QRWand Privacy Policy
The short version
- QRWand works without an account. Your scans, created codes, designs and wallet cards are stored only on your device.
- We do not run servers that receive your scans, and QRWand contains no analytics or tracking of its own.
- The camera is used only to read codes, on your device. Pictures are never stored or uploaded.
- The free version shows ads from Google AdMob. Google collects some device data for this; you control ad consent in the app.
- Purchases are handled by Google Play. We never see your payment details.
1. Who we are
QRWand is published by TapForge Studios, a trade name of 99 Cent Apps LLC, Crown Point, Indiana, USA ("we", "us"). Questions about this policy: contact@tapforgeapps.com · tapforgeapps.com. Use of the app is also governed by our Terms of Use.
2. Data that stays on your device
QRWand keeps the following in the app's private storage on your phone or tablet. Other apps cannot read it, and it is not sent to us:
- Scan history: the content of the codes you scan (which can include links, contact details or Wi-Fi passwords), the code format, the time, and any notes or favorites you add. You can turn history off, clear it, or delete single items at any time.
- Codes you create and their designs, including any logo image you pick.
- Wallet cards (name, number, barcode type, color, note, and an optional expiry date and reminder setting).
- Usage counts shown in Settings under "Your QRWand" (number of scans, codes created, links checked and warnings shown). They are simple counters on your phone and are never sent to us or to anyone else.
- Settings, your purchase status, and the time of a rewarded unlock.
- Diagnostics: a short list of the last app steps and, after a crash, a crash report (device model, Android version, app version and the technical error). These never contain the content of your codes and are only shared if you choose to email them to us.
"On your phone" also covers Android's own device backup: if it is turned on, Android may include QRWand's data in your backup with Google, as described under Backups below.
Backups. If you use Backup (a Pro feature), QRWand writes a file with your history, cards and logos to a location you choose, such as your phone or a cloud drive. That file is not encrypted, so keep it somewhere safe. If Android backup is turned on for your device, Android may also include QRWand's data in your device backup with Google, under your Google account's backup settings.
Reminders. If you give a wallet card an expiry date and a reminder, QRWand checks the date once a day on your phone and shows a notification before it expires. On Android 13 and later it asks for permission to show notifications first. Nothing about your cards or reminders is sent to us or to anyone else.
Sharing a card. "Share card" creates a QR code on your phone containing that card's name, number, barcode type, color and expiry date, so someone else can add it to QRWand. The code is a link to QRWand's page on Google Play with the card details after the "#" sign. Web browsers don't include that part of a link in the request they send to the website, but the page itself and the app that opens the link (for example Google Play or another scanner app) can read it, and anyone who sees or scans the code can read the card number. Share it only with people you trust.
Clipboard. QRWand reads the clipboard only when you ask it to: when you open Check link (a link you copied is filled in), tap Paste, or create a code from "whatever is on the clipboard". Android shows its own notice when that happens, and the text stays on your phone. QRWand copies text to the clipboard when you tap Copy, when you turn on "Copy to clipboard automatically", when a Wi-Fi network can't be joined automatically (the password is copied so you can paste it in Wi-Fi settings), and when you choose to email us but no email app is installed (the report or our address is copied instead). Passwords are marked as sensitive so Android hides them from clipboard previews.
3. Camera, photos and files
The camera permission is used only to find codes in the live preview. Frames are analyzed on your device by Google ML Kit's bundled barcode model and then discarded. When you scan a photo, screenshot or PDF, you pick it with Android's picker and QRWand reads it on your device only. QRWand does not ask for access to your photo library, contacts, location or storage.
4. Features that use the internet
| Feature | What is sent, and to whom |
|---|---|
| Product and book lookup | When you open the result of a product or book barcode, QRWand asks Open Food Facts and its sister databases Open Beauty Facts and Open Products Facts, or Open Library (Internet Archive), for details. Only the barcode number is sent, together with the technical information any internet request includes (such as your IP address). You can turn this off in Settings ▸ History & privacy. |
| Check link | Nothing is sent. When you paste or share a link (or a whole message) into Check link, the link safety check runs on your phone, and checked links are not saved to your history. |
| "Reveal where it goes" | Only when you tap it: QRWand contacts the server in the scanned link (HTTPS only) to follow its redirects, without loading the page, so you can see the final destination. It never contacts addresses on your local network, such as your router or printer. |
| Opening links | When you choose to open a link, it opens in a secure in-app browser tab (Chrome Custom Tabs) or your browser. A link with warning signs that you choose to open anyway opens in a private tab, which doesn't share cookies, logins or history with your browser, where your browser supports it. The website's own privacy policy applies. |
| Advertising (free version) | See section 5. |
| Purchases, reviews, updates | Google Play handles subscriptions and purchases, in-app review prompts and in-app updates under Google's Privacy Policy. We receive the purchase status needed to unlock Pro, never your payment details. |
QRWand's link safety check itself runs entirely on your device; the links you scan, paste or share are not sent anywhere to be checked.
5. Advertising
The free version shows ads served by Google AdMob (Google Mobile Ads SDK). Subscribers and lifetime buyers see no ads: once Pro is active, QRWand stops loading ads and no longer starts the ads SDK when the app opens.
- According to Google, the ads SDK collects your device's IP address (which can indicate approximate location), device and account identifiers such as the advertising ID and app set ID, information about ad interactions and app launches, and diagnostic information. Google uses this for advertising, analytics and fraud prevention. Learn more: How Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services.
- Consent. In the European Economic Area, the UK and Switzerland, QRWand asks for your consent with Google's consent form (Google User Messaging Platform, which stores your choices on the device) before personalized ads are shown. Where US state privacy laws apply, you can opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information for ads. You can change your choice at any time in Settings ▸ Privacy choices.
- You can also reset or delete your advertising ID in Android's settings (Settings ▸ Privacy ▸ Ads, or Google ▸ Ads on some devices).
6. Children
QRWand is a general-audience utility and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.
7. Security and retention
Your data stays in QRWand's private app storage until you delete it or uninstall the app. Pro users can additionally protect History and Cards with an app lock (fingerprint, face or device PIN). The check is done by Android: QRWand never receives your fingerprint, face or PIN, only the answer "unlocked" or "not unlocked". Network requests made by QRWand use encrypted HTTPS connections.
8. Your choices and rights
- Delete single items, clear history (favorites are kept unless you delete them), delete cards, or uninstall the app to remove everything.
- Turn off scan history, product/book lookups and automatic copying in Settings.
- Remove a card's expiry reminder in the card editor, or turn off QRWand's notifications in Android's settings.
- Change ad consent in Settings ▸ Privacy choices.
Legal bases (EEA, UK and Switzerland). Data kept on your device is processed by you, on your device, to provide the features you use. Personalized advertising is based on your consent, which you give or refuse in Google's consent form; non-personalized ads, fraud prevention and ad measurement rely on Google's legitimate interests as described in Google's policies. Purchases are processed to perform our contract with you. Google may process data outside your country under its own safeguards.
Depending on where you live (for example under the GDPR, UK GDPR or US state laws such as the CCPA), you may have rights to access, correct, delete or restrict the use of your personal information, and to object or withdraw consent. Because QRWand keeps your data on your device, you can exercise most of these rights directly in the app. For data processed by Google for ads or purchases, use Google's tools and policies linked above. You can always contact us at contact@tapforgeapps.com, and you may lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.
9. Changes to this policy
If we change how QRWand handles data, we will update this page and the effective date above, and describe important changes in the app's release notes.
10. Contact
TapForge Studios (99 Cent Apps LLC), Crown Point, Indiana, USA · contact@tapforgeapps.com · tapforgeapps.com · Terms of Use