DOCUMENTATION

Privacy Policy

Last updated 15 September 2026

Headshorts (“we”, “our”, or “the app”) is designed from the ground up to be local-first, transparent, and privacy-respecting. We believe reading the news should not involve tracking, surveillance, or personal data collection.

The short version

No accounts. No servers. No analytics or tracking. No advertising SDKs. Your reading habits and subscriptions never leave your phone.

1. Overview & Core Philosophy

  • No Account Required: You do not need to register, create a profile, or sign in to use Headshorts.
  • No Remote Application Servers: Headshorts does not run backend servers, proprietary tracking databases, or intermediate proxy servers.
  • No Analytics, Tracking, or Ads: Headshorts contains zero third-party advertising SDKs, analytics frameworks, tracking pixels, or telemetry beacons.

2. Information Handled by the App

Local Storage on Your Device

All data generated or downloaded during your use of Headshorts is stored locally on your device in a private SQLite database (via Drift) and local device cache. This includes:

  • Cached RSS headlines, snippets, and article text
  • Cached article thumbnail images
  • Your reading history and unread status
  • Filter preferences (active sources, selected categories)
  • Display preferences (theme selection, AMOLED pitch-black mode, dynamic color settings)

This data stays exclusively on your device and is never transmitted to any server managed by Headshorts.

Data We Do NOT Collect

  • We do not collect personally identifiable information (PII) such as your name, email address, phone number, or physical location.
  • We do not monitor, log, or profile your reading habits or political preferences.
  • We do not share or sell any device or user data to data brokers or third parties.

3. Network Usage & Device Permissions

Headshorts requests minimal permissions strictly necessary to function as a news reader:

PermissionPurpose
android.permission.INTERNETUsed to directly fetch publicly available RSS/Atom feeds and article webpages from publishers (e.g., Finshots, The Economic Times, BBC, NDTV, TechCrunch) and display images.
android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATEUsed to check whether the device has an active internet connection before attempting network requests, avoiding unnecessary timeouts and saving battery.
Direct Connections

All network requests for news feeds, full articles, and images occur directly between your device and the respective publisher’s web servers. Headshorts does not operate a proxy or intermediary server to intercept your requests.

4. Third-Party Links and External Content

  • Publisher Websites: When you tap “Open in Web” or tap an external link, the destination webpage opens in your default web browser or an in-app custom tab directly on the publisher’s website. Those third-party websites operate under their own independent privacy policies and terms of service.
  • Sharing Content: When you use the system share button, Headshorts passes the article title and URL directly to your device’s native Android share sheet.

5. Data Control and Deletion

You have complete ownership and control over your data:

  • Cache Management: You can clear cached data at any time from your device’s application settings or from within the app.
  • Complete Deletion: Uninstalling Headshorts immediately and permanently deletes all locally stored database files, cached articles, images, and preferences from your device.

6. Children’s Privacy

Headshorts does not knowingly collect or solicit personal information from children under the age of 13 (or under 16 in applicable jurisdictions).

7. Changes to This Privacy Policy

If this Privacy Policy is modified, the updated version will be published on this website and in the project repository with a revised “Last Updated” date.

8. Contact Information

If you have questions, suggestions, or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy or Headshorts, please contact us directly: