Privacy policy

This is the privacy policy for the Android app “Porter” and its optional “Porter Compatibility” companion by Matthias Urhahn (darken).

Preamble

I do not collect, share or sell personal information.

My underlying privacy principle is the Golden Rule.

Send a quick mail if you have questions.

Permissions

Details about sensitive permissions can be found below.

In general, Porter only processes data locally, on your device. It contains no analytics or crash reporting service. If you record a debug log, the resulting file will contain a detailed log of Porter’s actions.

Network access

Porter starts its service over ADB. The INTERNET and local network permissions let Porter connect to your own device’s ADB daemon, either over the device’s loopback interface or over wireless debugging on your local network, and find the wireless debugging port through local network discovery (mDNS). These connections stay on your device or your local network.

The GitHub version of Porter can check for updates. While the update check is on, Porter asks GitHub’s releases API (api.github.com) for the newest release when you open the dashboard. A successful answer is kept for 24 hours, and a failed check is retried after an hour at the earliest. You can turn the check off on the last page of the first-run introduction or in the settings. It is off by default when Porter was installed by a recognized app store (F-Droid clients, Obtainium, Aurora and similar). Porter downloads a release APK from GitHub only when you ask it to.

Accessibility service

On Android TV, where the pairing notification cannot be used, Porter offers an optional accessibility service. While it is on, it reads Android TV Settings screens to find the wireless debugging pairing address and code, and checks which app is in front to show or hide its pairing progress. It does not read the content of other apps. Porter uses the address and code only to pair with that address, and does not collect them or share them with anyone. The service turns itself off after the pairing attempt, or if no code is found within one minute.

Install apps

The GitHub version of Porter can install and uninstall its bundled compatibility companion (REQUEST_INSTALL_PACKAGES, REQUEST_DELETE_PACKAGES), and install Porter updates you downloaded. The system installer performs the installation and asks for your confirmation. If you choose the automatic option for a Porter update, Porter installs it through its own ADB or root service instead.

Apps using Porter

Porter’s service remembers which apps requested access, your decision for each of them, and when each app last connected. This information is stored on your device and not sent anywhere.

Debug log

The app has a debug log feature that can be used to assist troubleshooting efforts. This feature creates a log file that contains verbose output of what the app is doing.

It is manually triggered by the user through an option in the app’s support screen. The recorded log file can be shared through compatible apps (e.g. your email app) using the system’s share dialog. As this log file may contain sensitive information (e.g. details about your device or the apps that use Porter) it should only be shared with trusted parties.