Key takeaways
- The Data safety section is a developer declaration of what an app collects and shares, required by Google Play policy.
- Collected means the data leaves the device; shared means it is passed to a third party. The distinction matters and is easy to skim past.
- Third-party components count: an advertising or analytics library's collection is the developer's to declare.
- It is a declaration rather than an audit, so it reports what the developer says rather than what has been independently verified.
- Read it alongside permissions — permissions describe capability, Data safety describes practice.
The Data safety section is where a developer declares what their app collects and shares. It appears on every Google Play listing, before you install, and it is the single most useful thing to read about an app you are considering.
We complete these declarations for our own apps, so this is written from the developer side of the form as well as the reader side.
What it contains
Google's documentation for developers sets out what has to be declared. From a reader's perspective, the section covers:
- Whether data is collected, and which types.
- Whether data is shared with third parties, and which types.
- The purposes — app functionality, analytics, advertising, personalisation and so on.
- Whether collection is required or optional for using the app.
- Security practices, such as whether data is encrypted in transit.
- Whether you can request deletion.
Collected versus shared
The distinction people skim past, and the one that carries the most information.
Collected means the data is transmitted off your device.
Shared means it is passed to a third party.
An app can collect without sharing — sending data to its own servers and nowhere else. Sharing is the stronger disclosure, because it means the data is going somewhere the developer does not control.
Read the shared list first. It is shorter and more revealing than the collected list.
Third-party components count
This is the part developers sometimes get wrong and readers usually do not realise.
A developer must declare collection performed by components they include — advertising SDKs, analytics libraries, crash reporters. From the user's point of view the app collected it, so from the policy's point of view the developer declares it.
In practice, this is where most data collection in free apps happens. An app whose own code collects nothing can still declare a substantial list because of the advertising library inside it. Why free Android games show ads covers that funding model.
What it does not tell you
Three honest limitations.
It is a declaration, not an audit. Google Play policy requires accuracy and Google can act against apps that misdeclare, but the section reports what the developer stated rather than what has been independently verified.
It is categorical, not specific. It tells you a type of data is collected, not exactly which fields, how often, or how long it is retained.
It does not cover everything a privacy policy does. The linked privacy policy is more detailed and, unlike the section, is not constrained to a fixed set of categories.
None of that makes it useless. It makes it a first filter: fast to read, comparable between apps, and enough to rule things out.
Reading it before you install
A short routine:
- Look at "Data shared" first. Shorter list, more informative.
- Ask whether the collection fits the app's function. A video player collecting media files is expected; one collecting contacts is not.
- Check whether collection is required or optional. Optional collection you can decline is a different proposition.
- Check for the deletion option. Whether you can request deletion of data an app holds.
- Cross-check with permissions. Android app permissions explained covers the other half — capability rather than practice — and Android's permission documentation is the reference.
Local-first apps look different
An app that stores its data on your device and sends nothing has a short declaration, because there is little to declare.
That is not a claim about virtue — it is a design decision with trade-offs. Local storage means:
- Data cannot be exposed by the developer, because they do not hold it.
- There is no account to create, and no account to be breached.
- There is also no backup and no sync. Uninstalling takes the data with it.
For a food log or a game save, many people prefer that trade. For something you want across devices, it is a real limitation rather than a hidden benefit.
Where our apps fit
Protein Diet Tracker and Keto Diet Tracker: Low Carb store your entries on your device rather than on our servers, and require no account. The consequence stated plainly: your logs stay with you, and an uninstall takes them with it. How to track protein intake covers building the logging habit that produces that data.
Regal Video Player plays files already on the device and is not a streaming client, so its relationship with your data is similarly narrow.
Our apps are free to download, supported by ads, with optional in-app purchases on most — which means advertising components are present, and that is reflected in what our listings declare. Our privacy policy covers the detail, and every app page on this site states the ads, in-app purchase and content-rating facts verified against the live listing with the verification date shown.
Everything we make here is under video and utility apps.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
What is the Data safety section?
What is the difference between collected and shared?
Does it cover third-party libraries?
Is it verified by Google?
How does it relate to permissions?
Sources
- Provide information for Google Play's Data safety section (opens in a new tab)Google Play Console Help — accessed
- Permissions on Android (opens in a new tab)Android Developers, Google — accessed
