Privacy Policy
Last updated: May 24, 2025 • Effective date: May 24, 2025
The Short Version
Gamepad collects no personal data. The app never transmits your gyroscope readings, button presses, or any gameplay data to any server. Your controller input goes directly from your phone to your PC over your local WiFi — no cloud, no servers, no tracking.
1. Who We Are
Gamepad — Play Anywhere ("Gamepad", "we", "our", "us") is a free application developed independently. This Privacy Policy applies to the Gamepad Android application and the Gamepad Server Windows application (collectively, "the Apps").
Contact: [email protected]
2. Data We Collect
In the Apps (Android & Windows)
We collect zero data in the apps. Specifically:
- No account creation — no name, email, or password required
- No gameplay data — button presses and joystick movements never leave your local network
- No sensor data stored — gyroscope readings are used only in real-time and never transmitted beyond your local WiFi
- No analytics or crash reporting
- No advertising SDKs
- No cloud sync — all settings are stored locally on your device
On This Website
This website tracks anonymous download counts to display the total download statistics shown on the homepage. Here is what we collect when you download the app:
- Platform — whether you downloaded the Android APK or the Windows EXE
- Timestamp — when the download was initiated
- Hashed IP address — a one-way SHA-256 hash of your IP combined with a server-side secret. The original IP is never stored and cannot be recovered from the hash.
- User-Agent string — your browser's user-agent (e.g., Chrome/121 on Windows)
We do not use cookies. We do not use any third-party analytics (no Google Analytics, no tracking pixels).
3. Android Permissions Explained
INTERNET
Required to establish the WebSocket connection between your phone and the Gamepad Server running on your Windows PC. All communication is local-only within your WiFi network.
ACCESS_WIFI_STATE
Used to read your phone's current WiFi connection state and local IP address for the QR code connection feature.
ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE
Used to detect when the WiFi connection is lost or restored, enabling the auto-reconnect feature.
CAMERA
Used only when you tap "Scan QR Code" to scan the connection QR code displayed on your PC. The camera is never accessed at any other time. No images are captured or stored.
VIBRATE
Used to provide haptic feedback when your phone mirrors the rumble/vibration signals sent by games through the virtual Xbox controller.
4. How We Use the Data We Collect
The anonymous download count data collected on this website is used exclusively to:
- Display the total download count on the website (e.g., "2,000+ downloads")
- Understand roughly how many people are using Android vs Windows builds
- Inform our development priorities
We do not sell, rent, or share any data with third parties. We do not use this data for advertising.
5. Data Retention
Download records (hashed IP, platform, timestamp, user-agent) are retained indefinitely for statistical purposes. Since no original IP addresses are stored and the hash cannot be reversed, these records cannot identify you individually.
6. Security
The Gamepad apps communicate entirely over your local network. No data is sent to remote servers during gameplay. The WebSocket connection between phone and PC is local-only. We recommend using a trusted private WiFi network for gaming sessions.
7. Children's Privacy
Gamepad does not knowingly collect any personal information from anyone, including children under 13. Since the app collects no personal data at all, there is no special handling required.
8. Changes to This Policy
If we make material changes to this privacy policy, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top. Continued use of the app after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.