Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Recover Message ("we," "us," "our," or "App") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your information when you use our Android application.

Important: All message data is stored locally on your device using SQLite. We NEVER upload, transmit, or store your messages on any remote server.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Notification Data

When you grant notification access permission, the App reads deleted messages from:

• WhatsApp
• Instagram Direct Messages
• Facebook Messenger
• WhatsApp Business
• Messenger Lite

This data is extracted from system notifications and includes:

• Sender name and contact info
• Message text content
• Message timestamp
• Notification preview images (if available)
• App name/package identifier

2.2 Status Saver Data (Optional)

If you enable Status Saver, the App reads WhatsApp and Instagram status files from your device's storage:

• Photo and video files from WhatsApp status cache
• Photo and video files from Instagram status cache
• File metadata (timestamp, file size)

This permission is completely optional. Message recovery works 100% without enabling Status Saver.

2.3 Notification Permission

The App uses POST_NOTIFICATIONS permission (Android 13+) to show system alerts when deleted messages are detected, allowing you to stay informed in real-time.

2.4 Device Information

• App version number
• Your device's Android version
• Total cache size (for storage display in Settings)

2.5 Advertising Data (Google AdMob)

The App displays advertisements from Google AdMob to support free app development and maintenance.

• Google AdMob collects limited device identifiers for ad serving
• We do NOT share your message content with advertisers
• Ad targeting is based on your advertising ID and device settings, not your personal messages
• Google's Ad Personalization Policy applies: https://policies.google.com/technologies/ads

You can opt out of personalized ads:

• Settings → Google → Manage your Google Account → Data & privacy → Ad personalization → Turn Off

2.6 What We Do NOT Collect

• Your location
• Your contacts or call logs
• Your browsing history
• Your email or personal identifiers (except advertising ID for ads)
• Biometric data
• Any personal analytics linked to your identity

3. How We Use Information

All collected information is used exclusively for:

• Displaying recovered deleted messages in the App interface
• Organizing messages by sender and app
• Saving status files to your device gallery (Status Saver feature)
• Computing local cache size for storage management
• Showing real-time notifications of deleted messages
• Serving contextual advertisements (Google AdMob)

We never use this data for:

• Selling or sharing your message content with third parties
• Third-party analytics or tracking
• Machine learning or AI training on your messages
• Advertising targeting based on your message content
• Compliance reporting or law enforcement (all data is local)

4. Data Storage & Security

4.1 Local-Only Storage

All recovered messages and status files are stored in SQLite database and file cache located on your device only:

• /data/data/com.sooraj.recover_message/databases/messages.db (SQLite)
• /data/data/com.sooraj.recover_message/files/msg_images/ (notification previews)
• /data/data/com.sooraj.recover_message/cache/status_thumbs/ (status thumbnails)

These locations are:

• App-private: Protected by Android's app sandbox
• Encrypted by OS: Protected by your device's built-in encryption
• NOT transmitted: Never sent to any server or cloud service

4.2 No Cloud Backup

Recovered messages are NOT automatically backed up to Google Drive, iCloud, or any cloud service. They remain on your device only.

4.3 Device Security

Your device's security depends on:

• Your phone's lock screen (PIN, biometric, pattern)
• Your device's encryption (enabled by default on modern Android)
• Physical access to your device

5. Permissions & Why We Need Them

BIND_NOTIFICATION_LISTENER_SERVICE

Purpose: Allows the App to listen to system notifications from messaging apps.

What it accesses: Only notification content from WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, etc.

User control: Granted via Settings → Notifications → Notification Access → Recover Message

POST_NOTIFICATIONS (Android 13+)

Purpose: Sends real-time alerts when a deleted message is detected.

User control: Granted at app startup; can be disabled in Settings → Apps → Notifications

READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE

Purpose: Reads WhatsApp and Instagram status files for Status Saver feature.

User control: Completely optional. Requested at app startup; can be denied without affecting message recovery.

INTERNET

Purpose: Opens web links and serves advertisements (Google AdMob).

Used for:

• WhatsApp direct message links via wa.me
• Privacy policy and Help links
• Loading and displaying ads from Google AdMob

6. Advertisements

6.1 Ad Networks

This App uses Google AdMob to display advertisements. This helps us provide free app to users while continuing development and maintenance.

6.2 Types of Ads

We display:

• Banner ads (top/bottom of screen)
• Interstitial ads (full-screen, between user actions)
• Rewarded ads (optional, user can watch for benefits)

6.3 Ad Data Collection

Google AdMob collects:

• Device advertising identifier (Google Advertising ID)
• Device type and OS version
• Approximate location (based on IP)
• App activity and engagement metrics

What is NOT shared: Your message content, contacts, or personal messages.

6.4 User Control

You can control ad personalization:

• Open Google Settings app
• Tap "Manage your Google Account"
• Go to "Data & privacy" tab
• Scroll to "Ad personalization"
• Toggle "Off" to disable personalized ads

You will still see ads, but they will be less personalized.

6.5 Google's Privacy Policy

Google's ad policies are governed by their privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy

For information about Google's use of data: https://policies.google.com/technologies/ads

7. Data Deletion & User Rights

How to Delete Your Messages

You have full control over all recovered messages:

• Delete Individual: Swipe left on any conversation and confirm deletion
• Delete All: Settings → Storage → "Clear All Messages" (with confirmation)
• Uninstall: Removes all data from your device

Data Retention

We retain recovered messages only as long as they remain on your device. When you delete a message in the App, it is immediately removed from the SQLite database and image files are deleted.

Right to Access

Since all data is stored on your device, you have direct access to:

• View all recovered messages
• Export messages via Share feature
• Copy message text to clipboard
• Save status photos/videos to gallery

8. Third-Party Services

8.1 Third-Party Services Used

• Google AdMob: For displaying advertisements

8.2 What We Don't Use

• Google Analytics or Firebase Analytics
• Crash reporting or error tracking services
• Third-party databases or APIs (except Google AdMob)

8.3 External Links

The App contains links to external websites:

• wa.me: WhatsApp's official web domain (launches your browser)
• Privacy Policy link: Hosted on external server (you control access)
• Email: Launches your email client directly
• Google Ads policies: Links to Google's official policy pages

These external services have their own privacy policies. We are not responsible for their data practices.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. We will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this document.

Continued use of the App after updates constitutes your acceptance of the revised Privacy Policy.

10. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices: