Overview
ZeroTrace is a private journal for Android. You write diary entries — with optional photos, voice notes, and moods — that are encrypted on your device and automatically deleted after a period you choose (for example 7, 30, or 90 days). It has no cloud service and no account: your entries never leave your phone.
No Data Collection, No Servers
ZeroTrace does not collect, transmit, or sell any of your information.
We operate no servers and no cloud. Your journal is not uploaded anywhere, there is no account to create, and there is no analytics, telemetry, or crash-reporting service in the app. Your writing cannot be seen by us because it never reaches us.
The app requests the INTERNET permission for one reason only: to complete
the optional Pro purchase through Google Play (see below). It makes no other
network connections and sends none of your journal data anywhere. Features such
as mood/sentiment insights run entirely on your device.
How Your Journal Is Protected
- Encrypted on your device. Your entries and their attachments are encrypted before they are stored, using strong, industry-standard encryption with a key held in your device’s hardware-backed keystore. The key never leaves your device.
- App lock. Access is protected by biometric unlock (fingerprint or face) or a PIN, so your journal stays locked when you’re away.
Auto-Deletion — By Design
ZeroTrace is built to forget. Each entry has a deletion timer you set, and when that timer expires the entry is permanently deleted from your device.
Auto-deleted entries are gone forever — there is no server backup and no way for us to recover them. This is the intended behaviour: write freely, knowing your words will disappear. If you want to keep something, export it before it expires.
Entries you delete manually may be held briefly in an in-app recovery bin so you can undo a mistake, and are then permanently removed. All of this happens only on your device.
What You Create and Where It Lives
Everything you add stays on your device, in encrypted app-private storage:
- Diary entries, drafts, tags, moods, and annotations
- Voice notes and voice-to-text — you can dictate an entry, in which case your speech is transcribed to text using Android’s built-in speech recognition, and/or attach a voice recording that is stored on your device with the entry. The app records audio only while you are actively creating a voice note, and never uploads it.
- Photos you attach — read from your device only when you pick them to add to an entry, and stored with that entry. ZeroTrace does not browse or upload your photo library.
- Your settings and Pro status — simple on-device preferences.
Backup and Export — You Are in Control
ZeroTrace lets you export your journal so you can keep a copy. When you export, you choose the destination (a file or folder you pick), and the app writes it there — it never uploads your data to us or any server. Anything you do with an exported file afterwards is under your control, so store it somewhere safe.
Purchases and the Pro Upgrade
ZeroTrace offers an optional Pro subscription (monthly or yearly) that unlocks additional features. The app is fully usable without it.
- All payments are processed by Google Play. ZeroTrace never sees, receives, or stores your payment details. Your transaction is handled by Google, and Google’s Privacy Policy applies to the payment information you provide to Google.
- Subscriptions renew automatically until cancelled. You can manage or cancel them, and request refunds, through the Google Play Store → Subscriptions.
- The app stores only a local flag recording whether Pro is active.
Permissions
- Microphone (
RECORD_AUDIO) — used only when you choose to dictate or record a voice note. Dictation uses Android’s speech recognition, which the app asks to run on-device where available; the app never uploads your audio. Because speech recognition is an Android system feature, on devices without on-device support the system itself may process the audio to produce the text, under your device’s and Google’s terms. - Photos / storage (
READ_MEDIA_IMAGES, storage) — only to attach images you select, and to export backups to a location you choose. - Notifications (
POST_NOTIFICATIONS) — optional writing reminders you can turn off. - Biometric (
USE_BIOMETRIC) — to unlock the app. - Internet (
INTERNET) — used solely to complete Pro purchases through Google Play. No journal data is ever sent over the network.
What We Never Do
- Upload, sync, or transmit your journal
- Store your data on any server or cloud that we operate
- Create an account or require sign-in
- Collect analytics, usage data, or crash reports
- Access your microphone or photos except for the specific actions above
- Share or sell any information
- Show ads
Data Deletion
Your data lives only on your device, so you control it completely:
- Delete entries in the app; auto-deletion removes them on schedule.
- Clear app data in Android Settings → Apps → ZeroTrace → Storage → Clear data, which erases everything.
- Uninstalling the app removes all of its data.
Because we hold no copy, clearing data, uninstalling, or losing the device erases your journal permanently unless you have exported a backup.
Children
ZeroTrace is a personal journaling app not directed at children under 13 and collects no data from users of any age.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy occasionally; the date above reflects the most recent change. If a future version adds any data collection or network features (such as optional sync), this policy will be updated before that version ships, and the change noted in the app’s release notes.
Contact
Privacy questions or requests: bugfreeappsdevelopers@gmail.com