Android App

Privacy Policy

LotW Viewer · Effective date: May 3, 2026 · Developer: YO8TNB – Cristian

Short version: Your LotW credentials and QSL data stay on your device and are only used to communicate with ARRL's Logbook of the World servers. The app uses Firebase Crashlytics (Google) for anonymous crash reporting — no personally identifiable information is collected.

1. Who We Are

LotW Viewer is an Android application developed by YO8TNB – Cristian, an individual amateur radio operator based in Romania. Contact: yo8tnb@gmail.com.

2. What Data the App Uses

The app requires the following information to function:

LotW username and password — entered by you on the login screen, used solely to authenticate with ARRL's LotW servers (lotw.arrl.org).
QSL records — downloaded from LotW after authentication and stored locally in a cache on your device.
My grid square — optionally entered by you to calculate distances; stored locally, never transmitted.

3. How Data Is Stored

Your username and password are stored using Android EncryptedSharedPreferences (AES-256 encryption), accessible only by this app on your device.
QSL records are cached locally in the app's private storage using Room (SQLite) and are not accessible by other apps.
No data is stored on any external server operated by the developer.

4. Data Sharing

LotW Viewer does not share any personal data with third parties. The app makes the following external network connections:

A direct HTTPS request to lotw.arrl.org (operated by ARRL) using your credentials, identical to logging in through the official LotW website.
Anonymous crash reports sent to Google Firebase Crashlytics (see Section 6).

5. Permissions Used

INTERNET — required to connect to lotw.arrl.org and download your QSL records, and for Firebase Crashlytics reporting.
POST_NOTIFICATIONS — used to send you an optional alert when new QSLs are received (only if you enable this in Settings).
RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED — used to restart the background sync scheduler after a device reboot, so notifications continue working without manual intervention.
REQUEST_IGNORE_BATTERY_OPTIMIZATIONS — allows you to exempt the app from Android's battery optimization so background sync runs reliably. Optional; must be granted explicitly by you in Android Settings.

6. Third-Party Services

Firebase Crashlytics (Google) — The app uses Firebase Crashlytics to automatically collect crash reports when the app crashes unexpectedly. Crash reports include device model, Android version, app version, and a technical stack trace. Firebase Crashlytics may use the Android Advertising ID (AD_ID) for the purpose of identifying unique app instances in crash statistics — this data is used solely for diagnostic purposes and is not used for advertising. No personal data, credentials, or QSL records are included. Data is processed by Google LLC under their Privacy Policy.

OpenStreetMap — The map screen uses OpenStreetMap tiles (rendered by osmdroid). When the map is visible, tile images are fetched from OpenStreetMap servers — no personal data is included in these requests.

Firebase Firestore (Google) — Bug reports submitted voluntarily by the user via the in-app "Report a Bug" form are stored in Firebase Firestore. Reports include the text you enter and optionally your callsign and email address. Data is processed by Google LLC under their Privacy Policy.

No advertising SDKs are integrated. The only HTTP client library used is the standard OkHttp client.

7. In-App Purchases

The app offers optional in-app purchases (donations) via Google Play Billing. All payment processing is handled entirely by Google Play. The developer does not receive or store any payment card information. Google's privacy policy applies to all purchase transactions.

8. Children's Privacy

LotW Viewer is intended for licensed amateur radio operators and is not directed at children under 13. The app does not knowingly collect any information from children.

9. Data Deletion

You can delete all locally stored data at any time:

Clear cache — Profile screen → Local Cache → Clear.
Sign out — Profile screen → Sign Out (removes stored credentials).
Uninstall the app — removes all app data from your device permanently.

10. Changes to This Policy

If this privacy policy changes, the updated version will be published at this URL. The effective date at the top of the page will be updated accordingly. Continued use of the app after changes constitutes acceptance of the new policy.

11. Contact

For any privacy-related questions, please contact:

Email: yo8tnb@gmail.com
GitHub: github.com/YO8TNB