UniRemote Privacy Policy

1. Overview & Core Philosophy

UniRemote is built from the ground up to respect your complete digital autonomy and privacy. There are no accounts, no email signups, and no analytics. The app does not hold Android's INTERNET permission at all, so it cannot open a network connection even in principle, and PMC Labs never receives your data. All signal processing, infrared packet compilation, and device profiles exist purely within your physical device sandbox.

One exception is worth naming plainly: if you have Android's own Backup & Restore or phone-to-phone transfer switched on, Android may copy your saved remotes, favorites, and preferences to your own Google account or your new phone so you do not have to configure every remote again. That copy is made by Android, stays inside your own account, and is never visible to us. You can toggle it in Android Settings under Google > Backup.

2. Information Stored Locally on Device

The only data stored by UniRemote is saved strictly within your device's private Android DataStore sandbox:

• User Profile Alias: The optional nickname and avatar icon you select during setup.
• Paired Appliance List: Brand names, appliance categories (e.g., Sony TV, Carrier AC), and selected IR model codes.
• Favorites & Last-Used State: Shortcut bookmarks to launch frequent remotes instantly.
• Search History: Recent local brand searches to accelerate in-app navigation.
• User Preferences: Haptic vibration strength, button click sounds, and one-handed thumb ergonomics.

3. Infrared Signal & Hardware Emission

UniRemote uses Android's ConsumerIrManager system service to pulse the physical IR transmitter diode on compatible smartphones. Infrared signals are standard, one-way optical pulses (38kHz – 40kHz) that command TVs, air conditioners, and soundbars. These signals contain no user identifier, cannot transmit personal data, and have zero telemetry capabilities.

4. Permissions Required & Justifications

• TRANSMIT_IR: Enables pulsing your phone's built-in infrared transmitter diode to operate home appliances.
• VIBRATE: Delivers tactile haptic feedback when virtual buttons are pressed.
• RECORD_AUDIO (Optional): Used only for the voice assistant, and only while the voice sheet is open. Your speech is passed to Android's native speech recognition to be converted into text. UniRemote asks Android to perform this on-device, but if your phone lacks an offline language pack, Android routes the audio to its speech service (typically Google's) under Google's privacy policy. UniRemote keeps no recording, stores only the matched command, and holds zero internet permission of its own.
• POST_NOTIFICATIONS: Displays the lock screen quick remote notification bar for instant media controls.
• No INTERNET permission: UniRemote cannot open a network connection. External links such as YouTube are handed to your device browser or the YouTube app, which operate under their own permissions.

5. Complete Data Deletion & Rights

You have full ownership of your data at all times. You can permanently erase all paired remotes, profile names, and cached searches in one single tap by navigating to Settings → “Reset Application Data” or by clearing the app data in Android System Settings. Once cleared, all local records are permanently wiped.

6. Children's Online Privacy (COPPA / GDPR)

UniRemote is safe for users of all ages and does not collect identifiable information from children or adults.

7. Contact & Community

If you have inquiries regarding privacy practices or appliance code compatibility, you may reach out to the developer through our official PMC Labs YouTube community at youtube.com/@PMC-Studios or via email at pmclab.dev@gmail.com.