Privacy notice

WHO MANAGES THE APP

Developer and data controller: Maxim Turcan. Contact: bimbilock.assistenza@gmail.com.

BimbiLock is a tool for parents and guardians who want to limit the opening of certain APPs on their own device. It does not require an account and is not a remote surveillance service. Setup and advertising choices are intended for the adult.

DATA THAT STAYS ON THE PHONE

BimbiLock accesses the names, icons and identifiers of launchable APPs to display them in the list. It stores selected APPs, the ON/OFF choice, a PIN verifier with a random salt, and the counters needed for incorrect attempts and recovery on the device. It does not store the PIN in plain text or a search history. The PIN, selected APPs and locking data are not sent to the developer, Firebase or AdMob.

ACCESSIBILITY AND USAGE DATA

If you authorise Accessibility, the service also works when BimbiLock is not visible. It uses events, APP identifiers, screen class names and window and display metadata to recognise selected APPs, display the PIN and return to Home when you tap Exit. This data stays on the phone and is not disclosed to advertising services. The service also coordinates ad preloading and display in accordance with advertising choices. It does not read messages, explore screen content, record the screen or save a history of opened APPs. Revoking Accessibility in Android Settings stops locking from working.

Access to usage statistics is optional and is used only to sort the list by “Most used APPs”. Statistics stay on the phone; alphabetical sorting and locking work without this access. Usage statistics are not used to select advertisements.

OPTIONAL UNINSTALL PROTECTION

From version 1.2.1, the parent can expressly enable additional protection, which is disabled by default. Android requires BimbiLock to be enabled as a device administrator: this administrator must be deactivated before uninstalling. No data deletion, screen lock, password or camera policies are requested.

When the feature is active, Accessibility recognises only the identifiers of Settings and certain installers and requests the PIN to access the entire recognised APP. It does not analyse screen text or buttons. This protection remains independent of pausing APP locking. Access after entering the PIN lasts up to 60 seconds and ends when switching to another recognised APP or turning off the screen. The parent’s choice remains stored locally.

To disable it or remove BimbiLock: open BimbiLock → Settings → Protect against uninstalling and confirm your PIN. PIN recovery remains available; the security reset also revokes this protection and requests removal of the administrator. If Android does not complete removal, you can complete it from its Settings. The feature does not guarantee an absolute lock: a suspended service, safe mode, unrecognised system paths and differences between manufacturers may allow it to be bypassed.

BIOMETRICS

Recovery may use biometric verification managed by Android. BimbiLock receives only the result and does not access fingerprints, biometric images or phone credentials.

ONLINE CONFIGURATION

BimbiLock uses Google’s Firebase Remote Config and Firebase Installations to receive advertising and update settings, including when advertising is disabled. Firebase processes the installation identifier, IP address and technical app and device information, such as version, language, time zone and country. GPS access is not requested.

To check how advertisements work, the developer consults aggregate statistics provided by AdMob.

ADVERTISING AND PRIVACY CHOICES

BimbiLock may display non-personalised advertisements through Google AdMob. Advertising frequency is limited using data stored on the device. Protection features remain available without a connection, advertisements or advertising consent.

Advertising choices are managed by Google’s privacy form and can be reviewed in “Ad preferences”. Advertisements are requested only when choices and serving conditions allow it. Refusing consent does not necessarily exclude limited ads without personalisation. These may also use local storage to prevent fraud.

To deliver and measure advertisements and prevent fraud, Google may process IP addresses, approximate location derived from IP, identifiers, technical and diagnostic data, and advertising interactions. BimbiLock requests child-directed advertising treatment and a maximum content rating of G without verifying the user’s age. It does not request the Android AD_ID permission. The PIN, children’s names and protected APP list are not disclosed to advertising services.

APP UPDATES

From version 1.4.14, BimbiLock may check in the authenticated parent area whether Google Play provides a compatible update. Google Play processes device metadata, APP version and installed modules to check update availability and size. The developer may recommend a newer version or require a minimum version to continue parent management, only when the required compatible update is available and the check can be completed. Installation requires the user’s action and is handled by Google Play. No connection or a failed check does not disable protection. Protected-APP PIN access, recovery and exiting a child Space do not depend on this check. The required-update screen retains an explicit parent choice to disable protection and close the APP. The check cannot be retroactively added to already installed versions that lack it.

PURPOSES AND BASES OF PROCESSING

Protection and recovery process local data to provide the requested service. Online configuration relies on the legitimate interest in maintaining and updating the service and managing advertising availability. Consent is requested through the privacy form for advertising processing that requires it. For support, we use the data you send us to answer your request. Do not send your PIN or private content from protected APPs.

PROVIDERS, RETENTION AND DELETION

Google provides Firebase, UMP and AdMob: https://firebase.google.com/support/privacy, https://policies.google.com/privacy and https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites. The provider also processes technical connection and security data under its own terms and may process data outside the European Economic Area with the applicable safeguards described in its privacy notices.

Local settings remain in the APP’s private storage until you change or reset them or clear the data. Security recovery removes the PIN and selected APPs but does not reset the advertisement counter. To delete all local data, use App information → Storage → Clear data, or uninstall BimbiLock. Automatic backup and transfer of APP data are disabled. Local deletion does not automatically delete information already processed by providers, which is subject to their respective retention terms. The developer does not keep a copy of the PIN and cannot recover it remotely.

RIGHTS AND CONTACTS

Write to bimbilock.assistenza@gmail.com to exercise applicable rights of access, rectification, deletion, restriction, objection and portability. You can change advertising choices in “Ad preferences”; withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of previous processing. You may lodge a complaint with the Italian Data Protection Authority: https://www.garanteprivacy.it. Email, Android and Google Play also follow their respective providers’ notices.

LIMITS OF PROTECTION AND CHANGES

Locking requires active Accessibility and a compatible device. It does not replace the Android screen lock and does not guarantee protection against uninstalling, permission revocation, safe mode, notifications, previews, multiple windows or modified devices. After five errors, recovery may allow a reset with a five-minute wait if biometrics are unavailable. Changes to data use will be reported in this notice and accompanied by the required choices, where applicable.

PERSONAL SPACES

Children’s names, local Space identifiers, allowed APPs for each profile and the last selected Space are saved only in the device’s private preferences, excluded from app backup. They are not sent to BimbiLock, Firebase, AdMob or other servers. No account or email is needed. You can edit or delete them in the parent area; uninstalling and resetting BimbiLock deletes them.

During a Space, the already-authorised Accessibility service recognises the packages of opened APPs, blocks unapproved ones and redirects Home and Recents to the Space when Android allows it. The existing BimbiLock PIN is required to exit; no content from other APPs is read or saved. Spaces do not display BimbiLock advertisements and do not initialise advertising SDKs or Firebase. Authorised external APPs retain their content, advertisements and data processing according to their respective notices.

GAMES AND WEBSITES ADDED BY THE PARENT

The name and HTTPS address of games added with “＋ Web” are stored on the device. When you open a game, the page and its resources are requested from the website and its providers: they receive at least the IP address and may use cookies or local data according to their own notices. BimbiLock does not send them the PIN, Space names or APP list. Games opened in the internal web view have data and saves separate from the browser; main navigation remains limited to the website chosen by the parent. Websites on the same domain share the app’s web storage; separate web profiles are not created for each child. To also delete cookies and web saves, clear the app’s data in Android Settings or uninstall it. Installed PWAs opened through the browser continue to use that browser’s data and settings.

NEW INSTALLATIONS IN THE SPACE

With the updated Space disclosure accepted by the parent, new launchable APPs installed during the Space are automatically added to the active child’s profile. APPs already present are not authorised by a simple update. BimbiLock uses Android installation events and the first installation time; it locally stores the start time and a temporary session identifier to update the correct profile even after a process restart. This data is not sent over the network. If Game Hub is selected, Galaxy Store can also be opened. Downloads, accounts and purchases remain managed by the Stores according to device settings. The parent can remove new APPs from selections after exiting with the PIN.

APP LANGUAGE

The Italian, English, Arabic or Automatic choice is saved locally. In Automatic mode, BimbiLock uses Arabic when the phone’s primary system language is Arabic, regardless of region. Otherwise it uses the region of the primary system locale: Italian for Italy, English for other regions. It does not request GPS location or use an online location service. Changing the language does not change the PIN, profiles or selected APPs.