File Explorer manages files on your device. Your files stay on your device. We do not operate a server, we do not have an account system, and we never receive, upload, or store the contents of your files.
| Data | Collected by | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Your files | Nobody | Never collected, never leave your device except when you explicitly share them |
| Advertising ID | Google AdMob | Serving ads in the free version |
| Purchase records | RevenueCat, Google Play | Remembering that you bought the ad-free upgrade |
| Server credentials | Nobody | Stored encrypted on your device only |
| Cloud tokens | Nobody | Stored encrypted on your device only |
| Analytics | Nobody | The app contains no analytics or crash-reporting SDK |
File Explorer requests the MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permission, which Android
describes as "All files access". A file manager cannot do its job without it: browsing,
copying, moving, renaming, deleting, compressing and previewing files across the whole of
your storage all require it.
That permission grants the app access on your device. It does not grant us anything. File contents, file names, folder structures and thumbnails are read on your device, displayed on your device, and never transmitted to Doppelops LC or any third party by the app itself.
Files leave your device only when you choose to make that happen:
Each of these is started by you and stops when you stop it. Nothing runs on a schedule and nothing syncs in the background.
The free version displays banner ads through Google AdMob. AdMob may collect your device's advertising ID along with device and ad-interaction information in order to serve and measure ads. This is handled by Google's SDK; we do not receive that data.
If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, the app shows a consent form before any ad is requested, using Google's User Messaging Platform. Ads are not requested until you have made a choice. You can change that choice at any time from Settings › Ad privacy options.
Google's handling of this data is governed by the Google Privacy & Terms. Buying the ad-free upgrade stops all ad requests, and the advertising SDK is no longer initialised.
The optional one-time purchase that removes ads is processed by Google Play. We never see your payment details. Purchase validation and entitlement state are handled by RevenueCat, which receives a randomly generated app user ID and your purchase history for this app in order to tell the app whether the upgrade is active. That identifier is not linked to your name, email, or Google account by us. RevenueCat's practices are described in their privacy policy.
If you connect an SMB, SFTP, WebDAV or FTP server, the hostname, username and password you
enter are stored on your device using Android's EncryptedSharedPreferences
(AES-256-GCM, with the key held in the device keystore). The same applies to saved ADB device
entries. These credentials are used to connect to the servers you specified and are sent
nowhere else.
If you connect Google Drive, authorisation happens through Google's own sign-in flow. The app receives an access token, stores it encrypted on your device, and uses it only to list and transfer the files you ask for. We never receive your Google password. You can disconnect the account from within the app, which deletes the stored token.
| Permission | Reason |
|---|---|
MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE | Core file management across your storage |
INTERNET, ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE | Network shares, cloud, ads, the built-in servers |
ACCESS_WIFI_STATE, CHANGE_WIFI_STATE, NEARBY_WIFI_DEVICES | WiFi Direct transfers and LAN discovery |
BLUETOOTH_CONNECT | Sending files over Bluetooth |
POST_NOTIFICATIONS, FOREGROUND_SERVICE | Showing that a file server you started is still running |
AD_ID | Advertising, in the free version only |
Location permissions are declared only for Android 12 and below, where the system required them to scan for nearby WiFi Direct devices. The app does not use them to determine or record your location.
File Explorer is a general-purpose utility. It is not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children.
If this policy changes materially, the effective date at the top will be updated and the revised policy will be published at this address before the change takes effect.
Questions about this policy or about data handling in File Explorer can be sent to gilby1@gmail.com.