JoltGuard — Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how the JoltGuard anti-theft application (“JoltGuard”, “the app”, “we”, “us”) handles information. By using the app, you agree to this policy.

1. Our approach

JoltGuard works mainly on your device. We operate no user accounts and collect no analytics or advertising data. JoltGuard does not take photos or use the camera to record anything. Your alert history, security PIN and settings stay on your phone. Information leaves your device only through Pro features you switch on yourself — email alerts (which use our relay server) and, in the version distributed from our website only, SMS alerts — and Google Play purchases. JoltGuard must only be installed on a phone you own; it is not a tool for monitoring other people.

2. Information the app accesses

• Motion / accelerometer data — read while armed to detect snatches. Processed in real time; not stored or transmitted.
• Charging status and battery level — used for the charger-unplug alarm and the low-battery alert. The battery level is included in a low-battery alert.
• Location (GPS/network) — a single snapshot is taken when an alarm or alert fires while protection is armed or the app is open, and saved to the on-device log. In the version distributed from our website you may also allow location “all the time” so alerts that happen while the app is closed include a location. The Google Play version never uses background location. There is no continuous tracking, and location is never used for ads.
• SIM information (Pro SIM-change alert) — which SIM card is in each slot, identified by the subscription number Android gives each SIM card, and its carrier name. Android shows this without any special permission. The subscription numbers of your trusted SIM cards are kept on your device only, to notice when a new SIM is inserted. When that happens, the new SIM’s slot and carrier name are included in the alert sent to you. JoltGuard never reads your phone number, calls, IMEI or SIM serial number.
• Alert logs — event type, time, peak acceleration and location snapshot, stored in a local database on your device.
• Security PIN — stored only as a one-way SHA-256 hash on your device; never transmitted.
• Settings you enter — such as your trusted phone number and alert email address — are stored locally on your device.
• Biometrics — handled by the Android system prompt. The app never receives or stores fingerprint or face data.
• Camera — not used for photos or video. The camera flash LED is switched on and off only as a strobe light during an alarm.

3. When information leaves your device

Information is transmitted only when you turn on one of these optional features:

• SMS alerts (Pro, website version only — not in the Google Play version) — the event type, time and a map link are texted to the trusted number you set. The SMS is sent through the SIM your phone uses for SMS; if a newly inserted SIM is that SIM, the recipient sees its number. Delivered by your mobile carrier; carrier charges may apply; SMS is not encrypted.
• Email alerts (Pro) — the alert text (event type, time, location with its accuracy when available, and for some alerts the new SIM’s slot and carrier name or the battery level) and the email address you set are sent over HTTPS to our relay server at signtest.pk, which emails it to you from joltguard_alerts@signtest.pk. No photos or files are sent. We do not use this information for any other purpose.
• Transparency — whenever alerts can be sent off the device, JoltGuard shows a persistent “JoltGuard protection is active” notification on the phone, so anyone using it knows it is protected.
• Google Play purchases — the Pro upgrade is processed by Google Play Billing. We never see your payment details; we only store a local flag indicating Pro status.

4. Permissions and why they are used

• Location (precise/approximate) — record where an alarm or alert happened. While protection is armed, the monitoring service you started keeps “while in use” location access so an alarm can record its location with the screen off.
• Location “all the time” (optional, website version only — not in the Google Play version) — record where an alert happened even when the app is closed and protection is not armed. You are shown an explanation before Android asks for this permission.
• Send SMS (Pro, website version only) — send alerts to your trusted number. JoltGuard never reads or receives SMS.
• Internet (Pro) — send email alert text to our relay.
• Run at startup — restart the SIM-change and low-battery checks after the phone reboots.
• Foreground service (special use + location), wake lock — keep motion monitoring running while you have armed protection, show a visible notification the whole time, and wake the device for the alarm.
• Notifications, full-screen alarm, vibration, flashlight, audio settings, Do-Not-Disturb access — run the on-device alarm and show the disarm screen over the lock screen.
• Device Admin (watch failed unlocks) — detect failed unlock attempts and, if Tamper Alert is on, notify you when this protection is switched off. JoltGuard never locks, wipes or resets your device, and never blocks or delays switching it off or uninstalling the app.
• Biometric, billing — disarm the alarm and process the optional Pro purchase.

5. Data storage and retention

On-device data (logs, settings) stays on your device until you delete entries, use “Clear Logs”, or uninstall the app. Email alert text passes through our relay only to deliver your email and is not stored; to prevent abuse the relay keeps short-lived, anonymised counters (hashed network address and hashed recipient with timestamps) for up to one hour, and our hosting provider’s mail server keeps standard delivery logs (recipient address, time, delivery status) for a limited period to troubleshoot delivery. Messages already delivered by SMS or email live with those services and are governed by your own accounts and providers. Photos saved by older versions of JoltGuard are deleted automatically when you update.

6. Data sharing

We do not sell or share your information with advertisers or data brokers. Data reaches third parties only through the optional features above: your mobile carrier (SMS alerts, website version), our email relay at signtest.pk and the email provider that delivers the message (email alerts), and Google (Play billing).

7. Security

Your PIN is stored as a SHA-256 hash and alert data is kept in the app’s private storage. Changing the PIN requires the current PIN. Email relay traffic uses HTTPS. SMS is inherently unencrypted, and content sent to you is subject to the security of the receiving service. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure.

8. Your choices and controls

• Turn any feature (alarms, SMS, email, SIM-change, low-battery, tamper alert) on or off at any time in Settings.
• Delete individual log entries or clear all logs from the Logs screen.
• Revoke Location, SMS or Device Admin permissions from Android Settings at any time.
• Uninstall the app to remove all locally stored data.

9. Children’s privacy

JoltGuard is not directed to children and does not knowingly collect information from children under the age required by your local law (e.g., 13 in the US, 16 in parts of the EU).

10. Your rights

Because your data is stored on your own device, you can access and delete it directly at any time (see “Your choices and controls”). Depending on your location (e.g., GDPR/EEA, UK, or CCPA/California), you may have additional rights regarding personal data. As we keep no personal data on our servers, most requests can be satisfied by managing the data on your device; for anything else, contact us.

11. Service reliability and limitations

JoltGuard is a best-effort security aid, not a guaranteed anti-theft system. Its features depend on your device hardware, the Android operating system, the permissions you grant, your battery and power-saving settings, and network/carrier availability at the moment of an incident. Because of this:

• Alerts (SMS and email) need a working mobile or data signal at that moment. If the device has no signal, is switched off, in airplane mode, or out of battery, alerts may be delayed or may not be delivered at all.
• SIM-change and low-battery checks run in the background and may be delayed by the operating system’s battery saving; they include a location only while protection is armed (or, in the website version, if “Allow all the time” location is granted).
• Location depends on your device’s location services being enabled and on signal availability; it may be approximate, delayed, or unavailable.
• Background monitoring may be paused, delayed, or stopped by the operating system to save power, and a thief may power off, disconnect, airplane-mode, or factory-reset the device — any of which can stop the app from working.

We continually aim to make these features as reliable as possible, but we cannot and do not guarantee that any alert, location fix, or alarm will be produced or delivered in any given situation.

12. Disclaimer and limitation of liability

JoltGuard is provided “as is” and “as available”, without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. It is a supplementary deterrent and aid only — not a substitute for insurance, physical security, or law-enforcement services.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the developer (Aamir Zaman) shall not be liable for any theft, loss, damage, injury, false alarm, missed or delayed alert, or failure to obtain a location, nor for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising out of or relating to your use of, or inability to use, the app — even if advised of the possibility of such damages. You use JoltGuard at your own risk and remain responsible for securing your device and for complying with all laws on recording, location, and notifications in your jurisdiction. Nothing in this policy excludes or limits liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be reflected by updating the effective date and, where appropriate, an in-app notice.

14. Contact

Questions about this policy: toctprwp@gmail.com — Aamir Zaman.