Last updated: 31 October 2026
Universal Scanner (“the app”, “we”, “us”) is a free document scanner for Android. This policy explains exactly what the app does with your information. It is deliberately short, because the app does very little with your data.
1. Summary
- Your documents never leave your device. Scanning, image processing, PDF generation, and PNG export all happen locally on your phone.
- No account is required. We do not ask for your name, email address, phone number, or any other personal information.
- The only data that leaves your device is advertising data collected by Google AdMob to display the single banner ad that keeps the app free.
- We do not sell your data. We have no data to sell.
2. Information the app processes on your device
The app creates and stores the following locally, in its private app storage. None of it is transmitted anywhere:
| Data | Where it lives | How to remove it |
|---|---|---|
| Scanned page images | App-private storage (files/scans/…) | Delete the document in the app |
| Exported PDF and PNG files | App-private storage (files/scans/…/output/) | Delete the document in the app |
| Document metadata (name, dates, page count) | Local SQLite database | Delete the document in the app |
| App preferences (theme) | Local storage | Clear app data or uninstall |
Uninstalling the app removes all of the above.
Camera
The app requests camera access only when you tap “Scan document”. The camera is used to capture page images. Frames are processed on-device and are never uploaded. You can deny camera permission and still use the app by importing images from your gallery instead.
Photos
When you tap “Import from gallery”, Android’s system Photo Picker lets you choose specific images. The app receives only the images you select. It does not have access to your photo library as a whole, and it does not request broad storage permissions.
3. Information collected by third parties
Google AdMob (advertising)
The app displays a single banner advertisement supplied by Google AdMob. To do this, the Google Mobile Ads SDK may collect and transmit:
- A device advertising identifier (Android Advertising ID)
- IP address and coarse (non-precise) location derived from it
- Device information (model, operating system version, language, screen size)
- Ad interaction events (impressions and clicks)
- Diagnostic data such as crash logs, if enabled in the AdMob account
This data is used to serve and measure ads. It is not linked to your documents, file names, or page images — the ad SDK has no access to them.
Ads in this app are requested as non-personalised, which means they are not selected based on your behaviour across apps and websites.
Google’s handling of this data is governed by the Google Privacy Policy.
You can reset or delete your advertising ID at any time in Android Settings → Google → Ads.
What we do NOT use
The app contains no analytics SDK, no crash-reporting SDK, no social login, no cloud sync, and no tracking pixels.
4. Permissions and why they exist
| Permission | Purpose |
|---|---|
CAMERA | Capture document pages when you tap “Scan document” |
INTERNET | Load the banner advertisement |
ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE | Detect whether a network is available before requesting an ad |
The app does not request storage, location, contacts, microphone, SMS, or phone-state permissions.
5. Children
The app is not directed at children under 13. It is listed on Google Play with an 18+ target audience because it displays advertising. We do not knowingly collect information from children.
6. Data retention
We do not retain any data on our servers, because we do not operate any servers that receive your data. Data stored on your device is retained until you delete the document or uninstall the app.
7. Your rights
Because we do not collect personal data on any server, there is no server-side data to access, correct, export, or delete. You retain full control of everything on your device:
- Delete a document — open it in My Scans and tap Delete.
- Delete everything — uninstall the app, or use Android Settings → Apps → Universal Scanner → Storage → Clear data.
- Opt out of ad personalisation — reset or delete your advertising ID in Android Settings → Google → Ads.
If you are in the EEA, UK, or Switzerland, the legal basis for the limited ad data processing described above is your consent, obtained through Google’s consent management platform where required, or our legitimate interest in funding a free app.
8. Changes to this policy
If this policy changes, the “Last updated” date above will change and the new version will be published at the same URL. Material changes will be noted in the app’s release notes.
9. Contact
Questions about this policy:
Email: [email protected]
Developer: Prism Vertex