PingBell Privacy Policy

Effective Date: February 25, 2026

Overview

PingBell helps you alert friends using an “Urgent Bell” and receive quick responses (Busy/Coming).

To make urgent alerts reliable, the app may show notifications, wake the device screen, and (if you allow) display full-screen or overlay style alerts.

We collect only the minimum information needed to provide core features such as authentication, friend connections, notification delivery, and recent response status.

Information We Collect

• Account information: name, email address, and unique user ID (via Firebase Authentication).
• Device notification token: Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) token used to deliver Urgent Bell and response notifications.
• Friend connection data: friend request records and accepted connections (who you connect with).
• Cooldown data: sender/receiver IDs and timestamps to prevent spam and excessive bells.
• Response status data: Busy/Coming and timestamp, shown to the sender for a short period.
• Basic diagnostics (non-sensitive): crash/error logs and performance events that may be collected by platform services to improve stability.
  
  

Information We Do NOT Collect

• We do not collect precise location.
• We do not access your contacts, call logs, SMS, photos, camera, or microphone.
• We do not record audio or video.
• We do not sell your personal information.
  
  

How We Use Your Information

• To create and manage your account and keep you signed in.
• To deliver Urgent Bell notifications and allow friends to respond (Busy/Coming).
• To show a recent response status to the sender for a limited time.
• To prevent abuse using cooldown and service protections.
• To maintain security and improve reliability.
  
  

Permissions We Request & Why

• POST_NOTIFICATIONS: to show notifications for urgent bells and friend responses.
• USE_FULL_SCREEN_INTENT: to show urgent alerts as full-screen when supported by your device and settings.
• VIBRATE: to vibrate during urgent alerts.
• WAKE_LOCK: to briefly wake the device or keep the CPU active so urgent alerts can appear reliably.
• SCHEDULE_EXACT_ALARM / USE_EXACT_ALARM: to schedule time-sensitive alert/alarm behavior accurately when needed.
• FOREGROUND_SERVICE: to run time-sensitive alert/alarm behavior reliably in the background, following Android requirements.
• FOREGROUND_SERVICE_MEDIA_PLAYBACK: to keep alert/alarm sound playback reliable in the background when required by Android.
• SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW (Overlay): used only for certain urgent alert UI flows on devices that require “Display over other apps”. You control this permission in system settings.
• RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED: to restore scheduled alerts after device restart (if alerts were set).
• MODIFY_AUDIO_SETTINGS: to control alert volume behavior for the urgent bell/alarm experience when needed.
• DISABLE_KEYGUARD: to allow urgent alert UI to appear over the lock screen on supported devices.
  
  

Lock Screen, Full-Screen & Overlay Notes

• Urgent alerts may appear on the lock screen and may turn the screen on, depending on device support and your settings.
• Some devices/Android versions may require you to enable additional settings such as full-screen notifications or “Display over other apps”.
• You can disable notifications, full-screen behavior, or overlay permission at any time from Android settings, but urgent alert features may not work properly.
  
  

Service Providers (Firebase)

• We use third-party services such as Firebase for authentication, database storage, and push notification delivery.
• These providers process data on our behalf to provide the service and maintain security.
  
  

Sharing of Information

• We do not sell your personal information.
• We share data only as needed to provide the service (for example, delivering a notification to a connected friend) and with service providers (for example, Firebase).
• We may disclose information if required by law or to protect users, our service, or our rights.
  
  

Data Retention

• We keep your account and friend connection data while your account is active.
• Cooldown and response status data may be stored temporarily to support anti-spam and recent-status features.
• We retain data only as long as necessary for the purposes described, unless a longer retention period is required by law or for security/fraud prevention.
  
  

Delete Your Data (In-App)

• You can delete your account and related data directly inside the app (Profile → Delete Data).
• When you delete your account, we delete your user profile data and associated records within a reasonable time, except where retention is required for legal/security reasons.
  
  

Request Deletion (Web)

If you cannot access the app, you can request deletion here: Delete your account & data, click here

Security

• We use standard security practices and reputable providers (such as Firebase).
• No system is 100% secure. Please keep your device secure and do not share your password or verification codes.
  
  

Children’s Privacy

• PingBell is not intended for children under 13 (or the minimum age required in your region).
• If you believe a child has provided personal data, contact us and we will take steps to remove it.
  
  

Changes to this Policy

• We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time.
• When we update it, we will revise the effective date. For significant changes, we may notify you within the app.
  
  

Contact

If you have questions, contact us at: fahad@enteraddons.com

This policy explains how PingBell uses data and permissions to deliver urgent notifications and responses.