Privacy policy

Christmas Countdown · Last updated October 18, 2026

This policy explains what information the Christmas Countdown app for Android (“the app”) and this website handle, and why. The app is made by SpecialDevOps (“we”, “us”), which is responsible for this information as the data controller under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The short version: there's no account, no ads and no advertising ID. Usage stats and crash reports are only shared if you say yes, and you can change your mind at any time in the app's Settings.

1. Information that stays on your phone

To work, the app stores a few things on your phone only:

• the advent calendar doors and presents you've opened;
• your settings, such as whether reminders are on and your answer to the usage stats question;
• the countdown schedule that the home screen widgets display;
• the last copy of the update file described in section 5.

This information is never sent to us. It's deleted when you uninstall the app or clear its data.

2. Usage stats (only if you say yes)

The first time you open the app, it asks whether it may share anonymous usage stats. Only if you say yes does it use Google Analytics for Firebase to collect:

• which tabs you look at;
• when you open an advent door or present (which day, whether from the calendar, the home screen or a notification, and how many days late);
• when you tap a notification, and what kind it was;
• whether you allowed notifications when asked;
• taps on the tree, the widget help and the upcoming Events tab;
• whether you've added a home screen widget, and which size;
• information Google Analytics collects automatically: a random app instance ID, the app version, your device model, Android version and language, your approximate country and region (worked out from your IP address, which Google Analytics doesn't store), when you first opened the app, when you use it and for how long, and app updates.

None of this includes your name, email address, contacts or precise location, and the app doesn't use the advertising ID. Google Analytics keeps the detailed data for at most 14 months; after that, only combined reports remain.

3. Crash reports (only if you say yes)

With the same yes, Firebase Crashlytics sends a report when the app crashes or runs into an error. A report contains what went wrong and where in the app's code, the app version, your device model and Android version, the available memory and storage, the time of the crash and a random installation ID. Crash reports are kept for 90 days. If you turn usage stats off, reports that haven't been sent yet are deleted.

4. Notifications

• Reminders (a new advent door, milestones, special days) are planned and scheduled on your phone itself. Nothing about them is sent to us. You can turn them off in the app's Settings or in your phone's settings.
• News is sent through Firebase Cloud Messaging. To deliver it, Firebase creates a random registration token and installation ID for your copy of the app. They're used only to deliver messages, and messages contain no personal information. You can block notifications at any time in your phone's settings.

5. Update checks

When it starts, the app downloads a small public file from GitHub that says which version of the app is the latest. As with any web request, GitHub sees your IP address; we don't receive it. If you installed the app from Google Play, updates are installed through Google Play under Google's terms.

6. Who receives information

We use these services to run the app and this website:

• Google (Firebase: Analytics, Crashlytics, Cloud Messaging and Hosting), which processes information on our behalf. See Privacy and Security in Firebase and Google's privacy policy.
• GitHub, for the update file. See the GitHub General Privacy Statement.

These providers may process information outside the European Economic Area, including in the United States. Such transfers are protected by the EU–US Data Privacy Framework or the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses. We never sell or rent information, and we never share it for advertising.

7. Legal bases (GDPR)

• Usage stats and crash reports: your consent (Article 6(1)(a) GDPR). You can withdraw it at any time in Settings; this doesn't affect what was collected before.
• The notification token and the update check: our legitimate interest in keeping the app working, up to date and able to deliver occasional news (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR).

8. Your choices and rights

• Turn usage stats off in the app's Settings to stop collection and delete unsent crash reports.
• Turn reminders off in Settings, or block all notifications in your phone's settings.
• Uninstall the app to delete everything it stored on your phone.

Under the GDPR, you have the right to access, correct or delete your personal data, to restrict or object to its processing, to data portability and to withdraw consent. Because the app has no accounts, we usually can't tell which data belongs to you, but write to us and we'll help as best we can. You can also complain to a data protection authority: in Romania, the ANSPDCP, or the authority where you live.

9. Children

The app is intended for people aged 13 and over. We don't knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has shared information through the app, contact us and we'll delete what we can.

10. This website

This website uses no cookies, analytics or tracking, and its fonts are served from the site itself. It's hosted on Firebase Hosting; to deliver the pages and protect against abuse, Google processes your IP address and briefly keeps technical logs.

11. Changes to this policy

If this policy changes, we'll update this page and the date at the top. For significant changes, we'll also let you know in the app.

12. Contact

For questions about this policy or your data, email hello.specialdevops@gmail.com.