Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy describes how WiFi File Transfer: FTP Server ("the App", "we", "our") handles information when you use the App on your Android device. We are committed to being fully transparent — this policy is written in plain language, not legal boilerplate.

1. Who We Are

WiFi File Transfer: FTP Server is an independent Android application published by HiveCrawl Studio. If you have any questions about this policy, you can contact us at:
Email: hivecrawlstudio@gmail.com

2. What the App Does

WiFi File Transfer: FTP Server turns your Android device into a local file server and a device-to-device transfer tool. All of its features work over your local Wi-Fi network only.

2.1 FTP & browser file server

When the server is running, other devices on the same Wi-Fi network can connect to browse, download, and upload files — using either an FTP client application or a standard web browser. The App also includes a built-in browser tab (an Android WebView) that simply opens the App's own server page at http://127.0.0.1 on your device. It does not browse the internet.

2.2 Sharing files into the App

The App can receive files shared from other apps on your device via the Android share sheet. Shared files are held in memory and made available as temporary download links on your local network only; they are never written to persistent storage and are cleared as soon as the transfer completes or the App is closed.

2.3 Clone (phone-to-phone transfer)

Clone copies content from one phone to another over the same Wi-Fi network — directly, phone to phone, with no cloud step and no server of ours in between. You pick which of these buckets to send: Photos, Videos, Audio, Documents, Apps, and Contacts. Nothing is scanned or sent until you select a bucket and start a transfer, and the two phones must first be paired (see section 2.4).

• Photos, Videos, Audio, Documents — read from your device's MediaStore and sent directly to the receiving phone.
• Apps — to show you what can be sent, the App reads the list of apps installed on this phone. That list is used on-device only, to build the picker; it is never sent to us or to any third party. If you select the Apps bucket, the installer files (APKs) of the apps you picked are sent to the receiving phone. App data and logins are not included. The App does not install anything: received APKs are saved to the Clone/Apps folder, and installing them is entirely up to you, from your own file manager.
• Contacts — if and only if you select the Contacts bucket and grant the contacts permission, your address book is exported to a single standard vCard file (contacts.vcf) in the App's private cache, sent to the receiving phone, then deleted from the cache. Call logs and SMS are never read.
• Received content is written to a Clone folder on the receiving device's storage.

2.4 Device Link (pairing & remote browsing)

Device Link lets two phones running the App find each other on the same Wi-Fi network and, once paired, browse and pull files from each other. Discovery uses Android's built-in mDNS (NsdManager) and advertises only the device model name and a short certificate fingerprint on the local network — never file names or file contents.

• Pairing requires explicit confirmation on both phones (an on-screen code, or scanning the other phone's QR code with the camera).
• Link connections are encrypted with TLS using a self-signed certificate generated on your device and stored in an app-private PKCS#12 keystore that never leaves the device.
• Paired devices are remembered in a small JSON file in app-private storage (device name, model, certificate fingerprint). You can remove a paired device at any time in the App.
• Whether this phone is discoverable, and whether a paired phone may browse it, are both settings you control.

2.5 Network discovery (SSDP / UPnP)

So that Windows "Network" and similar file explorers can see your phone, the App advertises the server over SSDP/UPnP on the local network. The advertisement contains the device name you see in the App, the server URL, and a stable identifier (a UUID derived by hashing Android's ANDROID_ID so the same phone keeps the same entry between restarts). This advertisement is broadcast on your local network only and is never sent to us or to any third party. It stops when the server stops.

2.6 Automation

Automation apps such as Tasker or MacroDroid can send broadcast intents to start or stop the server. No data is exchanged in these intents beyond the start/stop command itself.

3. Data We Do Not Collect

We do not collect, store, transmit, or have access to any of the following:

• Your name, email address, or any account information
• Your location data (GPS or network-based)
• Device identifiers (IMEI, advertising ID, etc.)
• Usage analytics or crash reports sent to us
• The names, contents, or metadata of your files
• Your contacts, call logs, or messages
• The list of apps installed on your device (it is read on-device only, to build the Clone picker described in section 2.3, and is never transmitted off your phone by us)
• Photos or camera images (the camera is used only to decode a pairing QR code on screen; no image is stored or sent)
• Your Wi-Fi network name or credentials
• Any data from connected FTP, browser, Clone, or Link clients

4. Data Stored Locally on Your Device

The App stores the following settings locally on your device using Android's DataStore, plus two small app-private files used by Device Link. None of this data ever leaves your device:

These settings are explicitly excluded from Android cloud backup (as declared in backup_rules.xml) and from device-to-device transfer (as declared in data_extraction_rules.xml). They are never sent to Google or any other service.

Transfer logs (file name, client IP address, file size, timestamp) are kept in memory only for display in the Logs tab. They are cleared when the App is closed or when you tap "Clear". They are never written to persistent storage and never transmitted anywhere.

5. Permissions Explained

The App requests the following Android permissions. Here is exactly why each is needed:

6. File Access

The App requires broad storage access (MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE on Android 11+) because its core function is to serve and transfer your files. Specifically:

• Files are only read when a connected client on your local network requests them, or when you start a Clone or Link transfer.
• Files are only written when a client uploads, or when content arrives from a device you paired.
• No file names, file contents, or file metadata are ever sent to us or any third party.
• You control which folder is shared via the Home Directory setting.
• You control whether clients can write (upload/delete) via the Write Permission setting.
• You control which content buckets, if any, a Clone transfer includes.

7. Network Traffic

Essentially all network communication of this App is strictly between your Android device and other devices on your local network only: FTP, HTTP, Clone, Device Link, SSDP/UPnP, and mDNS traffic never leaves your Wi-Fi.

The only exceptions, listed in full:

• Google Play in-app updates. The App uses Google's Play In-App Update library to ask Google Play whether a newer version of the App is available, and to download it if you accept. This talks to Google Play, not to us, and is governed by Google's Privacy Policy. We receive nothing from it.
• Links you tap. Opening an item such as "More apps by this developer" or an open-source license link hands a URL to your browser or the Play Store app. No data about you is attached, and nothing opens unless you tap it.

Beyond those, the App does not connect to any server operated by us or any third party, and sends no telemetry, analytics, or diagnostic data.

8. Third-Party Libraries

The App uses the following third-party components:

None of these components include advertising or analytics in this App. The App does not include Google AdMob, Firebase, Facebook SDK, or any other third-party tracking or advertising SDK.

9. Data Sharing and Sale

We do not sell, rent, or share any user data — because we never receive any. When you use Clone or Device Link, data moves directly from your phone to the other phone you selected and confirmed; it does not pass through us or any cloud service. You are the only party deciding what moves and to which device.

10. Children's Privacy

WiFi File Transfer: FTP Server does not collect any personal data from any user, including children under the age of 13. The App is a local network utility and has no user accounts, registration, or data collection of any kind.

11. Security

The App operates on your local network, so your files are only reachable by devices connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your phone. Device Link connections are additionally encrypted with TLS and restricted to devices you have explicitly paired. We recommend:

• Disabling anonymous access and using a strong password in the Settings tab.
• Enabling FTPS (TLS encryption) for FTP connections.
• Only pairing with devices you own or trust, and removing paired devices you no longer use.
• Turning off "Discoverable" and "Allow browsing" when you are not using Device Link.
• Stopping the server when not in use.
• Only using the App on trusted private networks (e.g. your home Wi-Fi), not on public Wi-Fi.

12. Your Choices and Controls

• Stop all network exposure at any time by stopping the server in the App.
• Revoke contacts, camera, storage, or notification permissions in Android Settings → Apps → WiFi File Transfer → Permissions; the App continues to work without the optional ones.
• Remove paired devices from the Device Link screen.
• Clear the in-memory transfer log from the Logs tab.
• Uninstalling the App deletes every setting, keystore, and trust file it created. Files you already received remain in your storage until you delete them.

13. Changes to This Policy

If we update this Privacy Policy, we will post the new version at this URL and update the Effective Date at the top. Since the App does not collect any user contact information, we cannot notify users directly — please check this page periodically if you have concerns.

14. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or the App's data practices, please contact us: