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Legal & Privacy

Privacy Policy for OpenCast

Last updated: August 26, 2026

OpenCast ("we", "our", or "us"), developed by ByteGif, is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how our mobile and web application OpenCast (the "App") collects, uses, stores, and protects your information when you use our services.

1. Information We Collect

A. Information You Provide to Us

  • Account Information: When you register an account, we collect your email address, display name, and avatar preference via Firebase Authentication.
  • Guest Mode: You can use OpenCast as a Guest without creating an account or providing any personal information. Guest user data (such as local playback history, custom RSS feeds, and settings) remains strictly on your device.
  • User-Generated Content & Sync Data: For registered users, we sync your followed podcasts, liked episodes, custom playlists, playback progress, favorite radio stations, and episode comments to Google Cloud Firestore.
  • Custom Content: If you add custom RSS feed URLs or custom radio stream URLs, these URLs are stored locally on your device (and synced to your personal cloud profile if signed in).
  • Reports & DMCA Submissions: If you submit a content report or copyright notice through the App, we collect the details provided in the report to review compliance.

B. Information Collected Automatically

  • Crash & Diagnostic Logs: We may collect anonymous crash logs and diagnostic performance reports via Firebase Crashlytics to fix bugs and improve app stability.
  • Network Information: Basic network status is used solely to verify internet connectivity for streaming audio and loading podcast feeds.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information for the following purposes:

  • To provide core media playback and podcast streaming functionalities.
  • To synchronize your followed shows, playlists, history, and favorites across your signed-in devices.
  • To enable community features such as episode comments and likes.
  • To maintain app security, prevent abuse, and enforce our Content Guidelines & DMCA compliance.
  • To diagnose crashes and improve app performance.
Privacy First: We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data to third parties. We do not use your personal information for targeted advertising or behavioural tracking.

3. Third-Party Services

OpenCast integrates with the following trusted third-party service providers who may process limited data under their respective privacy policies:

  • Google Firebase (Auth, Firestore, Crashlytics): Used for secure authentication, cross-device data synchronization, and crash diagnostics. Governed by Google's Privacy Policy.
  • Public Podcast RSS Feeds: When you stream or download podcast episodes, requests are made directly to the third-party podcast hosting server designated by the podcast publisher.
  • Radio Browser Community Directory: Live radio station directory queries are serviced by public, community-maintained radio-browser.info endpoints without tracking personal user identifiers.

4. Data Storage & Offline Cache

OpenCast uses local on-device caching (Room SQLite database on Android, IndexedDB in browser) to store downloaded podcasts, cached metadata, and playback states so that you can enjoy offline listening without continuous network access.

5. Data Retention & Account Deletion

We retain your data only for as long as your account remains active. You have full control over your data:

  • In-App Account Deletion: You can permanently delete your account at any time directly inside the App by navigating to Library → Settings → Delete Account.
  • Web Deletion Request: If you cannot access the app, you can submit an account deletion request on our Account & Data Deletion page.
  • Complete Purge: When you delete your account, the App immediately purges all your cloud records from Google Cloud Firestore (including followed shows, likes, playlists, history, favorite radios, comments, and reports), deletes your authentication credentials from Firebase Authentication, and wipes all local database cache.
  • Guest Data: For guest users, clearing browser cache or app storage permanently removes all local history and preferences.

6. Security of Your Data

We implement industry-standard security measures to safeguard your personal data. All communication between the App and Firebase servers is encrypted using Transport Layer Security (TLS/HTTPS). Authentication passwords are encrypted and managed securely by Google Firebase Authentication.

7. Children's Privacy

OpenCast is not intended for or directed towards children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal identifiable information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us so we can promptly delete the information.

8. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last updated" date. We encourage you to review this page periodically for any updates.

9. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us at: