Privacy Policy
Effective 21 October 2026
atvOS Launcher collects no personal data. It has no accounts, no advertising, no analytics and no servers of its own. Everything that it keeps stays on your TV.
Who makes atvOS Launcher
atvOS Launcher ("atvOS", "the app") is a home screen app for Google TV and Android TV, made by Shivang P Swain, an independent developer. For questions about this policy, open an issue on GitHub.
What atvOS uses, and where it stays
Your layout and settings
The order of your apps, your folders, the apps that you hide, the appearance, the clock format and the state of setup. atvOS keeps them in its private storage on the TV. They are not backed up to the cloud and not transferred to other devices.
App recommendations
With your permission, atvOS reads the Watch Next and preview programs that your apps put on the TV, to show them on the top shelf. It reads them on the TV only and sends them nowhere.
Artwork
atvOS downloads the pictures of those programs from the addresses that your apps give, over HTTPS only. As with any download, the server that holds a picture sees the TV's IP address. atvOS sends nothing else to it. The pictures are cached on the TV, up to 128 MB, and old ones are deleted.
Your Google account (optional)
If you choose a Google account for your profile picture, Android asks you to let atvOS see your basic Google profile. atvOS then gets your profile photo from Google over HTTPS. It keeps the account address and the photo on the TV, and it does not keep the access token. If you don't choose an account, atvOS shows an initial or no picture.
Donations
Donations are handled by Google Play. atvOS never sees your payment details: Google Play only tells it that a donation is complete, so that it can say thank you. A donation unlocks nothing. Google's handling of the payment is covered by the Google Privacy Policy.
Setup and the debugging connection
To replace the TV's built-in home screen, atvOS connects to the TV's own debugging service at 127.0.0.1, a connection that stays inside the TV. It sends only two fixed commands: one turns the built-in home screen off, and one turns it back on. Its key is made and kept in the TV's Android Keystore and never leaves the TV.
Power Off and the sleep timer
These use a device admin permission with one policy: put the TV to sleep. It cannot erase, reset or read anything. To remove it, select Remove Power Control in atvOS Settings, under Uninstall.
What atvOS does not do
- It does not collect, sell or share personal data.
- It contains no analytics, crash reporting or advertising code.
- It does not track you across apps or websites.
- It does not use cleartext (HTTP) connections.
Permissions
| Permission | What atvOS uses it for |
|---|---|
Access to TV listings (READ_TV_LISTINGS) | The programs on the top shelf. |
Internet (INTERNET) | Top shelf artwork and your profile photo, over HTTPS. |
Network state (ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE) | The connection in the Control Center. |
Do Not Disturb access (ACCESS_NOTIFICATION_POLICY) | The Do Not Disturb button. |
Alarms and reminders (SCHEDULE_EXACT_ALARM) | The sleep timer, at the exact time. |
Delete apps (REQUEST_DELETE_PACKAGES) | Opens Android's uninstall screen for Delete App. |
Google Play billing (BILLING) | Donate. |
| Device admin, sleep only | Power Off and the sleep timer. |
Keeping and deleting your data
All of the data above is on your TV, so you control it. To delete it, clear the storage of atvOS Launcher in the TV's Settings, or uninstall the app. There is nothing for us to delete, because we receive nothing.
Children
atvOS collects no personal information from anyone, including children.
Changes to this policy
If this policy changes, the new version is posted on this page with a new effective date. Every change is also in the source code history.
Contact
Open an issue on GitHub.