Privacy Policy

Last updated: 5 November 2026

Jayakrishnan PM ("we", "us") built Birthday Countdown as a free Android app, with an optional Premium upgrade. This policy explains what information the app collects, how it's used and stored, and the choices you have. By using the app, you agree to the practices described here.

1. Information we collect

1.1 Information you enter

To create countdowns, the app lets you enter or choose:

A name or title, and a date of birth or event date
A background photo (from your gallery or the in-app gallery)
Background music, reminder and daily-quote settings, and design choices (stickers, fonts, colors, filters)

This information is stored on your device (app storage and settings). It is not sent to us unless you choose to share a countdown (see section 4).

No accounts. The app has no sign-up or login. We don't ask for your email address or phone number, and we can't link stored files to a person.

1.2 Information collected automatically

The third-party services listed below may automatically collect:

Device and operating-system information, app version, language and approximate region
IP address (which may be shortened or anonymized by the provider)
Advertising ID and ad interaction data
App usage events, crash reports and performance measurements
A device token used to deliver notifications

1.3 Purchases

Premium purchases are handled entirely by Google Play. We receive confirmation that a purchase was made so the app can unlock Premium. We never see or store your payment card details.

2. Third-party services

The app uses these services, each of which handles data under its own privacy policy:

Service	Purpose
Google AdMob (with ad mediation partners)	Showing ads, including personalized ads where you allow them
Google User Messaging Platform	Asking for ad consent where required by law (for example, in the EEA, UK and Switzerland)
Google Analytics for Firebase (incl. Google Signals)	Understanding how the app is used so we can improve it
Firebase Crashlytics & Performance Monitoring	Finding and fixing crashes and slow screens
Firebase Remote Config	Turning features and content on or off without an app update
Firebase Cloud Messaging	Delivering notifications
Firebase Realtime Database & Cloud Storage	Loading in-app gallery content, and storing countdowns you choose to share
Google Play Billing	Processing Premium purchases
Facebook SDK (sharing)	Sharing your countdown to Facebook when you choose to

3. How we use information

To provide countdowns, reminders, notifications and sharing
To unlock Premium after a purchase
To fix crashes and improve performance
To understand which features people use
To show ads that keep the app free

We do not sell or rent your personal information.

When you share a countdown as a live link, the app uploads that countdown (its title, date, background photo and design settings) to Firebase Cloud Storage and creates a link to it. Anyone who has the link can open and import that countdown, so only share it with people you trust, and don't include sensitive information.

Countdowns you share as a video or image are created on your device and sent through the app you pick (for example, WhatsApp or Instagram). That app's own privacy policy then applies.

5. Storage & retention

On your device: countdowns, photos, music choices and settings stay on your phone. Uninstalling the app or clearing its data removes them.
Shared countdowns: stored in Firebase Cloud Storage until deleted. Because there are no accounts, we can't automatically find files that belong to you. To ask us to delete a shared countdown, email us the share link.
Analytics, crash and ad data: kept by Google and the other providers under their own retention settings.

6. Your choices

Ad personalization: you can reset or delete your advertising ID, or opt out of personalized ads, in your phone's settings (Settings → Google → Ads, or Settings → Privacy → Ads). You can also visit adssettings.google.com. Where required, the app asks for your consent before showing personalized ads.
Notifications: you can turn reminders and notifications off in the app or in Android settings.
Deletion: delete countdowns in the app, uninstall the app, or email us a share link to have a shared countdown removed.
Your rights: depending on where you live (for example under GDPR or US state privacy laws), you may have the right to access, correct or delete information about you. Contact us and we'll help where we can.

7. App permissions

Internet & network state: to load gallery content and ads, and to share countdowns
Notifications: for birthday reminders and daily quotes
Photos / storage: to pick background photos and save shared countdowns, only when you choose to
Run at startup, wake lock & foreground service: to keep reminders scheduled after a restart, and to finish uploading or importing a shared countdown

8. Children's privacy

The app is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child has shared information through the app, contact us and we will delete it.

9. Security

We use Firebase security rules and encrypted connections (HTTPS) to protect data in transit. No method of storage or transmission is completely secure, so please don't put sensitive personal information in countdowns you share.

10. Changes & contact

We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we'll change the "Last updated" date above.

Questions, or a request to delete a shared countdown? Email contact@bdaycountdown.app.