My TheftGuard Privacy Policy
Last updated: 11 October 2026
My TheftGuard ("the app") helps you locate and protect your own Android phone if it is lost or stolen. This policy explains what information the app collects, why, who can see it, and how you can delete it. The app is provided by My TheftGuard ("we", "us"). Contact: support@mytheftguard.com.
1. Information we collect
| Data | Why |
|---|---|
| Email address and password (sign-up / login). Passwords are stored only as a one-way (hashed) value; we cannot read them. | To create your account and let only you see your devices. |
| Device model and a device identifier (Android ID) | To recognise your phone and link it to your account. |
| Precise location, including in the background while the app is closed and after a restart. The latest location is updated when the phone moves and at regular intervals; history points are saved while the phone moves (at most about every 5 minutes) and about every 30 minutes when it stays in one place. Tracking becomes more frequent when you mark the phone as lost or an SOS is triggered. | Core feature: to show you where your phone is, if it is lost or stolen. |
| Photos from the back and front camera, taken only when an SOS is triggered or after an incorrect lock-screen PIN/pattern attempt | To help you see who has your phone and where it is. Photos are sent to your account's email address by email; we do not store them in our database. |
| Security events: SOS triggers, incorrect unlock attempts, SIM-card changes, with time and place | To alert you and show an alert log in your dashboard. |
| Device ID and connection status: a short ID of your account (for example TG-7K3QM9), the time the app and the website last connected, and the latest technical error code (for example "location permission off"). Only the latest values are kept; there is no history. | To help you and us find and fix problems. The Device ID is shown in your dashboard and written in our emails so you can quote it when you ask for support. |
| Subscription records: plan, purchase token and the end date of the paid period. Payment details are handled by Google Play and are never seen or stored by us. | To give you access for the period you paid for and to deal with payment problems. |
The app does not read your contacts, messages, call history, files or the content of your screen.
2. Sensitive permissions and why they are needed
- Location (all the time): tracks the phone's position, also when the app is closed. A notification is always shown while tracking is active. The app never runs hidden.
- Camera: takes photos when an SOS is triggered or after an incorrect unlock attempt. The camera is never used silently for anything else.
- Device Administrator (optional): detects incorrect screen-lock attempts (to take a photo) and locks the screen when you send an SOS. You can switch it off at any time in Android settings.
- Accessibility Service (optional): used only to detect the volume-button shortcut (volume down three times) that triggers SOS. It does not read, record or collect anything shown on your screen, and it does not collect any text you type. You can leave it switched off; the SOS button in the notification, the home-screen widget and the Quick Settings tile work without it.
- Phone state: to notice when the SIM card is changed.
- Notifications: to show the "My TheftGuard is active" notice and its SOS button.
You are asked to agree to this monitoring before the app starts. Only install it on a phone that belongs to you, or with the owner's clear permission.
3. Who can see your data
Only the account you registered with can view the devices, locations and alerts of that account in the app and in the web dashboard. We do not sell or rent your data, and we do not share your location, location history, photos, alerts or email address with advertisers.
We use these service providers to run the app, who process data on our behalf:
- Hostinger (web hosting and database): runs the My TheftGuard server, website and database that store accounts, device records, locations and alerts.
- Email sending (our own server): alert emails (with photos), verification links and one-time sign-in / password-reset codes are sent from our server at mytheftguard.com, through our hosting provider's mail service, to your account email address only.
- Google Play: subscriptions are bought and processed by Google Play. We receive only the purchase confirmation. We do not see or store your card number.
- Support access: the operator of My TheftGuard can see, for support and security purposes, the list of accounts with each email address in a masked form (only the first few characters of the name part are visible, the rest is hidden with stars, followed by the email provider such as gmail.com), Device ID, phone model, subscription status and the technical status described above. Photos are never stored on our server.
- OpenStreetMap and Google Maps: map display and directions. Your browser/phone contacts these services to load maps.
We may disclose information if required by law.
4. Security
Data is sent over encrypted (HTTPS/TLS) connections. The server only lets an account read and change its own records. No system is completely secure, so please use a strong, unique password.
5. Retention and deletion
Account, device, location and alert data is kept while your account is active. Location history points are deleted automatically after about 60 days and alert entries after about 12 months. Accounts whose email was never verified (and never paid for) are deleted after 7 days. Technical error codes are removed when fixed, or after 7 days. You can ask us at any time to delete your account and all associated data (devices, location history, alerts) by emailing support@mytheftguard.com from your registered address with the subject "Delete my account data (My TheftGuard)". We will process the request within 30 days. You can also stop all collection immediately by logging out of the app or uninstalling it.
6. Your choices and rights
You can delete your account and all its data yourself: in the app or on the website (menu > Delete account), or at mytheftguard.com/delete-account.html without signing in. You can also ask for a copy of your data or correct it by contacting us. You can withdraw permissions (location, camera, accessibility, device administrator) at any time in Android Settings; some features will then stop working.
7. Children
My TheftGuard is not directed to children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect their data.
8. Disclaimer and limitation of liability
My TheftGuard is a helper tool, not a guarantee of protection or recovery. Please read this section carefully.
- No guarantee. We do not promise that your phone will be found or returned, that a thief will be identified, or that any alert, location or photo will be produced, delivered or accurate.
- The SOS trigger may fail. The volume-button shortcut, the notification button, the home-screen widget and the Quick Settings tile depend on your phone model, Android version, battery and manufacturer settings, permissions, whether the app was force-stopped, and other apps. They may not start, may start late, or may be blocked by the phone.
- Photos may be unusable. Photos can be dark, blurred, empty or missing, for example in poor light, when the phone is in a pocket or bag, when the camera is busy, or when the phone has no flash or no battery.
- Location and alerts depend on conditions we do not control, such as GPS signal, mobile data or Wi-Fi, battery level, the phone being switched off, the SIM being removed, and the availability of our hosting provider, Google, Gmail or other third-party services. Alerts and emails can be delayed, filtered as spam or not delivered.
- No responsibility for loss or harm. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the My TheftGuard team is not responsible or liable for any theft, snatching, loss of or damage to a phone, data or property, personal injury, or any direct or indirect loss that happens or is not prevented, including where an SOS trigger does not work or where a photo, location or alert is missing, late, wrong or unclear.
- The app is provided "as is" and "as available", without warranties of any kind. Nothing in this policy limits any right you have under law that cannot be excluded.
- Your safety comes first. My TheftGuard is not an emergency service. Do not put yourself in danger, do not confront a thief, and contact the police or your local emergency number. Use the information from the app only in a lawful way.
9. Changes to this policy
If we change this policy we will update the date above, and for significant changes we will also notify you in the app.
10. Contact
My TheftGuard
Email: support@mytheftguard.com