Privacy Policy
In short
- Base Phone has no accounts and no servers of its own. Your settings, modes, schedules and usage time stay on your phone.
- Base Phone does not access your contacts, calls, call history, text messages, location, camera or microphone, and does not use Android's accessibility features or read your notifications.
- We do not sell your data, and we do not use any analytics or tracking tools of our own.
- The free version shows ads from Google AdMob, which may be personalized. Google, not Base Phone, collects the data used for those ads.
- Base Phone Pro has no ads, so no ad data is collected for Pro users.
- Purchases are handled entirely by Google Play.
1. Who we are
Base Phone ("the app", "we", "us") is an Android app that turns a smartphone into a simpler phone with three modes: call & sms, selected apps, and smartphone. It is published by UniverSL Software. You can contact us at info@universlsoftware.com.
2. Information that stays on your phone
To work, Base Phone uses some information on your device. This information is stored only on your phone, in the app's private storage. It is not sent to us or anyone else, and it is not included in Android cloud backups.
| Information | Why the app uses it |
|---|---|
| Your settings: modes, profiles, chosen apps, schedules, daily limits, locks, theme | To run the app the way you set it up. |
| Apps that appear on your home screen | Base Phone is a home screen (launcher), so it needs to list and open your apps. It only sees apps that can be opened from a home screen, plus your default phone, messages, contacts, camera, clock and calculator apps. |
| How long you used each app, and how many times you unlocked your phone (only if you allow usage access) | Read on demand from Android's own usage records to enforce your daily limits and show the Insights and session summary screens. Base Phone does not keep its own copy. |
| Friend lock: your friend's name and their PIN (optional) | To end a friend lock only when your friend enters their PIN. The PIN is never stored in readable form, only as a salted, one-way hash. |
3. Permissions and special access
Base Phone does not request permissions for accessibility, notification access, SMS, call logs, contacts, phone calls, phone state, location, camera or microphone. "Phone" and "messages" on the home screen simply open the apps you already use. The only special access it asks for is described below, and it is optional.
Usage access
If you allow it in Android settings, Base Phone reads Android's usage records (which apps were used, for how long, and when the phone was unlocked) to enforce your daily limits and show your screen time. This data is read on your phone only, is never sent anywhere, and Base Phone does not keep its own copy. It is optional, and you can turn it off at any time in Android settings. Without it, everything except daily limits and insights still works.
4. Ads (free version)
The free version of Base Phone shows ads provided by Google AdMob, only on the Insights screen, the session summary screen, and when you choose to watch an ad to unlock Pro for 24 hours. Ads are never shown on the home screen or during calls and messages.
To show and measure ads, the Google Mobile Ads SDK may collect and process information such as:
- your device's advertising ID and other device identifiers;
- IP address and approximate location derived from it;
- information about your device, such as model, operating system and language;
- interactions with ads, and app performance and crash data related to ads.
Ads may be personalized based on this information. Google uses it as described in its own policies: Google Privacy Policy and How Google uses information from apps that use its services.
Your choices about ads
- Consent: in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland, the app asks for your consent through Google's consent form before personalized ads are shown. If you do not consent, you may still see limited, non-personalized ads.
- Advertising ID: you can reset or delete your advertising ID in Android settings (Settings › Privacy › Ads, or Settings › Google › Ads, depending on your phone).
- Ad settings: you can control ad personalization at My Ad Center.
- No ads at all: Base Phone Pro removes all ads, and the ad SDK does not load ads for Pro users.
5. Purchases
Base Phone Pro subscriptions and the lifetime purchase are processed by Google Play. We do not receive or store your payment details. The app only receives confirmation from Google Play of whether you own Pro. Google handles your payment information under the Google Privacy Policy and the Google Play Terms of Service. You can manage or cancel subscriptions in the Google Play app.
6. Sharing and selling
We do not sell your personal information. We do not share information from your phone with anyone. The only data that leaves your phone is what Google's ad and billing services collect directly, as described above.
7. Keeping and deleting your information
- You can delete everything Base Phone stores by uninstalling the app, or with Android Settings › Apps › Base Phone › Storage › Clear storage.
- For data collected by Google for ads, use the controls in section 4 or contact Google.
Because we do not run servers or keep user accounts, we hold no copy of your information that we could access, correct or delete for you. If you have a request or question, contact us and we will help.
8. Security
Information is kept in the app's private storage, which Android protects from other apps. No method of storage is completely secure, but because Base Phone keeps your information on your device and does not send it to us, there is no copy on our side that could be exposed.
9. Children
Base Phone is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect information from children. If you believe a child has used the free version and you have concerns about ad data, contact us.
10. Your rights
Depending on where you live (for example under the EU/UK GDPR, the Sri Lanka Personal Data Protection Act, India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, or US state privacy laws), you may have rights to access, correct, delete or object to the use of your personal information, and to withdraw consent. Since Base Phone keeps your information on your device, you can exercise most of these rights directly in the app or in Android settings. For ad data, use Google's controls listed above. You can also contact us at any time.
11. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy when the app changes. We will post the new version on this page with a new effective date. If a change is significant, we will also tell you in the app.
12. Contact
UniverSL Software
Email: info@universlsoftware.com