Privacy Policy
Last updated: 30 September 2026 · App: PhonIQ (com.phoniq.app) on Google Play
1. Who we are and what this covers
PhonIQ is a phone (dialer), SMS and money app for Android. This policy explains what personal data the app reads, what stays on your phone, what is sent over the internet and to whom, and the choices you have. “We” means the publisher named in section 12.
2. What PhonIQ reads on your phone (stays on the device)
To work as your default phone and SMS app, PhonIQ needs Android permissions you grant. This data is processed on your device only.
| Data | Why PhonIQ uses it | Leaves your phone? |
|---|---|---|
| SMS and MMS | Show, send and organise your messages; spot OTPs, bills, deliveries and trips; build the Money ledger from bank and card SMS; suggest quick replies and actions (on-device ML Kit); recognise business helpline numbers mentioned in your SMS to label later calls | No. MMS travel through your mobile carrier, as with any SMS app |
| Call log | Recents, missed calls, callback reminders, spam patterns, caller context | No |
| Contacts | Show names and photos; add, edit, star, or set/remove a contact photo only when you do it; show a WhatsApp badge on contacts WhatsApp has added its entry to (only that entry's presence is read, never anything from WhatsApp itself) | No |
| Phone and calls | Place, answer, screen and manage calls as your default phone app; block numbers through Android's blocked-numbers list | No |
| Microphone (optional) | Call recording and voice notes, only when you use them. Recordings are encrypted (AES, key held in the Android Keystore) and stored privately on the phone | Recordings: no. A voice note is sent as an MMS only when you send it |
| Notifications from other apps (optional, “Connected apps”) | For the apps you choose (WhatsApp, Telegram, Gmail): keep only OTPs and payment, delivery and bill alerts for OTP copy and Money, and let you reply from PhonIQ. Everything else is dropped immediately and never stored | No |
| Photos you pick | Read a receipt you choose (text recognition runs on the phone via Google Play services); set a contact photo you choose | No |
| Your own entries | Notes, reminders, caller labels, budgets, speed dials, settings | No |
| Device checks | Release builds check for signs of rooting or tampering to protect your data | No — nothing is reported |
PhonIQ does not request location, does not read your photo library on its own, and does not upload your address book, SMS, call log or money data — not to us, not for ads, not for “cloud caller ID”. Marking a number as spam is stored on your phone only; no community report is sent.
3. Features that use the internet, and what they send
| Feature | When | What is sent, to whom |
|---|---|---|
| Ads (free version) | While you use the free version | Google AdMob shows a small number of native ads in lists (never in a conversation, call screen, OTP or bank thread). AdMob may collect your device's advertising ID, IP address (and approximate location derived from it), app and device information and ad interactions, under Google's privacy policy. Ads are chosen from the screen's context only — your SMS, calls, contacts and money data are never used to choose or target ads. Where the law requires it, Google's consent form asks first, and you can change your choice in Settings → Privacy & security. PhonIQ Prime / Plus removes ads |
| Purchases | When you buy PhonIQ Prime or Plus | Google Play Billing handles payment. PhonIQ receives only whether you own the purchase |
| MMS | Picture and group messages | Your mobile carrier, as with any SMS app |
| Google Drive backup | Only when you start a backup or restore | The backup file, encrypted on your phone with a passphrase you choose, is stored in a hidden app folder in your own Google Drive. We cannot read it or recover your passphrase. No automatic background sync |
| PhonIQ Chat (optional, off by default) | Only after you turn it on and sign in | Google Firebase: Authentication (your phone number, verified by SMS, or your Google account) and Firestore as a short-lived courier holding messages encrypted on your phone, your public key and a hashed phone number so contacts can find you. Couriered messages are deleted after delivery or expiry. Chat history stays on your phone. Chat is never used for SMS, calls or Money |
| App components from Google Play | First use of Translate, or setting up a local AI model | Google Play downloads the translation or AI-engine component (a few MB) |
| Translation language packs | First translation from a new language, on Wi-Fi | Google's ML Kit downloads the language pack. The message text is translated on your phone and is not sent |
| Address and date detection model | The first time you open a business SMS thread while on Wi-Fi | Google's ML Kit downloads its entity-extraction model (a few MB) so PhonIQ can offer “copy address” and reminder chips. Messages are analysed on your phone and are not sent |
| Receipt reading model | Installed by Google Play services | Google Play services supplies the text-recognition model. Receipts are read on your phone |
| On-device AI (optional) | If you turn on PhonIQ AI | Summaries and suggestions run on your phone: Gemini Nano through Android AICore where supported, or a model file you choose to download (from Hugging Face, which sees an ordinary download request) or import. Your messages are not sent to any AI service |
| Links you open | When you tap them | WhatsApp, a web search for a number, a train PNR page, a payment app and similar hand off to that app or website, whose own privacy policy applies |
We do not use analytics or crash-reporting SDKs, and we do not build advertising profiles.
4. Why we may process data (India — DPDP Act, 2023)
- Your consent, given through the Android permission screens, the default phone/SMS app choice, and by turning on optional features (Connected apps, recording, Chat, AI, backups). You can withdraw it at any time (section 7).
- Providing the service you asked for, such as sending a message or placing a call.
- Legal obligations, where a law requires us to act.
5. Storage and security
- On your phone: PhonIQ's databases and files sit in the app's private storage, protected by Android's app sandbox and your screen lock. Call recordings are additionally encrypted. You can add an app lock (fingerprint or face) and hide amounts in Money.
- Backups: encrypted with your passphrase before they leave the phone.
- Chat: message contents are encrypted on your phone before upload; traffic uses TLS.
- Google services (AdMob, Play, Drive, Firebase) process data on Google's infrastructure, which may be outside India, under Google's own terms and security practices.
6. How long data is kept
- On your phone: until you delete it in PhonIQ, clear the app's storage or uninstall. Your SMS and call log also live in Android's own stores, which PhonIQ does not delete when uninstalled.
- Drive backups: in your Google Drive until you delete them (or remove PhonIQ's access in your Google account settings).
- Chat courier data: deleted after delivery or expiry; your Chat sign-in stays until you ask us to delete it (section 7).
- Ads and purchase data: kept by Google under its own policies.
7. Your rights and choices
Under the DPDP Act you can ask to access a summary of your personal data we process, to correct or erase it, to withdraw consent, to nominate someone to act for you, and to raise a grievance (section 12). Because almost everything stays on your phone, most of this is in your hands directly:
- Revoke permissions, or choose another default phone or SMS app, in Android Settings.
- Turn off Connected apps, call recording, Chat or PhonIQ AI in PhonIQ Settings.
- Change your ad-consent choice in PhonIQ Settings, or reset your advertising ID in Android Settings.
- Delete messages, calls, notes and recordings in the app, or uninstall it.
- Delete your Chat account: in PhonIQ, Settings → Data & device → PhonIQ Chat → Delete Chat account. It removes your sign-in, your number from Chat discovery, messages waiting for you, and all Chat history and keys on the phone. Messages you sent that were not delivered yet expire within 72 hours. If you no longer have the app, email us (section 12) from the phone number or Google account you signed in with, and we will delete the account within 30 days.
- Get a copy of your Chat data: in PhonIQ, Settings → Data & device → PhonIQ Chat → Export Chat data. It saves one file (JSON) wherever you choose, with your Chat sign-in details, your public key and discovery id, and every Chat message kept on the phone. It never includes your private keys. Your SMS, calls and Money are not part of Chat and are already on your phone.
If you are unhappy with our reply, you may complain to the Data Protection Board of India.
8. Children
PhonIQ is not meant for anyone under 18 and we do not knowingly process children's data. Ads are not configured for children. If you believe a child has used PhonIQ Chat, contact us and we will delete that account.
9. Other countries
If you use PhonIQ outside India, your local data-protection law may give you further rights; contact us and we will respond as that law requires.
10. What this policy does not cover
Apps and websites you open from PhonIQ (WhatsApp, payment apps, your browser), your mobile carrier, and Google's services, which have their own privacy policies.
11. Changes
We will update this page when PhonIQ changes how it handles data, change the “Last updated” date, and tell you in the app before a material change takes effect.
12. Contact and Grievance Officer
PhonIQ is published by an individual developer, who also handles privacy questions and complaints (the Grievance Officer under the DPDP Act).
- Publisher and Grievance Officer: Deepankar Sarkar
- Email: email.deepankar.sarkar@gmail.com — we reply within 30 days
- Postal address: DSR Parkway, Flat no 1134, T1W1, Near Mount Carmel Church, Carmelaram, Bhoganahalli, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560035, India