Guardian Lens Privacy Policy

Effective date: October 6, 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how the Guardian Lens Android app (package io.guardian.lens, the "app") handles your information. Guardian Lens is provided by Habit Accessories ("we", "us"). If you have questions, email habitaccessories@gmail.com.

Guardian Lens is a personal-safety recorder. You start every recording yourself: by tapping, by saying a trigger phrase you chose, with the home-screen panic widget, or with an NFC tag you set up. It can text your emergency contacts automatically and, on the Sentinel plan, stream live video to them.

1. Summary

• Your recordings, location trail, emergency contacts, settings and event log are stored on your phone. We do not have a server that stores them and we do not have accounts.
• If you connect Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive, recordings are uploaded directly from your phone to your own cloud account. We never receive a copy.
• If you allow it, the app sends SMS text messages from your phone to the emergency contacts you choose, including your location when an emergency recording starts. The app never reads your messages.
• The app uses your location only while a recording is running (and when an emergency or security text is sent). It does not use background location when nothing is being recorded.
• Live video (Sentinel plan, optional, off by default) is relayed in real time through Cloudflare and is not recorded or stored.
• Purchases go through Google Play; RevenueCat tells the app which plan you have. We never see your payment details.
• No advertising, no analytics or tracking SDKs, and we never sell your data.

2. Permissions the app uses

Each permission is optional. Features that need a permission you have not granted do not work, but the rest of the app does. The app does not access your photo gallery, contacts list, call log or SMS inbox.

3. Recordings (video and audio)

Recordings are saved in the app's private storage on your phone. They are not sent to us. You can turn on on-device encryption (AES-256-GCM) for stored recordings; the key stays in Android's encrypted storage on your phone. Android cloud backup of the app's data is turned off. If you share a recording or export the event log yourself with Android's share menu, it goes to the app or person you pick.

Cloud backup (optional, Guardian and Sentinel plans). If you connect Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive, recordings and a small details file (times and location trail) are uploaded directly from your phone to your own account with that provider. Copies in your cloud account are normal, playable files, so you can still open them if your phone is lost. Deleting a recording in the app deletes it from your phone; copies already uploaded to your cloud account must be deleted there.

Sharing recordings with your emergency contacts (optional, off by default). If you turn on "Share recordings with emergency contacts" and have connected Google Drive or OneDrive, emergency recordings are uploaded in short clips while they are still recording (the first after about 30 seconds, then every 2 minutes) to a separate folder in your cloud account. The app sets that folder to "anyone with the link can view" and texts the link to your emergency contacts. Anyone who has the link (including anyone your contacts forward it to) can watch and download the clips and, once the recording is saved, the rest of it and its details file (times and location trail). These uploads use mobile data even if "Wi-Fi only" is on. The link keeps working until you delete the folder or stop sharing it in your cloud account; the app never removes it. We never receive the video or the link, and the link is not written to the app's event log.

4. Location

If you allow location access, the app records your GPS position while a recording is running so you have a trail of where the incident happened. Recording continues in a foreground service with a visible notification when the screen is locked; Android treats this as "while in use", and the app does not request background location.

Location is used:

• with the recording on your phone, and in its uploads to your own cloud account (if you connected one);
• in emergency texts to your emergency contacts (a Google Maps link with the approximate accuracy), including one follow-up with a more accurate position if needed and optional updates every 5 to 15 minutes while the emergency recording runs;
• in shared recording links, if you turned sharing on (see section 3).

Location is never sent to us, and it is not used for advertising or analytics. The app does not track your location when nothing is being recorded.

5. Emergency texts (SMS)

Names and phone numbers of the emergency contacts you add are stored only on your phone.

If you allow Android's SMS permission (requested only when you set up emergency contacts, after an explanation screen), Guardian Lens sends text messages from your phone number directly to your emergency contacts, without opening your messaging app:

• when an emergency recording starts: your help message, the time and a Google Maps link to your location;
• one follow-up with a more accurate location, if needed;
• optional location updates every 5 to 15 minutes while that recording runs;
• a link to shared recordings or live video, if you turned those features on;
• a test text when you ask for one;
• security notices: repeated wrong security-PIN attempts, or a requested reset of the app's data.

Texts go through your mobile carrier like any SMS, and your carrier's normal rates apply. Guardian Lens only sends messages; it never reads, receives, stores or uploads your messages, and the texts are never sent to us. The on-device event log records only whether each text was sent or delivered (for example "contact #1: delivered"), never the numbers or the message. If you do not allow the permission, the app opens your messaging app with the text ready and you send it yourself.

6. Microphone and voice triggers

When Standby (voice trigger) mode is on, Android's speech recognition service listens for your trigger phrases and a persistent notification is shown. Where your device supports it, recognition happens on the device; otherwise Android's speech service (usually provided by Google) may process the audio under Google's privacy policy. Guardian Lens does not store, log or send what is said.

7. Live video (Sentinel plan, optional, off by default)

If you turn on live video, an emergency recording also streams live video and sound to our streaming provider, Cloudflare (Cloudflare Stream), and your emergency contacts are texted a link to watch it. The stream is relayed in real time and is not recorded or stored by us or Cloudflare; your recording is still saved on your phone as usual. Anyone with the link can watch while the stream is live; the viewer page stops working 24 hours after the stream ends.

To check that you have the Sentinel plan and to enforce time limits (60 minutes per emergency, 180 minutes per month), our live-video service (a Cloudflare Worker) stores your anonymous RevenueCat app user ID, a hashed device key, the start and stop times of your streams, how many viewers connected and your monthly minutes used. It does not store names, phone numbers, location or video. Stream records are deleted about 24 hours after a stream ends, device keys after 180 days without use, and monthly usage totals after about 13 months. Like any internet service, Cloudflare processes IP addresses and request details to deliver the service and prevent abuse (for example rate limiting), and keeps standard request logs for a short period. See Cloudflare's privacy policy: https://www.cloudflare.com/privacypolicy/.

8. Purchases and subscriptions

Guardian Lens offers a free plan and two paid plans, Guardian (Standard) and Sentinel (Premium), as auto-renewing subscriptions and a one-time Lifetime purchase. Payments are processed by Google Play; we never receive your card or payment details. We use RevenueCat to confirm which plan you have. RevenueCat receives an anonymous app user ID, your Google Play purchase records (receipts, product, purchase and renewal dates) and basic device and app information. See https://www.revenuecat.com/privacy and https://policies.google.com/privacy.

9. Cloud sign-in (Google Drive and OneDrive)

Connecting a cloud account is optional.

• Google Drive uses the drive.file scope, which only lets the app see and manage files and folders that Guardian Lens itself creates. The app cannot read your other Drive files.
• Microsoft OneDrive uses the Microsoft Graph permissions Files.ReadWrite (to create the Guardian Lens folder, upload recordings and create view links for shared recordings), User.Read (to show which account is connected) and offline_access (to keep you signed in).

Your sign-in tokens, account name and email address are stored in Android's encrypted storage on your phone and are used only to upload your recordings to your account and show which account is connected. They are never sent to us. You can disconnect at any time in Settings. Google's and Microsoft's own privacy policies apply to files stored in your accounts. Guardian Lens's use of information received from Google APIs adheres to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.

10. On-device event log and security data

To help you troubleshoot, the app keeps a short log of errors and security events on your phone (Settings → Logs). Tokens, email addresses and phone numbers are removed from it, and it never contains what was said, your PIN or codes. It is only shared if you choose to export it.

Your Guardian Lens security PIN is stored only as a salted one-way hash. The authenticator-app key and (hashed) recovery codes stay in Android's encrypted storage on your phone. None of this is sent anywhere.

11. Service providers

We do not sell, rent or trade personal information, and we do not share it for advertising. The only third parties involved are:

• Google Play (app distribution and payments);
• RevenueCat (subscription status);
• Cloudflare (live video relay and our live-video service, only if you use live video);
• Google and Microsoft, only if you connect Google Drive or OneDrive, or when Android's speech service is used for voice triggers;
• your mobile carrier, which delivers the SMS texts you allow the app to send.

We may disclose the limited information we hold (described in section 7) if required by law or to protect the safety, rights or property of users or others.

12. Data retention and deletion

• On your phone: everything stays until you delete it. Settings → About → Reset All Data deletes all recordings, contacts, settings, the encryption key, security PIN and two-step codes, cloud sign-in tokens and the event log, and disconnects your cloud accounts. To protect evidence, a reset needs your security PIN plus a second step, takes effect 24 hours after it is requested (your emergency contacts are told by text) and is blocked for 72 hours after an emergency recording. Uninstalling the app or clearing its storage in Android Settings also removes all app data.
• In your cloud account: copies uploaded to your Google Drive or OneDrive (including shared folders) are never deleted by the app. Delete them in your cloud account.
• Live video records: expire automatically as described in section 7. To have them deleted sooner, email habitaccessories@gmail.com with your anonymous purchase ID (shown in the app under Settings → Subscription).
• Purchase records: kept by Google Play and RevenueCat for as long as needed for billing, tax and legal purposes. You can ask us to request deletion of your RevenueCat customer record by emailing us.

There is no Guardian Lens account to delete.

13. Security

Data is sent over encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS). Data on your phone is kept in the app's private storage, with optional AES-256-GCM encryption for recordings and Android's encrypted storage for keys and tokens. No method of storage or transmission is completely secure; please protect your phone with a screen lock and your cloud accounts with strong passwords.

14. Children

Guardian Lens is intended for adults (18 and over) and is not directed to children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact us and we will delete it.

15. Your rights

Depending on where you live (for example the EU/UK under the GDPR, or California under the CCPA/CPRA), you may have the right to access, correct or delete personal information about you, or to object to or restrict its processing. Because nearly all data stays on your phone or in your own cloud account, you can exercise most of these rights directly in the app or your cloud account. For anything we or our service providers hold, email habitaccessories@gmail.com. We will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights. Our service providers may process data in the United States and other countries.

16. Responsible use

Recording laws differ by place; some require everyone's consent. You are responsible for using Guardian Lens lawfully. See our Terms of Service: https://guardian-lens-legal.pages.dev/terms.

17. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the app changes. We will post the new version at this address with a new effective date. For material changes we will also give notice in the app or on the Google Play listing.

18. Contact

Habit Accessories — Guardian Lens support
Email: habitaccessories@gmail.com