Privacy Policy
Speed Tester · last updated
1. Summary
Speed Tester (“the app”) is an internet speed measurement utility published by Cool App Helpdesk.
- The app collects no personal data automatically. The only information that reaches the developer is what you deliberately type into the in-app feedback form (see section 2).
- Speed measurements are performed by exchanging test traffic with well-known public endpoints (Cloudflare, Hetzner, Bouygues, OVH, Tele2); your public IP is visible to those endpoints during the test (see section 5).
- Your test history is stored on your device only and is never uploaded (see section 3).
- The app asks for a location permission for one purpose only: reading the name of the Wi-Fi network you are testing. Your location is never read, derived, stored, or shared (see section 4).
- The app currently shows no advertising (see section 5).
2. Data we collect
Nothing automatically. The app contains no analytics, no telemetry, no crash reporting, no advertising identifiers, and no user accounts. Nothing about your usage or your test results is ever sent to the developer.
One exception, entirely under your control: the feedback form. If you open Feedback from the app’s menu and tap Send, the following is transmitted to a server operated by the developer:
| Field | Source |
|---|---|
| Feedback type, subject and message | What you type |
| Contact details (email or similar) | What you type — optional, leave blank to stay anonymous |
| App version and version code | Automatic, so a report can be matched to a build |
| Device model and Android version | Automatic, to reproduce reported problems |
| Submission timestamp | Automatic |
Nothing is sent unless you tap Send. No test results, no network names, and no history are included. The endpoint is a Google Cloud Run service in the EU (europe-west1) operated by Cool App Helpdesk over HTTPS; submissions are used only to answer and act on your message, are never sold or shared, and can be deleted on request by emailing the address in section 10.
3. Data stored on your device
| Item | Where | Sent off device? |
|---|---|---|
| Test history — ping, jitter, download, upload, data used, timestamp, server name and country, and the name of the network you tested on | A private database on your device (speedtest.db) | Never |
| Notes you attach to a saved result | The same private database | Never |
| App settings and your chosen language | Private app preferences | Never |
Bundled list of public speed-test endpoints (speedtest-servers.csv) | App resources, read locally | Never (not updated over the network) |
This data stays in the app’s private storage, which other apps cannot read. It leaves your device only if you choose to share it — the “share as image” and “export CSV” features hand a file to whichever app you pick from the Android share sheet. Note that a shared result image or CSV may include the Wi-Fi network name and your notes.
4. Permissions used
| Permission | Reason |
|---|---|
INTERNET | Open connections to the speed-test endpoints. |
ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE | Check that a network is available, and whether it is Wi-Fi, mobile or metered, before starting a test. |
ACCESS_WIFI_STATE | Read the name of the connected Wi-Fi network. |
WAKE_LOCK | Keep the device awake for the few seconds a test is running so the measurement is not cut short. |
ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION / ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATIONAsked only when you request it | Since Android 10 the operating system will not reveal the Wi-Fi network name to an app unless it holds a location permission. This is the only reason the app requests it. |
AD_ID and ACCESS_ADSERVICES_* | Declared automatically by the bundled Google AdMob library. Advertising is currently switched off and the library is never started, so these are not exercised (see section 5). |
About the location permission. The app contains no code that reads your location. It never calls any Android location service, never requests GPS or network positioning, and never stores or transmits coordinates — the permission is used solely as the key that unlocks the Wi-Fi network name. It is never requested on startup: the test screen simply shows “Wi-Fi”, and only if you tap Show name does the app explain why and then ask. If you decline, choose “Approximate” rather than “Precise”, or have device location switched off, everything else in the app works exactly as before and the network is shown as plain “Wi-Fi”. You can revoke the permission at any time in Settings → Apps → Speed Tester → Permissions.
The app does not request contacts, storage, microphone, camera, or phone state.
5. Network activity and third parties
Speed-test endpoints. To measure your connection, the app opens HTTPS connections to a small number of well-known public speed-test endpoints and exchanges bytes with them:
| Endpoint | Purpose | What it sees |
|---|---|---|
speed.cloudflare.com | Latency, upload, fallback download measurement | Your public IP, standard HTTP headers (User-Agent), and the bytes exchanged during the test |
speed.hetzner.de | Download measurement | Your public IP and standard HTTP headers |
bouygues.testdebit.info | Download measurement (fallback) | Your public IP and standard HTTP headers |
proof.ovh.net | Download measurement (fallback) | Your public IP and standard HTTP headers |
speedtest.tele2.net | Download measurement (last resort) | Your public IP and standard HTTP headers |
ip-api.com | Estimates your approximate area from your public IP so the app can name the nearest test server | Your public IP. See the note below. |
About ip-api.com. Before each test the app asks this third-party service to convert your public IP address into approximate coordinates, which are used only to pick and label the nearest server. The result is used in memory and is never saved to your history or sent to the developer. Two things you should know: this lookup is made over plain http, so the approximate coordinates returned are not encrypted in transit, and your IP address is disclosed to ip-api.com, an independent operator with its own terms and privacy statement. This happens whether or not you grant the location permission described in section 4 — the two are unrelated.
These third parties operate the servers you exchange test bytes with. The app sends only the data required for the measurement — no identifiers, no account information, no device metadata beyond the User-Agent string. Each provider has its own privacy policy:
- Cloudflare: cloudflare.com/privacypolicy
- Hetzner: hetzner.com/legal/privacy-policy
- OVH: ovh.com/world/protection-personal-data
Feedback. If you use the in-app feedback form, its contents are sent to a developer-operated Google Cloud Run endpoint in the EU over HTTPS. This is the only developer-operated server the app ever contacts, and only when you tap Send. See section 2 for exactly what is included.
Advertising — currently switched off. The app ships with the Google AdMob library, but advertising is disabled in the current version: the library is never initialised, no ad is ever requested or shown, no advertising ID is read, and no consent prompt is displayed. Because the library is bundled, Google Play still lists the advertising permissions noted in section 4; they are inert.
If advertising is re-enabled in a future version, this policy will be updated before that version is released, the “last updated” date will be bumped, and the relevant Google disclosures will be restored here:
6. Children’s privacy
The app is suitable for general audiences and is not directed at children under 13. The developer does not knowingly collect data from children. The app shows no advertising and gathers nothing automatically, so no profiling of any user — child or adult — takes place. If a child sends a message through the feedback form and you would like it removed, email the address in section 10 and it will be deleted.
7. Data retention and deletion
On your device. Your test history stays on your device until you remove it. Individual results can be deleted from the History screen, and uninstalling the app erases the database, your notes and your settings completely. The developer has no copy and therefore cannot recover it for you.
Feedback submissions. Messages sent through the feedback form are kept only as long as needed to answer and act on them. To have yours deleted, email the address in section 10 from the contact details you supplied, or describe the message if you sent it anonymously.
8. Security
Feedback submissions and all but one of the network calls use HTTPS (TLS). The single exception is the ip-api.com lookup described in section 5, which is made over plain http; it carries no personal data beyond your IP address, which is visible to your network operator in any case. One download-measurement fallback (speedtest.tele2.net) is also plain http and exchanges only meaningless test bytes.
The app stores no credentials and no persistent identifiers. Its database and settings live in private app storage that other apps cannot read. The app is distributed through the Google Play Store, which verifies the developer signing key on every update.
9. Changes to this policy
If any material aspect of how the app handles data ever changes, this page will be updated and the “last updated” date above will be bumped. Continued use after a change constitutes acceptance.
10. Contact
Questions or feedback? Email coolapphelpdesk@gmail.com.