Plain Apps

Privacy policy: Dimmer

Android app · Last updated:

1. In short

Dimmer does not collect, send or share any personal data. It has no internet permission, so it cannot send anything off your phone. It has no account, no ads, no analytics, no crash reporting and no third-party code that talks to a server.

2. Who is responsible

Provider of the app and controller within the meaning of the GDPR: Plain Apps, Residenzstr. 5, 80333 Munich, Germany, plainapps@tuta.com

Contact for privacy questions: plainapps@tuta.com

The full provider details are in the .

The data the app keeps on your phone is not sent to us. We do not receive it.

3. What the app stores on your phone

  • Your settings: darkness, tint and strength, presets, schedule, and the on/off switches in Settings. They are kept in the app's private storage on your phone.
  • Only if you choose the “System brightness” backlight method: a short note of your previous screen brightness and auto-brightness setting, so Dimmer can give them back when dimming ends.
  • Whether dimming is currently on or paused is kept in memory only and is gone after a restart.

Dimmer writes short technical lines (for example “turn on”) to Android's local system log. They contain no personal data and never leave the phone.

4. The Accessibility service

Dimmer uses Android's Accessibility service for one purpose: to draw its dimming layer over all other screens, including the status bar and the notification shade.

  • Dimmer does not read what is on your screen: no text, no apps, no passwords, no messages. The service is declared so that it cannot retrieve window content, and it subscribes to no accessibility events.
  • Dimmer does not watch what you type or tap, and never taps, types or performs actions for you.
  • Dimmer does not collect, store or send anything obtained through this service.
  • Before it asks for this access, the app shows an explanation and asks for your consent. You can turn the service off at any time in Android Settings › Accessibility; dimming then stops immediately.

Dimmer is not an assistive tool for people with disabilities.

5. Sensors, time zone and permissions

  • Motion sensor (only if “Shake to turn off” is on) and light sensor (only if “Adjust to room light” is on): read in memory while dimming is visible, only to detect a shake or the room brightness. Readings are never saved or sent. Android needs no permission for these sensors.
  • Time zone: sunrise and sunset are calculated from your phone's time zone. Dimmer does not ask for or use your location.
  • Notifications (Android 13 and newer, asked the first time dimming is turned on): used for the dimming notification (Lighter, Darker, Pause) and the “Dimmer stopped” notice. If you refuse, dimming keeps working.
  • Modify system settings: only if you choose the “System brightness” method; used to set and restore screen brightness.
  • Receive boot completed (automatic, no prompt): used to give back your brightness if the phone restarted while the System-brightness method was active, and, if you switch it on, to resume your schedule.

Dimmer does not request internet access, location, “display over other apps”, a foreground service, exact alarms or a wake lock.

6. Other apps

“Allow other apps to control Dimmer” is off by default. If you switch it on, other apps on your phone (for example Tasker) can send commands that change dimming. Dimmer sends no data back to them.

7. Android backup

Android may back up the app's settings to your Google account if device backup is switched on in your phone settings. That is done by Android and Google, not by Dimmer; Dimmer does not receive this data. The short brightness note described above is excluded from backups and from device-to-device transfer. You can turn backup off in Android. See your phone's backup settings and Google's privacy policy.

8. Third-party code and services

Dimmer uses only libraries that run inside the app: AndroidX (including Jetpack Compose, Material 3 and DataStore) and Kotlin coroutines. None of them sends data anywhere. The app does not use Google Play services, Firebase or any advertising or analytics code.

9. No tracking, ads or analytics

The app has no account, no advertising, no analytics, no crash reporting and no tracking. It does not use an advertising ID. We do not build profiles and make no automated decisions about you.

10. Legal basis

Nearly everything the app does happens on your phone, and we never receive it. Where that is processing of personal data for which we are responsible, the legal basis is:

  • Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR: the app functions you ask for (the app is used under the terms of the store you got it from).
  • Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR: your consent, for optional features that are off until you switch them on and for which your phone asks your permission. You can withdraw consent at any time by switching the feature or the permission off in the app or in your phone's settings. Processing that already happened stays lawful.

11. How long data is kept, and how to delete it

The data stays on your phone until you delete it. We keep no copy. To delete everything Dimmer keeps, clear the app's storage in Android's app settings, or uninstall the app. Your settings are removed with it.

12. Children

The app is not directed at children and collects no data from anyone, including children.

13. Your rights

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) you have the right to:

  • information about and access to your data (Art. 15),
  • correction (Art. 16),
  • erasure (Art. 17),
  • restriction of processing (Art. 18),
  • notification of recipients about corrections, erasure or restriction (Art. 19),
  • receive your data in a common format and pass it on (data portability, Art. 20),
  • object to processing (Art. 21), and
  • withdraw a consent you gave (Art. 7(3)).

You also have the right to complain to a data protection supervisory authority (Art. 77), for example the one where you live. The app makes no decision about you based only on automated processing (Art. 22).

We receive no personal data through the app, so we normally hold nothing about you that we could give out, correct or delete. You can delete everything Dimmer keeps by clearing its storage or uninstalling it.

If you still want to use one of these rights or have a question, write to the contact address in section 2. We answer within one month (Art. 12(3) GDPR).

14. App stores

If you install the app through Google Play, the store processes your download and account under its own privacy policy. We receive only aggregated statistics from the store, no personal data.

15. Changes

If this policy changes, the new version is published at this address with a new date. If a future version of the app starts to access more than described here, this policy is updated before that version is released.

16. Contact

plainapps@tuta.com
Provider details: