Informativa sulla privacy

Version 2.0 – last updated: 2 October 2026

Podwelle (“the app”) is an internet radio and podcast player for Android. This policy explains which data is processed when you use the app. The app is free and shows ads; Premium is a paid add-on without ads (sections 5 and 7).

1. Controller

Alex (Alphamaster), contact: support@podwelle.app

2. Principle: no account, no data collection of our own

The app has no user account and no registration. The provider operates no server of its own and uses no analytics or tracking services of its own; the provider does not collect, store or transmit personal data. What the app fetches in order to work goes straight from the device to the respective services (section 4).

Two things run through Google: the free version shows ads through Google AdMob, and Google receives data from the device for that (sections 5 and 6). Premium is bought through Google Play (section 7). With Premium there are no ads and no ad requests.

3. Data stored locally on the device

The app stores the following data on the device only: favorites, recently played stations, subscribed podcasts and their episode lists, listening progress, saved song titles, selected countries and playback speed, a cache of station lists, the premium status (so that Premium also works offline), your choice in the advertising consent dialog (stored by the Google SDK, section 6) and a few simple usage figures: the date of the first start, the number of app starts and whether you have dismissed the Premium card. These figures are used only to decide when the app shows the Premium card and the consent dialog; they never leave the device.

With Android backup enabled this data is included in the device’s Google backup – except for the premium status, which is excluded from the backup. It is removed when you clear the app’s data or uninstall the app.

4. Connections to third parties

To work, the app fetches data directly from the services below. For technical reasons they receive the device’s IP address, the request (e.g. search term, selected country, requested stream) and an app identifier (User-Agent):

• radio-browser.info – station directory; starting a station counts an anonymous “click” for its popularity statistics.
• Apple Podcasts (itunes.apple.com, rss.marketingtools.apple.com) – podcast search and charts.
• fyyd.de – podcast search and recommendations.
• Station and podcast providers – audio streams, RSS feeds and cover art are loaded directly from the respective provider’s servers.

The privacy policies of those providers apply to their processing. Beyond that, the app transmits only the data described in sections 5 to 7, and only to Google.

5. Advertising (free version only)

The free version shows one ad banner at the bottom of the station list and the podcast list. The ads are delivered by Google AdMob through the Google Mobile Ads SDK; the provider is Google (Google Ireland Limited for users in the EEA and Switzerland; otherwise, including the UK, Google LLC). Ads appear only there – not in the player, not in notifications and not in Android Auto. With Premium the app shows no ads and makes no ad requests.

The ads SDK runs only in the free version and only from the second start of the app on; on the first start there is neither an ad nor a consent dialog. Where a consent dialog is required, the app requests no ad before you have answered it (section 6).

When showing ads, the SDK transmits to Google: the device’s IP address (from which Google may estimate the approximate location), the Android advertising ID and the app set ID (device identifiers), your interactions with the ads (impressions, clicks) and the SDK’s diagnostics about app launch and performance. Google uses this data to show and measure ads, to prevent fraud and to personalize ads. In the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland, Google personalizes ads only with your consent (section 6). The transfer is encrypted (TLS).

More in Google’s privacy policy and under “How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services”.

6. Consent and privacy options

In the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland, the app shows Google’s consent dialog (Google User Messaging Platform) before the first ad. There you can refuse personalized advertising; without your consent, the ads are not personalized.

Everywhere else, Google may personalize ads based on the advertising ID; you can switch this off in the Android settings (see below). In US states whose privacy laws provide for it, you can also opt out in the app via “Privacy options”.

You can change your choice – consent or opt-out – at any time in the app under “About this app”, entry “Privacy options”. This menu item appears whenever the law that applies to you requires such an option. The Google SDK stores your choice on the device (in the EEA, the UK and Switzerland in the format of the IAB Transparency and Consent Framework, TCF) and passes it to Google with every ad request.

Independently of that, in every country you can delete the advertising ID in the Android settings: entry “Ads”, depending on the device under “Privacy”, “Security & privacy” or “Google”. Google can then no longer use it for personalized advertising; you will still see ads, but they are no longer selected based on your advertising ID.

Legal basis, where the GDPR applies: for personalized advertising, your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR); for non-personalized advertising and for fraud prevention, the legitimate interest in financing the free version of the app (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR).

7. Purchases through Google Play

Premium – a monthly subscription, a yearly subscription or a one-time purchase – is bought through Google Play. Google processes the payment and your Google account; the app never sees your payment details. From Google Play the app receives only the purchase confirmation (product, purchase token, status) and checks it on the device. The app stores the premium status on the device so that Premium also works offline; every time it starts, it asks Google Play about existing purchases, which is why Premium is back by itself after a reinstall.

You manage, pause or cancel subscriptions in Google Play; refunds also go through Google Play. The purchase is governed by the Google Play terms and Google’s privacy policy. The provider receives from Google only the sales reports of the Play Console – no names, no payment data.

8. Permissions

Internet access (streams, directories, ads, purchases), network state, foreground service for media playback (and keeping the device awake during playback), notifications (playback controls). The ads SDK brings the permission for the advertising ID (com.google.android.gms.permission.AD_ID) and READ_BASIC_PHONE_STATE, a normal permission the SDK uses for connection information. Purchases use Google Play’s billing permission (com.android.vending.BILLING). Location, contacts, microphone or other sensitive permissions are not used. The country is derived from the mobile network / SIM country code or the system language, not from location.

9. Android Auto and voice assistant

When used through Android Auto or by voice command, Google processes the request under Google’s privacy policy; the app only receives the search term. On the Android Auto screen the app shows neither ads nor purchase offers.

10. Your rights

The provider stores no personal data, so access or deletion requests to the provider cannot concern anything held there. You delete the data stored locally on your device yourself by clearing the app’s data in the Android settings or by uninstalling the app. You change or withdraw your advertising consent as described in section 6.

The data Google processes for ads and purchases is covered by Google’s privacy policy (section 5); you exercise your rights in that respect towards Google – through Google’s ad settings (adssettings.google.com) and your Google account settings. Questions: support@podwelle.app.

11. Changes to this policy

This policy is updated when the app changes – for example when new features or services are added. The version published on this page applies; version and date are shown at the top.