Byways Media Hub ("the App") is developed by Rekluz Labs ("we," "us," "our"). This Privacy Policy explains what information the App accesses, how it's used, and what it never does with your data.
Byways Media Hub is built on a simple principle: your media stays yours, and stays on your device.
Summary
- The App does not require an account, login, or sign-up.
- The App does not collect, store, or transmit any personal information to us.
- The App does not use analytics, trackers, or advertising SDKs.
- All of your video, photo, and audio files, along with your watch/listen history and library data, are stored locally on your device only.
- The App has no cloud backend of its own as we don't operate any server that receives your data.
Information We Access
Media files
Byways Media Hub uses Android's Storage Access Framework (SAF) to let you choose folders on your device's internal storage, SD card, or USB-connected drive. The App reads video, photo, and audio files from the folders you explicitly select so it can display and play them. These files are never uploaded anywhere. a=All playback and browsing happens entirely on your device.
Library data
To power features like resume-playback, watch progress, and your media library view, the App stores the following locally on your device, in a private database that is not accessible to other apps or to us:
- File names, paths, and folder structure of media you've imported
- Playback position and completion status
- Locally cached thumbnail images generated from your video files
This data never leaves your device. Uninstalling the App deletes it.
Optional online cover art lookups
The App can look up cover art for your media folders using third-party metadata services. How this works differs by media type:
- Music albums: the iTunes Search API (itunes.apple.com) is used automatically, if you're connected to Wi-Fi. This service is key-less and doesn't require any account or credentials.
- TV shows & movies: TMDB (The Movie Database) and Fanart.tv require you to supply your own free API key for each service before any lookup happens. Nothing is fetched from these two services until you add your key(s) in the App's Settings screen. TMDB and Fanart.tv keys are independent — you can add one, both, or neither.
About the API keys you provide:
- Getting a key is free and only takes a couple of minutes on TMDB's or Fanart.tv's own website; the App links directly to their sign-up pages from Settings.
- Your key is stored only on your device, encrypted using Android's Keystore-backed encryption (EncryptedSharedPreferences). It is never transmitted to us, never leaves your device except as part of a direct request from your device to TMDB or Fanart.tv, and is not shared with any other party.
- You can remove a saved key at any time from Settings, which immediately stops that service's lookups.
For all cover art lookups (iTunes, TMDB, and Fanart.tv alike):
- Lookups only happen over Wi-Fi and never mobile data.
- Only the folder or album name you've organized your files under is sent as a search query, and a matching cover image is downloaded and cached locally for offline use.
- No personal information, file contents, or device identifiers are sent. Only the folder/album name text is transmitted (along with your provided API key for TMDB/Fanart, which identifies the key to that service, not you personally).
- These lookups are governed by TMDB's, Fanart.tv's, and Apple's own privacy policies for the request itself; we do not receive or store the results beyond the cover image cached on your device.
Information We Do Not Collect
We do not collect, and the App does not transmit to us:
- Names, emails, or any account/profile information
- Advertising or analytics identifiers
- Location data
- The contents of your media files
- Usage statistics or crash analytics
Permissions
The App requests only the Android permissions needed for its core function of browsing and playing local media (such as storage access via SAF, and network state to detect Wi-Fi for the optional poster lookups described above). It does not request permissions unrelated to this purpose, such as contacts, camera, microphone, or precise location.
Data Sharing
We do not sell, rent, or share your data with third parties. The only outbound network requests the App makes are the optional, Wi-Fi-only cover art lookups described above, which send only a folder/album name (and, for TMDB/Fanart, the API key you personally provided) — nothing else.
Data Retention and Deletion
Because all data is stored locally on your device, you are always in control of it:
- You can remove individual items from your library at any time within the App (this removes it from the App's library only, not the original file on your storage).
- Uninstalling the App permanently deletes its local database and cached thumbnails/posters.
- We have no copy of your data to retain, since none is ever sent to us.
Children's Privacy
The App does not knowingly collect personal information from anyone, including children, because it does not collect personal information at all. The App is a general-purpose local media player and is not directed specifically at children.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time, for example as new features are added. Changes will be posted here with an updated "Last updated" date. Continued use of the App after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.
Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, contact us at: