DownShift Privacy Policy
- DownShift has no accounts, ads, analytics or tracking, and runs no servers of its own that receive your data.
- Your home screen, settings and profiles are stored only on your device.
- A few features you can turn off send limited data to third parties: web search suggestions send what you type to your chosen search provider, and the weather widget sends a location to the US National Weather Service or, outside the United States, to OpenWeather.
- Purchases, free trials and subscriptions are handled by Google Play. DownShift never receives your payment details; it only asks Google Play which DownShift purchases your Google account has.
- Biometrics and your screen lock are handled entirely by Android. DownShift never receives your fingerprint, face data, PIN, pattern or password.
Who we are
DownShift is a home screen launcher for Android. It is based on the open-source Lawnchair launcher and AOSP Launcher3. This policy explains what information the DownShift app accesses, what it stores, and when anything leaves your device. Questions: support@downshiftlauncher.com.
Information stored on your device
DownShift keeps the following in its private app storage on your phone. It is not sent to us or anyone else.
- Home screen layout for each DownShift profile (for example "Personal" and "Work"): pages, app icons, folders, widgets and dock contents.
- Settings, including profile names, appearance, gestures and search options.
- Profile wallpapers. If you pick a photo as a profile's wallpaper, DownShift keeps a copy of it in its private storage so it can show it when you switch profiles.
- Profile lock setting. If you turn on the profile lock, DownShift stores only that the lock is on. Unlocking is done by Android's own biometric prompt; DownShift learns only whether unlocking succeeded.
- Silencer and Zen Mode state, such as when the current Silencer session ends and the Do Not Disturb modes DownShift created.
- Notification counts. For the recaps shown when a Silencer session ends and when you switch profiles, DownShift counts how many notifications each app sent during the session, and how many the Blocklist cleared in each profile. It records only the app and the number, never what a notification says. You can clear these counts in Profiles › Notification Filtering.
- Your Blocklist: the apps whose notifications you chose to clear in each profile.
- Guide progress: which of DownShift's in-app guides you have read.
- Weather settings and the latest reading: the city you chose (name and coordinates) or the fact that you use your device location, and the most recent forecast shown on the widget.
- DownShift Pro: if you subscribe in DownShift, which plan you chose (monthly or yearly), so DownShift can offer the right plan's discount if you go to cancel. It is filed under a one-way fingerprint of the purchase, not the purchase itself. DownShift also notes whether you have seen the free trial explanation, and, once Google Play has confirmed a purchase, the time until which DownShift stays open without checking with Google Play again (seven days later), so it keeps working while you're offline.
- Recent searches, only if you turn on recent search suggestions.
- Crash reports generated if DownShift crashes. They stay on your device unless you choose to copy or share one.
If you create a backup, DownShift writes your layout and settings (and your wallpaper, if you choose to include it) to a file in a location you pick. You control that file.
Information DownShift reads on your device
Some features need access to information on your phone. This access is used only on the device to provide the feature, and only after you grant the related permission or access where Android requires it.
| Information | Used for |
|---|---|
| Installed apps and shortcuts | Showing your apps on the home screen and in the app drawer, and app search. |
| Notifications (notification access) | Notification dots on app icons; the Blocklist, which clears notifications from apps you block in a profile; counting notifications per app for the Silencer and profile recaps; showing what's playing in At a Glance and on the clock widget; and, only if you turn on Show messages in the clock widget's settings, showing waiting messages on that widget. Except for what's playing and those messages, DownShift looks only at which app sent a notification, not what it says. |
| Contacts | Showing matching contacts in search, if you turn on contact results. |
| Files | Showing matching files in search, if you turn on file results and grant storage access (Android 12 and older). |
| App usage statistics | Suggesting apps you're likely to open, if you grant usage access. |
| Approximate location | Showing the weather for where you are, if you choose device location for the weather widget. |
| Wallpaper | Matching DownShift's colors to your wallpaper and showing wallpaper previews. |
| Do Not Disturb access | Turning Do Not Disturb on and off for the Silencer and for Zen Mode profiles. |
| Accessibility service | Performing actions you assign to gestures, such as locking the screen or opening Recents. It does not read screen content or what you type. |
| Device administrator | Locking the screen for double-tap to sleep, if you choose this method. |
Messages on the clock widget
The clock widget's Show messages setting is off unless you turn it on. While it is on, DownShift reads the sender and text of message and chat notifications (the ones Android treats as conversations) so it can show them, one at a time, on the widget on your home screen. This text is only displayed: DownShift does not save it, and it never leaves your device. Anyone who can see your home screen can read it, so DownShift leaves out notifications you have set to be hidden on the lock screen, anything from apps on your Blocklist, and everything while a Silencer session is running. Turning the setting off stops it.
Information that leaves your device
Web search suggestions
When web suggestions are on (they are on by default), the text you type into DownShift's search is sent to the search provider you've selected so it can return suggestions. The default is Google; you can choose another provider (such as DuckDuckGo, Startpage or Kagi) or turn web suggestions off in search settings. The provider receives your query and your IP address, and handles them under its own privacy policy.
Weather
If you add the weather widget, DownShift sends coordinates to get the weather: either your approximate device location, or the location of the city you picked. It first asks the US National Weather Service; for places outside the United States it asks OpenWeather (OpenWeather Ltd) instead. Whichever service answers receives the coordinates and your IP address with these requests; see the National Weather Service's privacy policy and OpenWeather's privacy policy. When you search for a city, what you type is looked up by Android's built-in geocoder, which is provided by your device; DownShift may also use it to name your current location.
Purchases
DownShift Pro is sold through Google Play's billing system. When you buy it, start a free trial, redeem a code or manage your subscription, Google Play handles it, including your payment method, under Google's privacy policy. DownShift never sees your name, email address or payment details. On your device, DownShift asks Google Play which DownShift purchases your Google account has (the product, whether it is active, and Google Play's reference for the purchase) and confirms each new purchase back to Google Play, as Google Play requires. DownShift sends this information nowhere else.
Fonts
If you choose a downloadable Google font, it is requested through Google Play services' font provider on your device.
Things you open
When you open a web search, a link, or another app from DownShift, that app or website handles the request under its own policies.
What DownShift does not do
- No advertising, analytics, or tracking SDKs.
- No DownShift accounts, and no DownShift servers that collect your data.
- No selling or sharing of your personal information.
- Crash reports are not uploaded automatically.
Other apps
DownShift can work with other apps on your device, such as a news feed app or At a Glance providers. Information exchanged with those apps stays on your device and is governed by their own privacy policies.
Keeping or deleting your data
Because DownShift's data is stored on your device, you control it. You can reset a DownShift profile, clear DownShift's storage in Android Settings, or uninstall DownShift to delete everything it stored. Backup files you created remain wherever you saved them until you delete them.
Children
DownShift is a general-purpose launcher and is not directed at children. It does not knowingly collect personal information from anyone.
Changes to this policy
If DownShift's handling of information changes, we will update this page and its effective date.