Privacy Policy

1. Scope and Summary

This privacy policy covers the Macro Deck Companion app for Android and iOS (app ID app.macrodeck.companion). The app shows the deck of the Macro Deck computers you add and sends your button presses to them.

• The app connects only to your own Macro Deck computers in your local network or via USB, and to Google Play or the App Store for purchases.
• It contains no analytics, crash reporting, advertising or push notification services and does not require a Macro Deck account.
• Data that the app sends to your own computer stays under your control. We only receive data when a purchase is activated (section 4).

3. Connecting to Your Macro Deck Computer

3.1 Finding and adding computers

The app finds Macro Deck computers in your local network, reads the connect QR code shown by Macro Deck, or uses the address you enter. The QR code is decoded on your device; the link it contains is not opened on the internet. For each computer, the app stores its name, network addresses, identity key and, if you use Wake-on-LAN, the network card addresses needed to wake it.

3.2 Signing in

You sign in to your computer with the username and password you set up in Macro Deck, or with a one-time pairing code. The app sends the computer a device ID, the device name (the name of your device or a name you choose), the operating system and its version, the device type and the app version. Your credentials and session tokens are stored encrypted in the Android Keystore or the iOS Keychain and are not included in device backups. Other settings are stored in the app's private storage.

3.3 Device status and remote functions

While connected, the app reports the following to your computer, so you can use it in Macro Deck, for example to show the battery level on a button: battery level and charging state, screen orientation and brightness, device model, whether the app is in the foreground, network type, memory usage and, on iOS, processor usage. As network name, the app reports the name of your mobile network operator or, on Android and only if you turn this on in the settings, the name of your Wi-Fi network.

Your computer can ask the app to change brightness or orientation, vibrate, turn the screen on or off and take a screenshot of its deck. On Android you can additionally allow screenshots of the whole screen, which may include notifications and other apps. Screenshots are sent only to the computer that requested them.

All of this data is exchanged only between the app and your own computer and is not transmitted to us. The storage of data on your device is strictly necessary for the functions you use (§ 25 para. 2 no. 2 TDDDG).

4. Purchases, Trial and Licence

4.1 Purchase through Google Play or the App Store

The Companion app licence is a one-time in-app purchase. The purchase, payment, refunds and restoring purchases are handled by Google (Google Play Billing) or Apple (App Store) under their own responsibility. We do not receive your payment details, name or email address. Please refer to the privacy policies of Google and Apple.

4.2 Activating the licence

After a purchase, the app hands the proof of purchase to your connected Macro Deck computer. It contains the store, the product, the purchase or transaction ID, the order ID, the app package name and the transaction data signed by the store; on iOS it can also contain proof of a purchase of the earlier Macro Deck app. Your computer sends it to our licence service, which checks it and issues a signed licence. The licence contains a licence ID, the product and the store and no personal details such as your name or email address.

The licence is stored in the secure storage of the app and on your Macro Deck computers, which pass it on to your other companion devices. How our licence service processes the proof of purchase is described in the tab Accounts, Store & Creator Portal. The legal basis is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR.

4.3 Trial

The app can be tried for 7 days. To make sure a trial is started only once per device, the app creates a trial ID: on Android a one-way hash of the Android device ID, on iOS a random ID stored in the Keychain. The trial ID and the start of the trial are stored on your Macro Deck computer and are not transmitted to us. Accessing the device ID for this purpose is necessary to provide the trial you requested (§ 25 para. 2 no. 2 TDDDG); the legal basis is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR.

5. Permissions

• Camera: only to scan the connect QR code. Images are processed on the device and not stored.
• Local network (iOS): to find and connect to your Macro Deck computers.
• Location (Android only): Android requires this permission to read the name of the Wi-Fi network. It is used only while the app is open and only if you turn on Wi-Fi name reporting, which is off by default. Your location itself is not collected.
• Notifications and background operation (Android): to keep the connection alive while the app is in the background and to show the status of the connection.
• Accessibility service, device administration, screen capture and display over other apps (Android): optional, only if you enable them, so that your computer can lock or turn on the screen, bring the app to the front and take screenshots. The accessibility service does not read the content of other apps.

You can withdraw permissions at any time in the settings of your device.

6. Links

If you open the community support link in the troubleshooting screen, our Discord server opens in your browser or the Discord app. Data is only transmitted to Discord when you open the link.

7. Storage Duration

Data stored in the app stays on your device until you remove the computer, sign out or uninstall the app. Data stored on your Macro Deck computer stays there until you delete it. The storage of licence data by our licence service is described in the tab Accounts, Store & Creator Portal.

8. Obligation to Provide Data

You are not legally obliged to provide personal data. Without connecting to a Macro Deck computer, the app cannot be used, and without the proof of purchase, the licence cannot be activated.