Privacy Policy — Ping Bee
1. Overview
Ping Bee ("the App") is developed and operated by ProtoSwarm Limited ("We", "Us", "Our"). The App watches websites you choose and tells you when one stops responding.
Our core privacy commitment is simple:
- The App works without any account, sign-in, or backend server operated by us. There is nowhere for your data to go, because we never receive it.
- The list of websites you monitor and every check result stay on your device. They are never uploaded anywhere, by us or by anyone else.
2. What Data We Process
2.1 We Do Not Operate a Backend
Unlike most apps, Ping Bee has no server of ours in the loop at all. There is no account to create, no sign-in, and no ProtoSwarm server that the App talks to. This policy is short because there is very little to describe.
2.2 What Stays on Your Device
The following is stored only in a local database on your phone, and is never transmitted anywhere by the App:
- The websites you add and how often you want each one checked;
- Every check result (status, response time, timestamps);
- Your app settings and preferences.
Uninstalling the App permanently deletes this data. The optional "Export" feature in Settings lets you save this data to a file you choose and control — the App never uploads it on your behalf.
2.3 Network Requests the App Makes on Your Behalf
To do its job, the App contacts the websites you add to it — sending the same kind of request a browser would, so it can tell whether that site is responding. It also fetches each site's favicon so it can show a recognisable icon next to it. These requests go directly from your phone to the websites you chose; they do not pass through any server we operate, and we never see them.
2.4 Pro Purchase (Google Play Billing)
Ping Bee Pro is a single one-time purchase handled entirely by Google Play Billing. We never see or store your payment details — Google processes the transaction under its own privacy policy, see https://policies.google.com/privacy. The App only receives confirmation of whether the purchase succeeded, which it stores locally on your device to unlock Pro features.
2.5 What We Do NOT Collect
- No names, email addresses, or phone numbers;
- No account or sign-in of any kind;
- No analytics or crash-reporting SDKs;
- No advertising SDKs, and no ads at all;
- No location data;
- No contacts, files, or photos.
3. Permissions the App Requests, and Why
| Permission | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Internet / network state | Performs the checks you configure, and tells a real outage apart from your phone being offline |
| Notifications | Tells you when a site you're watching goes down, and again when it recovers |
| Full-screen intent / vibrate | Used only for the optional alarm feature, which rings like an alarm clock for sites you explicitly opt in to |
| Ignore battery optimisations | Requested optionally, so background checks run closer to the interval you chose; the App works without this, just less punctually while closed |
| Foreground service | Only when you turn on "Keep monitoring in the background" in Settings — keeps checks running at your chosen interval while the App is closed, shown to you the whole time via a permanent notification |
4. Third-Party Services
| Service | Purpose | Data Shared |
|---|---|---|
| Google Play Billing | Payment processing for the optional Pro purchase | Handled entirely by Google; we only receive confirmation of success or failure |
| Websites you add to the App | The App checks whether they respond, at the interval you choose | A standard HTTP request, sent directly from your device — the same kind your browser sends |
We do not sell, rent, or trade any data to any third party — we have none to trade.
5. Data Security
Because your data never leaves your device, its security is your device's own security: whatever screen lock, encryption, and OS-level protection your phone already provides. The App adds no separate account or password for anyone to compromise.
6. Data Retention
Your monitors and check history are kept locally for as long as the App is installed, subject to the history window your tier allows (24 hours on the free tier, up to 30 days on Pro). Uninstalling the App deletes everything immediately — there is no copy anywhere else to retain or delete on your behalf.
7. Your Rights
Because the App collects nothing for us to hold, most data-protection rights (access, correction, deletion) are already fully in your hands:
- You can see everything the App knows about your sites at any time, in the App itself;
- You can delete all local data from within the App's Settings, or by uninstalling it;
- You can export your data to a file you control at any time.
8. Children's Privacy
Ping Bee is a general-purpose utility not directed at children and does not knowingly process data from anyone, of any age — it does not collect data at all.
9. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will also be reflected in the App's store listing; minor updates will be reflected by a new Effective Date on this page.
10. Contact
For any privacy questions or requests:
Email: contact@protoswarm.com
Subject line: "Privacy Policy Inquiry — Ping Bee"
ProtoSwarm Limited, Company No. 15050578, United Kingdom.