Privacy Policy

Universal TV Remote(“the App”, “we”, “us”) is a mobile application that turns your phone into a remote control for smart TVs (Samsung, Android TV / Google TV, Roku and compatible devices) over your local Wi-Fi network, and for other TVs through your phone’s built-in infrared (IR) blaster where available.

Contact for all privacy matters: chepkwonyke2@gmail.com

To be explicit, the App has no user accounts and no backend servers of our own. We do not collect, transmit, or store:

• Your name, email address, phone number, or any contact details
• Your precise location (GPS)
• Your contacts, photos, files, messages, or call logs
• Recordings of your voice (see Section 4)
• What you watch, search for, or launch on your TV
• Passwords or payment information — the App has no logins and no in-app purchases

To do its job, the App processes some information locally— on your phone and across your own Wi-Fi network. This information never reaches us:

TV discovery and control

• Local network scanning:the App uses standard discovery protocols (mDNS/Bonjour and SSDP) to find TVs on the Wi-Fi network you are connected to. It learns each TV’s name, model, IP address, and port — the same information any device on your network can see.
• Remote commands: button presses, text you type into the search box, and channel digits are sent directly from your phone to the selected TV over your local network (or over infrared light for IR remotes). They are not routed through the internet and are not visible to us.
• Pairing: Android TV devices require a one-time pairing code shown on the TV. The pairing credentials this produces are stored only on your phone so you do not need to re-pair every time.

App preferences

Small settings — for example whether you have completed the onboarding walkthrough — are stored in a local preferences file on your device. They are deleted when you uninstall the App or clear its data.

• The microphone is used only when you tap the Voice/mic button.
• Speech is converted to text by your device’s built-in speech recognition service (e.g. Google’s speech services on Android, Apple’s on iOS). That service’s own privacy policy governs how it processes audio.
• The resulting text of your query is sent from your phone directly to your TV to perform the search. We never receive or store your audio or your queries.
• You can deny or revoke the microphone permission at any time in system settings; everything except voice search keeps working.

The App is free and is supported by advertising served by Meta Audience Network(Facebook). When an ad is loaded, the Meta SDK inside the App collects and processes certain data on Meta’s behalf to select and measure ads. This may include:

• Your device’s advertising identifier (Google Advertising ID on Android / IDFA on iOS, where you have permitted tracking)
• Coarse technical data: device model, operating system version, language, app version, screen size, mobile network/carrier, and IP address (which implies approximate location)
• Ad interaction data: which ads were shown, viewed, and clicked

We do not receive this data ourselves; it flows from the SDK to Meta. Meta’s handling of it is described in the Meta Privacy Policy and Audience Network documentation.

Your advertising choices

• Android:Settings → Privacy → Ads lets you delete or reset your advertising ID and opt out of ads personalisation.
• iOS:Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking lets you block apps from requesting to track; the App respects the system tracking permission.
• Ads personalisation controls in your Facebook account settings apply to ads served in this App too.

The App never requests location, camera, storage, or contacts permissions.

• All data the App itself creates (preferences, pairing credentials) lives only on your device. Uninstalling the App, or clearing its data in system settings, permanently deletes it.
• Data collected by Meta Audience Network is retained under Meta’s policies; use the controls in Section 5 or Meta’s tools to manage it.

Remote-control traffic stays inside your local network. Connections to Android TV devices are encrypted (TLS) using the pairing certificate created during setup; Samsung connections use the TV’s secure WebSocket channel where the TV supports it. Because some older TV protocols (e.g. Roku ECP) are unencrypted by design, we recommend using the App only on Wi-Fi networks you trust — the same advice that applies to the TVs’ own official apps.

The App is a general-audience utility and is not directed at children under 13 (or the equivalent minimum age in your jurisdiction). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has used the App in a way that raises concern, contact us and we will assist.

Depending on where you live (including under the Kenya Data Protection Act 2019, the EU/UK GDPR, or the California CCPA/CPRA), you may have rights to access, correct, delete, or object to processing of personal data. Because we do not hold your personal data ourselves, most requests are fulfilled by:

• Deleting the App’s local data (Section 7), and
• Exercising rights against Meta for advertising data (Section 5).

We are happy to help you route a request: chepkwonyke2@gmail.com.

Advertising data processed by Meta may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your own, including the United States, under Meta’s applicable transfer safeguards.

We may update this policy as the App evolves (for example if we add new features or change advertising partners). The “Last updated” date at the top will change, and material changes will be highlighted in the App or its store listing. Continued use of the App after an update means you accept the revised policy.

We aim to respond to all enquiries within 5 business days.