Privacy Policy
Introduction
STAVO ("the app", package com.rimalcode.stavo) is a Status Saver for WhatsApp that lets you view and download the photo and video statuses you have already seen in WhatsApp. This Privacy Policy explains what information the app does and does not handle. STAVO is built to be privacy-first: your media is read and saved entirely on your device and is never uploaded to us or to any third party.
On-Device Processing
All status viewing, downloading, and saving happens locally on your device. The status files you view and the copies you save:
- are never uploaded, streamed, or transmitted to our servers
- are never shared with any third party by the app
- remain on your device and under your control at all times
Information We Collect
We do not collect, store, or sell your personal media, photos, or videos. Like most free apps, limited technical and usage information is processed by our service providers (Google AdMob for advertising, and Google Firebase for analytics and crash reporting) so we can show ads and understand how the app is used. None of it identifies you personally.
We do NOT collect
- Your name, email, phone number, or any account information
- Your WhatsApp account, contacts, chats, or messages
- The content, file names, or thumbnails of the statuses you view or save
- Your precise location
Processed by our ad partner (Google AdMob)
- Advertising ID (a resettable identifier provided by your device)
- Approximate, non-precise device and usage information used to serve and measure ads
Processed by Google Firebase (analytics & crash reporting)
- A randomly generated app instance identifier, which is not linked to your identity and is reset if you clear the app data or reinstall the app
- Anonymous usage events describing which screens you open and which actions you take — for example that a status was previewed, saved, or shared, and how many statuses were found on the device
- General device information such as device model, operating system version, app version, language, and country (derived from your IP address, which is not stored)
- Crash reports and error diagnostics, including the technical stack trace and device state at the moment of a crash
🔒 We never upload, copy, transmit, or share your statuses with any server.
How STAVO Accesses Statuses
STAVO does not connect to WhatsApp or log into your account. It can only read status files that WhatsApp has already saved to your device after you viewed them. To read that folder, the app asks you to grant access once using your device's secure folder picker (the Storage Access Framework). You choose the folder, and you can revoke this access at any time from your device settings.
Permissions We Use
STAVO requests only the permissions needed for its core functionality:
- Photos & Videos (READ_MEDIA_IMAGES / READ_MEDIA_VIDEO on Android 13+, READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE on older versions): to read the WhatsApp status files and to list the statuses you have already saved so they remain available even after reinstalling the app
- Folder access (Storage Access Framework): to let you grant one-time access to the WhatsApp .Statuses folder
- Save to gallery: downloaded statuses are saved to public gallery folders (Pictures/STAVO and Movies/STAVO) so they appear in your gallery
- Internet (INTERNET) and Advertising ID (AD_ID): used only to load advertisements, to send anonymous analytics and crash reports, and to load this Privacy Policy
Advertising (Google AdMob)
STAVO is free and is supported by ads served through Google AdMob. AdMob may use your device's Advertising ID and limited data to provide and personalize ads and to measure their performance. We do not control the data practices of Google. You can learn more and manage your choices through Google's policies.
- Google AdMob / Google Ads policy: https://policies.google.com/technologies/ads
- How Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services: https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites
- You can reset or limit your Advertising ID in your device settings (Settings > Google > Ads)
Analytics & Crash Reporting (Google Firebase)
STAVO uses Google Firebase Analytics and Google Firebase Crashlytics to understand how the app is used and to find and fix problems. This helps us see, for example, that many users could not locate their statuses on a particular device — a problem we would otherwise never hear about. The information is aggregated and statistical: we see counts and trends across all users, never an individual person's activity.
- We never send the content, file names, or thumbnails of your statuses — only the number of statuses found, grouped into ranges such as "1-5" or "21-50"
- Events are tied to a random app instance identifier, not to your name, email, phone number, or WhatsApp account
- Crashlytics collects reports only when the app crashes or hits an error, so we can fix the bug
- Google Firebase Privacy & Security: https://firebase.google.com/support/privacy
- Google Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy
- You can stop this collection entirely at any time by uninstalling the app, and you can clear the identifier by clearing the app's data in your device settings
Consent & Ad Choices
We ask for your permission before any personalized advertising or tracking takes place, where required by your platform or region:
- EEA, UK & Switzerland: the app uses Google's User Messaging Platform (UMP) to request your consent before personalized ads are shown, in line with the GDPR and similar laws.
- iOS: the app uses Apple's App Tracking Transparency (ATT) prompt to ask for your permission before any data is used to track you across other apps and websites.
- Your consent choice is also applied to analytics: if you decline personalized advertising, the app instructs Google Analytics not to use your data for advertising, ad personalization, or ad measurement purposes.
- You can change your choice at any time from your device's privacy settings, and you can reset or limit your Advertising ID at any time.
Your Privacy Rights
STAVO does not collect or store your personal media or account data on any server, and we hold no account or profile that identifies you. The only data associated with your installation is the pseudonymous analytics and crash information described above, which cannot be traced back to you by name. You remain in full control:
- Access & deletion: your saved statuses live in your own gallery — you can view or delete them at any time, directly or from within the app.
- Analytics data: clearing the app's data or uninstalling the app resets the app instance identifier, which disconnects your device from any previously collected analytics data. Uninstalling stops all further collection.
- Consent withdrawal: you can withdraw ad consent (EEA/UK) or tracking permission (iOS) at any time from your device settings.
- California residents (CCPA/CPRA): we do not sell or share your personal information. Ad and analytics data is handled by Google under its own policies.
- EEA/UK residents (GDPR): our lawful basis for analytics and crash reporting is our legitimate interest in keeping the app working correctly; for personalized advertising it is your consent. You may request access to or erasure of data linked to your installation by contacting us with the request.
- For any privacy request or question, contact us using the email at the end of this policy.
Children's Privacy
STAVO is not directed to children under the age of 13 (or the minimum age required in your country). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can address it.
Data Retention
Because your statuses and saved files are stored only on your device, we do not retain any of your media. The files you save stay on your device until you delete them. Ad-related data handled by Google AdMob is governed by Google's own retention policies. Analytics event data is retained by Google Firebase Analytics for a limited period set in our project configuration (aggregated reports remain available afterwards), and crash reports are retained by Crashlytics for up to 90 days.
Security
Since your media never leaves your device through the app, there is no transfer of your status content to protect. Connections used to load ads and this policy are made over secure HTTPS. No method of electronic processing is 100% secure, but we rely on reputable providers (Google) and standard platform protections.
Trademarks & Affiliation
STAVO is an independent application and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or in any way officially connected to WhatsApp LLC or Meta Platforms, Inc. "WhatsApp" is a trademark of Meta Platforms, Inc., used here only descriptively to indicate that the app helps you save statuses you have already viewed in WhatsApp. STAVO does not connect to, log into, or interact with the WhatsApp service or its servers.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy. Significant changes will be reflected in the app. Continued use of the app after changes means you accept the updated policy.
Contact Us
If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or how the app works, you can contact the developer at: