Privacy Policy

shield Overview

Redirect Guard for Android is an open-source tool designed to protect users against unwanted application transitions, intrusive ad redirects, and automatic external deep links.

The application is built on a strict privacy-first foundation: it operates entirely offline on your device. The app does not collect, record, track, transmit, or monetize any personal information.

visibility_off Information We Do Not Collect

Redirect Guard does not collect personal data, user accounts, or persistent identifiers:

• No Personal Information: We do not collect names, email addresses, phone numbers, contact books, account credentials, or user profiles. No account registration is required.
• No Tracking Identifiers: We do not collect advertising IDs, IMEI numbers, MAC addresses, or persistent hardware identifiers for user profiling.
• No Third-Party Analytics: The app contains no third-party analytics libraries, advertising trackers, or behavioral profiling tools.
• No Automatic Remote Crash Reporting: The app does not automatically transmit crash logs or stack traces to external servers. If a crash occurs, a readable diagnostic screen appears locally, allowing you to optionally inspect or copy the report yourself.
• No Internet Communication: The app does not transmit intercepted URLs, app switch history, or configuration preferences over the internet.

security How Protection Data Is Handled Locally

All operations and protection mechanisms in Redirect Guard run locally on your device:

• Window Transition Monitoring: The Android Accessibility Service observes window change events exclusively to determine when an external application is launched. It does not inspect, read, log, or record user keystrokes, personal messages, banking details, or screen contents.
• Process Termination: When an unwanted redirect occurs, the application uses local Shizuku privileged shell commands (am force-stop <package>) to close the target process. These commands execute strictly on your device and are never transmitted over any network.
• Activity & Debug Logs: Intercepted redirect records (displaying timestamps, source application names, and target package names) are kept solely in local device memory and local app storage for your personal review. You can clear or search these logs at any time.
• Installed App Lists: When you open the Applications management screen, the app queries Android's local package manager to list installed applications so you can customize protection settings. This list is processed entirely on your device.

lock_open Device Permissions and Their Purposes

Redirect Guard requests specific Android permissions strictly to perform its core redirect interception functions:

• Accessibility Service (RedirectAccessibilityService): Required to detect window state transitions and determine when an ad or external web page initiates an unauthorized app switch. The service is strictly configured to protect your privacy and does not read or collect on-screen content.
• Display Over Other Apps (SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW): Required to show the permission confirmation dialog over the originating application so you can choose whether to allow or block the redirect.
• Shizuku Shell Access (Optional / Elevated): Used to terminate redirected application processes without requiring root access. Shizuku is also used for one-tap automated permission setup during initial configuration.
• Post Notifications (POST_NOTIFICATIONS): Required on Android 13+ to display service status alerts and accessibility service health warnings.
• Ignore Battery Optimizations (Optional): Allows you to exempt Redirect Guard from aggressive system battery killers to ensure reliable background monitoring.

database Data Storage and Security

All user preferences (including guarded applications, whitelisted applications, interception mode, and log filter choices) are stored locally in private application storage on your device. Uninstalling the application completely deletes all stored preferences and logs.

code Open Source Transparency

Redirect Guard is licensed under the Apache License 2.0. The complete source code is public and available for audit, inspection, and verification at:
https://github.com/rdevz-ph/RedirectGuard

mail Contact and Inquiries

If you have any questions, bug reports, or feature suggestions regarding this privacy policy or the application, feel free to open an issue or reach out through:

• GitHub Issues: https://github.com/rdevz-ph/RedirectGuard/issues
• Developer Portfolio: https://romel-portfolio.vercel.app/
• Email: brosasromel01@gmail.com