Privacy Policy

The short version. Hearth watches your home network from the phone or tablet in your hand. The picture of that home stays on that device. Vishnu HomeGuard does not receive it, sell it, or use it for advertising. There is no account.

Who this covers

This policy is published by Vishnu HomeGuard for the Hearth app and for similar products we release that work the same way: an app on your own Android phone or tablet, used by the person responsible for a home or office network, which builds a local picture of devices nearby and does not upload that picture.

If a future product behaves differently, the app will say so before it collects anything this policy does not already describe.

What Hearth is for

Hearth is a calm home screen. It names devices that introduce themselves on the network you choose, compares a hardware-address prefix with a manufacturer list shipped inside the app, and tells you when a named device drifts from the address or the behaviour Hearth already knows for it. It can also be the device’s home screen. It is meant for the person who owns or administers the network, not for secretly watching someone else’s household.

How long information stays

The home picture and settings remain on the device until you clear app storage or uninstall Hearth. We have no server copy to delete.

Sharing

We do not sell personal information or share the home picture with advertisers, data brokers, or other apps. Google Play and Android have their own policies.

Children

Hearth is directed to the adult responsible for a household or office network. It is not directed to children under 13.

Security

The local database is private to the app. Backups are excluded and the app does not permit cleartext web traffic. Anyone who can unlock the device can see the home picture.

Access and correction

You can see and change information in the app, and remove it by clearing storage or uninstalling. There is no remote profile for us to correct.

Australian Privacy Principles

This policy is written for publication in Australia and Google Play’s listing requirements. Hearth uses network names and hardware addresses only on the device to show your own network and warn when something drifts. Vishnu HomeGuard does not collect that information into its own record, disclose it overseas, or use it for direct marketing.

Changes

If this policy changes, the updated version will be posted at this address with a new effective date. If Hearth would send information off the device, the app will ask you first.

Contact

Questions can be sent to privacy@vishnu-homeguard.com, or through vishnu-homeguard.com.

Vishnu HomeGuard · Hearth · Protecting what matters most

Information that stays on your device

To draw that picture, Hearth processes the following on the phone or tablet. It is stored in a private local database and in private app settings. Android backup and device-to-device transfer are turned off for that data.

The name of the Wi-Fi network you are on, and the network you save as home.
Names, model hints, and service announcements that devices on that network volunteer through ordinary introductions such as mDNS and SSDP.
Local network addresses, and hardware addresses when Android exposes them to an ordinary app.
Bluetooth names and addresses of accessories that are advertising or can be found nearby, after you allow it.
A manufacturer name derived on the device from the hardware-address prefix, using the list built into the app. That lookup does not contact a server.
The settings you choose: how long Hearth looks before it rests, power and warmth, and whether alerts use on-screen cards, a notification, vibration, or sound.
The last clear picture of the home, so it can be shown again after a restart.

Activity labels are guesses from device announcements. Hearth does not read the contents of browsing, messages, video, or downloads.

What we do not collect

Vishnu HomeGuard does not operate an account system for Hearth. The app does not include advertising, an advertising identifier, or an analytics SDK. We do not receive a copy of your home picture, device list, hardware addresses, or settings. Hearth is not built to send the home picture, or any identifier from it, to Vishnu HomeGuard or any other server.

Wi-Fi passwords

If you join a network from Hearth, the password is handed to Android’s own confirm sheet and is not written into Hearth’s database or settings. Hearth does not ask for, and does not keep, passwords for your other accounts.

Permissions, and why they exist

Nearby Wi-Fi, or location on Android 12 only, so Android may list Wi-Fi names. It does not track where you go.
Bluetooth, so nearby advertising accessories can be named. Scanning is not used for location.
Notifications and vibration, only if allowed, so a drift note can appear or buzz.
Change Wi-Fi state, so Hearth can ask Android to join a network you pick. Android still asks you to confirm.

You can refuse or withdraw permissions in Android settings. Until Wi-Fi permission is allowed, Hearth shows a sample home and does not scan.

Which network is watched

The first network the phone or tablet joins can be remembered as home. On any other network, watching pauses. You can change or forget the saved network in Settings. A network name is only a label; Hearth cannot prove that a network with the same name is the same physical network.

Alerts

If a device drifts, Hearth can show a note on screen and, if allowed, a system notification. It does not change your Wi-Fi password or disconnect other devices unless you do that yourself.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how Vishnu HomeGuard handles personal information collected through the Hearth app for Android, please contact our privacy team using the details provided in the policy.

User Rights

Request access to your data
Request correction of your data
Request deletion of your data
Withdraw consent and manage Android app permissions