its date. For significant changes, we’ll also tell you in the app before they take effect.

Contact

Robin Dev Studios · [email protected]