PAWS Privacy Policy
Privacy Policy — PAWS
Last updated: August 11, 2026
Overview
PAWS is an educational Android application that lets users build visual block programs and send them to their own ESP32-based robot over Bluetooth Classic. It is designed for learning programming and robotics. This Privacy Policy explains what data PAWS accesses, how it is used, and confirms that no personal information is ever collected, stored, or transmitted by us or the application itself.
1. Information We Do NOT Collect
PAWS does not collect, store, transmit, or share any of the following:
- Personal information (name, email, phone number, etc.)
- Device identifiers (IMEI, Android ID, advertising ID, etc.)
- Location data
- Bluetooth device names, MAC addresses, or pairing history
- The block programs you create
- Usage or behavioral analytics
- Crash reports or diagnostic data sent to external servers
- Any other form of user data
We do not operate any backend server that receives data from the application. The app does not request the INTERNET permission, so it is technically incapable of sending any data off your device.
2. Permissions Used
PAWS requests the following device permissions solely to connect to your robot:
| Permission | Purpose |
|---|---|
BLUETOOTH_SCAN (Android 12+) | Discover nearby Bluetooth devices so you can pick your robot. Declared with neverForLocation, meaning it is not used to derive your physical location |
BLUETOOTH_CONNECT (Android 12+) | Open the Bluetooth Classic (SPP) connection to the selected robot |
BLUETOOTH / BLUETOOTH_ADMIN (Android 8–11 only) | Legacy equivalents of the above on older Android versions |
ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION (Android 8–11 only, maxSdkVersion="30") | Required by the operating system on those versions to discover unpaired Bluetooth devices. PAWS never reads, stores, or uses your location; the permission exists only because older Android releases gate Bluetooth discovery behind it. It is not requested on Android 12 or newer |
All data accessed through these permissions stays exclusively on your device. The list of nearby Bluetooth devices is held in memory only while the connection screen is open and is discarded afterwards.
3. Bluetooth Communication
PAWS communicates over Bluetooth Classic (SPP) exclusively with the robot you select. The exchange consists solely of PAWS v1.0 protocol frames: handshake messages, a safety heartbeat, motor and peripheral commands, pin configuration, and telemetry sent back by the robot.
- No third party is involved in this exchange.
- The connection is point-to-point between your phone and your robot.
- Nothing exchanged over Bluetooth is logged, stored, or forwarded anywhere.
4. Local Storage
Any preferences or block programs you create stay in the app’s private storage on your device. They are never synced or uploaded, and they are removed when you uninstall the app.
5. Third-Party Libraries & SDKs
PAWS uses only standard, open-source Android framework libraries. Below is the complete list of libraries included in the app:
| Library | Vendor | Purpose | Data Collected |
|---|---|---|---|
| AndroidX Core KTX | Google / AndroidX | Android framework extensions | None |
| AndroidX Activity Compose | Google / AndroidX | Activity + Compose integration | None |
| AndroidX Lifecycle (runtime, viewmodel, compose) | Google / AndroidX | Lifecycle and state management | None |
| Jetpack Compose (UI, Material 3, Material Icons) | Google / AndroidX | Declarative UI toolkit | None |
| AndroidX Navigation 3 (runtime, ui, viewmodel) | Google / AndroidX | In-app navigation | None |
| Kotlin Standard Library & Coroutines | JetBrains | Language runtime and asynchronous programming | None |
None of these libraries include analytics, advertising, crash reporting, or any remote data collection functionality.
PAWS does not integrate any of the following:
- Firebase Analytics, Crashlytics, or any Firebase service
- Google AdMob or any advertising SDK
- Any third-party analytics SDK (e.g., Mixpanel, Amplitude, Segment)
- Any social login or social SDK
- Any remote logging or monitoring service
6. Children’s Privacy
PAWS is an educational app intended, among others, for children learning to program. It does not collect any personal information from any user, including children under the age of 13, and contains no advertising, no in-app purchases, and no external links or communication features. The app is fully compliant with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and equivalent regulations.
7. Changes to This Privacy Policy
If we ever update this Privacy Policy, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this document. Any changes will be published in this file before a new version of the app is released on Google Play.
8. Contact
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, you may contact us at:
Developer: Heber Futuri Email: [email protected]
This application does not collect, process, or transmit any personal data. All functionality operates entirely on-device and over a direct Bluetooth link to the user’s own robot.