Earbud Finder — Privacy Policy
Last updated: 2026-09-30
This privacy policy applies to the mobile app "Earbud Finder" on Android and iOS:
- Google Play: package com.simonj.btfinder, developer "Global Utility App Maker"
- Apple App Store: bundle ID com.simonj.btfinder, seller "Kyu-Hee Jang"
The app is developed and operated by Kyu-Hee Jang (Google Play developer name: Global Utility App Maker).
Contact: wkdrb2100@gmail.com
OVERVIEW
Earbud Finder does not require an account, and we do not sell personal information. The app helps you find your own Bluetooth devices, such as earbuds, by listening for the Bluetooth Low Energy signals they send and showing how strong each signal is. Devices you choose to save are stored locally on your device. The app also uses Google services and an advertising mediation partner for analytics, crash reporting, remote configuration, and advertising.
BLUETOOTH
What is scanned: while the Find screen or a device's tracker is open and the app is in the foreground with Bluetooth on, the app listens for Bluetooth Low Energy advertisements from nearby devices. For each advertisement it reads the device identifier that the system provides (on Android the advertised Bluetooth address, which many devices change from time to time; on iOS an identifier that iOS assigns), the advertised device name if there is one, the manufacturer's company ID (the first two bytes of the manufacturer data), whether the device accepts connections, and the received signal strength with the time it was received. This includes devices that belong to other people nearby, because every advertising device in range is heard.
How it is used: these readings are kept in the app's memory to list nearby devices, to show a live signal strength and trend for the device you are tracking, and for "Compare places" (the place names you type and the signal readings measured there). The in-memory list holds up to 300 devices, and "Compare places" up to 8 places; neither is saved to storage or uploaded, and both are lost when the app is closed. Scanning stops when you leave the Find screen and tracker, when the app goes to the background, or when Bluetooth is off. The app does not scan in the background, and it does not connect to or pair with any device.
Permission: on Android (the app requires Android 12 or later), tapping Allow on the Find screen asks for the "Nearby devices" permission (Bluetooth scan and Bluetooth connect, in one system dialog). The connect permission is needed only because the Bluetooth library reads each device's name through a system call that requires it. The Bluetooth scan permission is declared as not used to derive location, and the app removes every location permission from its Android manifest, so it does not ask for or use your location. The app may also ask the system to turn Bluetooth on, which shows a system dialog. On iOS, the system asks for Bluetooth permission when the app first starts its Bluetooth component, which happens when the app opens. If you decline, the app still opens, and your saved devices remain visible, but it cannot hear any device; you can allow it later in the system settings.
OTHER PERMISSIONS
The app does not request camera, microphone, photo library, location, contacts, health data, or notification permission. On Android it also declares internet access, the advertising ID permission, and vibration (a short vibration when the signal gets stronger). While a tracker is open, the app keeps the screen awake.
INFORMATION STORED ON YOUR DEVICE
When you save a device from its tracker, the app stores it in a list of up to 50 saved devices. For each saved device it keeps the name you give it (up to 40 characters), the type you choose (earbuds, headphones, watch, tracker, speaker, or other), the device identifier and advertised name at the time you saved or confirmed it, the manufacturer company ID, when you saved it, an optional note you type such as where you left it (up to 60 characters), and the "last seen" time and signal level (strong, medium, or weak). The last-seen record is updated automatically only when the app hears that exact identifier again while scanning (about once every 30 seconds while the signal level stays the same, and again whenever the signal level changes), and when you confirm on the tracker that a device with the same name and manufacturer is yours.
The app also stores the time a tracker was last open (used to pause app-open ads for 10 minutes after you track a device), the times ads were last shown (used to space ads out), and basic operating information such as cached advertising configuration and a cached More Apps list.
The developer does not run a server that receives your devices or scan results. The app reads developer-controlled advertising settings and a More Apps list (names, descriptions, store links and icon addresses of our other apps) from Google Cloud Firestore and loads those icons from the internet, but it does not upload scan results or your saved devices.
ANALYTICS, CRASH REPORTING, AND ADS
Google Firebase Analytics may process limited app-usage and technical information, such as app launches, sessions, app version, device type, and app-instance identifiers. The app logs these events: app_launch, a screen view of the start screen, menu_open, privacy_policy_open, more_apps_open, review_from_menu, review_attempted / review_unavailable / review_failed (with where the review request came from), att_gate (iOS only: whether the tracking prompt is shown, the reason, the tracking status, and the consent status), ad_revenue (ad format, estimated value, currency, and precision), perm_result (whether the Nearby devices permission was granted, denied, or blocked), track_open, device_save (the device type you chose), and found_it. These events do not include device names, identifiers, signal readings, notes, or place names.
Google Firebase Crashlytics may process crash reports and related technical information needed to diagnose app problems.
The app shows ads through Google AdMob: a banner, full-screen ads (app-open and interstitial), and, on Android, a native ad in the exit dialog. AdMob may also request ads from the InMobi mediation network. Google and InMobi may process advertising identifiers and device, app, consent, network, and ad-performance information to provide and measure ads, and may use an IP address to estimate an approximate location even though the app has no location permission.
The banner is not shown on the Find screen or while a tracker is open. Full-screen ads are not shown while a tracker is open, while a permission or Bluetooth system dialog is in progress, or while a change has not yet been saved, and app-open ads are also paused for 10 minutes after a tracker was open. An interstitial may appear only after you tap "Found it!", and not after the first find of a session. The exit dialog does not show its ad while a tracker is open.
PERMISSIONS AND ADVERTISING CHOICES
Where required (for example in the EEA and UK), Google's consent message (UMP) is shown first, and in those regions personalized advertising stays off unless your choice allows it. When the consent message loads, ads are requested only if Google's consent framework allows ad requests. On iOS, the App Tracking Transparency prompt is shown after that step if the system has not yet recorded a tracking choice, unless you declined personalized ads in the consent message. If tracking is not allowed, the IDFA is not available to the app or its ad partners. If the consent message cannot be loaded, the app may still request non-personalized ads, keeps personalized advertising off, and may still show the iOS tracking prompt. The app works whatever you choose.
You can change iOS tracking permission and the Bluetooth or Nearby devices permission in your device settings. Where Google requires it, the app menu shows "Privacy choices", which reopens the consent message so you can change your advertising choice. The menu also links to this policy. Analytics and crash reporting are not controlled by these advertising choices.
STORAGE AND YOUR CONTROL
On the My devices screen you can edit a saved device's name, type, and note, or delete it (with a short Undo). The app does not write nearby devices that you have not saved to storage. You can also clear the app's data on Android or delete the app. On Android the app allows system backup, so local data may be included in a Google or device backup depending on your settings; on iOS it may be included in iCloud or computer backups. Uninstalling normally removes the active copy but may not remove an older backup.
Because we do not receive your saved devices or scan results, we cannot delete them for you; the controls above remove them from your device. For questions about data processed by Google or InMobi, or to ask us for help with a privacy request, contact us at the address below.
Data processed by third parties is retained according to their service settings and policies:
- Google Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy
- Firebase privacy information: https://firebase.google.com/support/privacy
- Google advertising technologies: https://policies.google.com/technologies/ads
- InMobi Privacy Policy: https://www.inmobi.com/privacy-policy
We use these services under their applicable terms, and we ensure that third-party service providers with whom we share user data provide the same or equal protection of that data as stated in this policy.
SECURITY
Your saved devices are kept in the app's private storage on your device, which the operating system protects from other apps; they are not separately encrypted by the app, so protect your device with a passcode. Apart from the limited analytics events described above, the app does not upload your saved data or scan results. Communication between the app and Google services and the ad mediation partner uses encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS). No method of storage or transmission is completely secure, but we limit what the app processes to what is described in this policy.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
Signal strength is not distance: walls, people, water, a charging case, and the way you hold the phone all change it, and the app never shows a direction. The app can only hear devices that are switched on and sending Bluetooth Low Energy signals. It cannot find a device whose battery is flat, earbuds that are off inside a closed case, many devices while they are connected to another phone or computer, or Classic Bluetooth devices that do not use Bluetooth Low Energy. A device with the same name and manufacturer may belong to someone else. Use the app only to look for your own devices, not to follow or locate other people.
CHILDREN
The app is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children.
CHANGES
We may update this policy if the app or its services change. The date above shows the latest revision.
CONTACT
Kyu-Hee Jang (Google Play developer: Global Utility App Maker)
Email: wkdrb2100@gmail.com