Privacy Policy — Step Counter

Privacy Policy for Step Counter

Last updated: 19 October 2026 (advertising added)

This policy explains what Step Counter does with your information. It is written to be checked rather than taken on trust, so where a claim can be verified the policy says how.

Your steps and your body details are never sent to us. Step counts, distance, calories, pace, active time, your goal, height, weight, age, date of birth and sex are kept only on your phone.

To fix problems and improve the app, Step Counter sends crash reports and usage statistics to Google's Firebase service, and can receive announcements through it. It is free because it shows ads from Google AdMob. None of these ever receive the information above. Crash reports and usage statistics can each be switched off at any time in Profile → Privacy.

Who we are

Step Counter is published by Binary Buddies. For anything in this policy, contact us at hello@binarybuddies.in.

The short version

Your step history and body details stay on your phone. We never receive them.
There is no account, no sign-in and no profile on any server.
Crash reports and usage statistics go to Google Firebase. They describe the app and your device, never your activity, and each can be turned off.
We may send occasional announcements, which you can silence in Android's settings.
The app shows ads from Google AdMob, starting a few days after you install it. Ads never receive your steps or body details.
We do not sell your information.

What the app stores on your phone

All of the following is held in the app's own private storage on your device. Other apps cannot read it, and it is removed when you uninstall Step Counter.

Information	Why the app has it	Where it is kept
Step counts, by minute and by day	To show today's total and your history	On your device only
Distance, calories, active time and pace	Calculated from your steps and body details	On your device only
Height, weight, age or date of birth, and sex	These are what the distance and calorie estimates are built from. They are optional; leaving them at their defaults only makes the estimates less personal	On your device only
Your daily goal, units, language and theme	Your settings	On your device only
Badges you have earned	To show your achievements	On your device only

Nothing in that table is sent to us or to anyone else, sold, or used for advertising.

What the app sends, and why

Step Counter uses three parts of Google Firebase, a service run by Google that processes this information on our behalf. None of them receives your steps or any of the body details listed above.

Crash reports (Firebase Crashlytics — on by default, can be turned off)

If the app crashes, or runs into an error it recovers from, a report is sent so we can find and fix the cause. A report contains the technical details of the error, the app version, your phone's model, Android version, available memory and storage, and a random identifier created for this installation. It also notes how the app is set up on your phone — for example whether a step sensor is present and which permissions are granted — because those usually explain the error. Crashlytics keeps crash reports for 90 days.

Usage statistics (Google Analytics for Firebase — on by default, can be turned off)

Records how the app is used: which screens are opened, how far people get through first-time setup, whether permissions are granted, and which settings are chosen — for example the units or theme. For settings about your body or your goal, only the fact that the setting was changed is recorded, never its value. Google Analytics also collects standard device information such as the phone model, Android version, app version, language, approximate region, a random app-instance identifier, and the advertising identifier if your phone provides one. This information is kept for the data-retention period set in our Google Analytics account, which is at most fourteen months.

Announcements (Firebase Cloud Messaging)

We may occasionally send a message about new features or important changes. To deliver it, Firebase keeps an identifier for this installation and the language the app is shown in, so a message can be sent in your language. You can turn announcements off in Android Settings → Apps → Step Counter → Notifications → News and tips, or turn off all of the app's notifications.

None of this identifies you by name, email or account — the app has none of those. Turning Share usage statistics off stops collection and resets the analytics identifier on your phone. Turning Send crash reports off stops reports being sent and deletes any waiting to be sent.

Firebase is governed by the Firebase privacy and security information and Google's Privacy Policy. Under the Firebase data processing terms Google acts as a processor of this information on our behalf.

Permissions, and what each one is for

Physical activity (required)

Lets the app read the step counter already built into your phone. This is not location: it does not reveal where you are or where you have been. Without it the app cannot count anything, which is why it is the only permission that is genuinely required. What it reads stays on your phone.

Notifications (recommended)

Shows your live step count while the app counts in the background, tells you when you reach your daily goal, sends a short recap of your week on Sunday evenings (worked out on your phone, and switchable in Profile), and shows announcements. Android requires a visible notification while an app counts in the background, which is why this is difficult to do without.

Unrestricted battery use (optional)

Stops the system delaying the app's background work. Without it your total can lag behind until you next open the app.

Precise timing (optional)

Lets the app record your total at exactly midnight so days divide cleanly. Without it the split between one day and the next is estimated.

Internet, network state, basic phone state, advertising ID, run at startup, foreground service, wake lock

These are granted automatically and are not prompts you will see. Internet and network state let the app send the crash reports and usage statistics described above, receive announcements and load ads. Basic phone state (only the type of mobile network, never calls or your number) and the advertising ID are used by Google's ads. The others let counting resume after a restart and let scheduled background work run.

Google Play services

Step Counter also uses these facilities of Google Play and Google Play services on your device.

The local step recording API. This lets the app recover steps your phone recorded while the app was closed. The recording is local: the data is held on your device by Google Play services and read by the app from there.
In-app updates. When a newer version is published, the Play Store app offers it to you inside Step Counter. The download is performed by the Play Store app.
In-app ratings. Occasionally, after you have used the app for a while, the Play Store may show its rating card over the app. Any rating or review you write is submitted to Google Play by the Play Store app and is public on Google Play, like any other review. We do not see whether the card was shown or what you chose.

Google Play services is Google software governed by Google's Privacy Policy, not by this one. Your use of Google Play itself — installing, updating and reviewing apps — is likewise between you and Google.

Advertising

Step Counter is free and shows ads served by Google AdMob: an ad card on the Today, Insights and Awards screens, and occasionally a full-screen ad when you open the app — at most once every few hours. No ads are shown during your first days with the app, during setup, in the notification, or in settings.

To choose and measure ads, Google collects information from your device such as your phone's advertising identifier, its model and Android version, its language, its approximate location derived from the network (not GPS), and how you interact with the ads themselves. Ads never receive your steps, your activity or any body detail — the app does not give them to Google, and Google's ads have no access to them.

Your choices about ads

In the EEA, the UK and Switzerland, Google's consent form asks before any ad is requested. You can change your answer at any time in Profile → Privacy → Ad privacy choices.
Everywhere, you can delete or reset your advertising identifier, or opt out of personalised ads, in Android Settings → Privacy → Ads (the exact path varies by phone). Ads will then not be personalised to you.
Google explains how it uses information from apps that show its ads at policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites.

Accuracy, and what the numbers mean

Steps are measured by your phone's sensor. Distance, calories, pace and the "fat equivalent" figure are estimates calculated from your step count and the body details you provide. They are not measurements, and they are not medical information.

Step Counter is not a medical device. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition. Do not rely on it for medical decisions. If you have concerns about your health or about starting to exercise, speak to a qualified professional.

Children

Step Counter is not directed at children under 13 and is not designed for them; its ads are not intended for children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. The crash reports and usage statistics described above carry no name, contact details or account, and both can be switched off in Profile → Privacy.

Your control over your data

Stop crash reports or usage statistics. Profile → Privacy has a switch for each. The change takes effect immediately.
Silence announcements. Turn off the "News and tips" notification category in Android's settings for the app.
Change ad choices. Profile → Privacy → Ad privacy choices (where Google requires it), and your phone's own ads settings everywhere.
Delete a single day. In Insights, under "Day by day", press and hold any day and confirm. Useful if your phone recorded something that was not you walking.
Delete everything. Profile → Data → "Start fresh" removes all step history and every badge, and begins counting again from that moment.
Withdraw a permission. Revoke any permission in Android's settings at any time. Counting stops when physical activity is withdrawn; the app will tell you so rather than quietly showing zeros.
Remove everything on your phone. Uninstalling deletes the app's storage, and with it all of your step data.

Your step history exists only on your phone, so the controls above act on the only copy. The crash reports and usage statistics we receive carry no name, email or account, so we cannot look up one person's reports; they are removed automatically after the periods stated above. If you have a question or request about them, email us and we will help as far as we are able.

Device backup

Android may include app data in the device backup you have configured with Google, under your own Google account and settings. That backup is governed by your agreement with Google. You can turn it off in Settings → Google → Backup.

Changes to this policy

If this policy changes, the date at the top will change with it, and any change that affects how your information is handled will be described in the app's release notes on Google Play. We will not begin collecting information without saying so plainly here first.

Questions about this policy or the app

Email hello@binarybuddies.in

We aim to reply within a few working days.