Privacy Policy
Aura — Phone Rescue & Vault · com.aura.phonerescue
The short version. Aura has no account, no sign-in and no server of its own. Your photos, videos, files, notifications and the photos taken by App Lock are read and stored only on your phone, and are never uploaded anywhere — not to us, not to anyone. The only information that leaves your device is what Google AdMob and RevenueCat collect to show ads and validate your purchase.
1. Who we are
Aura is an Android application that measures how your phone's storage is being used, predicts when you will run out of space, and provides related privacy tools. This policy explains what the app does with information on your device.
Contact: mohabamac@gmail.com
2. What stays on your device
The following never leaves your phone. There is no upload, no backup to us, and no transmission to any third party.
Photos, videos, audio and files
Aura reads file names, sizes, dates and types to calculate what is using your space, to find byte-identical duplicates, and to detect visually similar photos. Similar-photo detection works by computing a small numeric fingerprint of each image entirely on your device; the fingerprints are cached locally so repeat scans are faster. The images themselves are never copied off the phone.
Vault files
Files you add to the vault are encrypted on your device using AES-256-GCM, with a key held in your phone's hardware-backed keystore. The encrypted files are stored in Aura's private internal storage. We cannot read them, and neither can any other app on your phone.
App Lock photos ("intruder selfies")
If you enable App Lock, a single photo is taken with the front camera after three failed unlock attempts on an app you chose to protect. It is saved in Aura's private internal storage, is visible only inside Aura, and is never added to your gallery or sent anywhere. No photo is taken at any other time, and the camera is not used at all unless you have enabled App Lock.
Notification content
If you enable the Notification Cleaner and choose apps to mute, Aura records the app name, title, text and time of each notification it removes — only for the apps you selected, and only so you can see what was blocked. This log is stored in a local database on your phone, can be cleared by you at any time, and is never transmitted.
App usage information
If you grant Usage access, Aura reads how much space each installed app occupies and when each was last opened, so it can rank apps you have stopped using. App Lock also uses it to detect when a protected app is opened. Aura reads only which app is in the foreground and aggregate usage times — never any content inside other apps.
3. Wi-Fi file transfer
Aura can run a small web server so you can browse and transfer your files from a computer on the same Wi-Fi network. When you switch it on:
- The server listens only on your local network. Files are sent directly from your phone to your computer and never pass through the internet or any server we operate.
- Access requires a six-digit PIN that is generated fresh each session and shown on your phone. Repeated wrong PINs are rate-limited.
- The server runs only while you have it enabled, shows a permanent notification while running, and stops when you turn it off.
Because the connection is on your own local network it uses plain HTTP rather than HTTPS. Anyone already connected to the same Wi-Fi network would still need the PIN. We recommend not using it on public or untrusted Wi-Fi.
4. What third parties collect
Aura itself makes no network requests to any server we control — we do not operate one. The following SDKs are embedded in the app and collect data under their own privacy policies.
| Service | What it collects | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Google AdMob | Advertising ID, device and app information, diagnostics | To show ads in the free version |
| RevenueCat | Purchase history and an anonymous, randomly generated identifier | To confirm your purchase and unlock Pro features |
Neither service receives your files, photos, notifications or any other content described in section 2. Their policies: Google Privacy Policy · RevenueCat Privacy Policy.
Buying Pro removes ads, and with them the AdMob SDK's collection.
5. Data we do not collect
| Data type | Collected by Aura |
|---|---|
| Name, email address or any account details | No |
| Photos, videos, audio or documents | No |
| Notification content | No |
| Camera images | No |
| Location | No |
| Contacts, calendar, call logs or messages | No |
| Health or fitness data | No |
| Financial or payment details | No |
| Browsing history | No |
Payments are handled entirely by Google Play. Aura never sees your card details.
6. Permissions and why they are needed
| Permission | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Photos, videos and audio | Measuring what is using your storage and finding duplicates. Required for the app's core function. |
| Camera | App Lock intruder photo only. Optional. |
| Usage access | Per-app storage sizes, last-used dates, and App Lock. Optional; granted in system Settings. |
| Display over other apps | Lets App Lock show its unlock screen over a protected app. Optional. |
| Notification access | Notification Cleaner only. Optional; granted in system Settings. |
| Notifications | Storage warnings, scan progress, and the notices shown while the transfer server or an alarm is running. |
| Network and Wi-Fi state, Internet | Opening a local socket for the Wi-Fi transfer server and showing its address. No outbound requests. |
| Start on boot, wake lock, vibrate | Re-arming App Lock and the anti-theft alarm after a restart, and sounding the alarm. |
Aura deliberately does not request All-files access
(MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE) or the ability to see every installed package
(QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES). Every optional permission can be revoked at any
time in Android Settings, and the app continues to work without them.
7. Deleting your data
All data Aura creates is stored on your device. Uninstalling the app removes it completely, including the vault, the notification log and any App Lock photos. Note that vault files are encrypted with a device-held key — if you uninstall without exporting them first, they cannot be recovered by anyone, including us.
You can also clear the notification log from within the app, and delete App Lock photos individually.
To have data associated with your purchase removed, contact us at the address in section 1, or manage your purchase through Google Play.
8. Children
Aura is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them.
9. Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, or delete personal information held about you, and to object to its processing. Because Aura holds no personal information on any server of ours, most requests are satisfied by uninstalling the app. For anything relating to advertising or purchases, contact us and we will help you direct the request to Google or RevenueCat.
10. Changes to this policy
If this policy changes materially, the updated version will be posted here with a new "last updated" date. Continuing to use the app after a change means you accept the updated policy.
11. Contact
Questions about this policy or about how Aura handles your data: mohabamac@gmail.com