Nightcast Privacy Policy

Effective date: September 25, 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how Nightcast handles information when you use the Nightcast Android application, including its optional Wear OS companion features. Nightcast is designed primarily as an on-device podcast player. We do not operate an advertising network, and Nightcast does not sell your personal information.

Short version: Nightcast keeps most app data on your device. Podcast searches and podcast downloads require network requests to third parties. Smart Skip analyzes downloaded audio locally on your device. Optional sleep features use only the permissions you choose to grant and do not upload your Health Connect sleep records to a Nightcast server.

1. Information Nightcast stores on your device

Nightcast may store the following information locally on your device so the app can function:

Podcast subscriptions and feed URLs.
Episode metadata such as titles, descriptions, artwork URLs, publication dates, and durations.
Downloaded podcast audio.
Playback position, listening history, played/unplayed state, playback speed, and sleep-timer settings.
App preferences, filtering options, Smart Skip settings, and locally detected ad-segment timestamps.
Optional sleep-marker data described below.
Locally stored proof used to recognize a Nightcast Pro purchase.

This information remains on your device unless you choose to export it, your operating system backs up eligible app data, or a feature described below requires a request to a third-party service.

2. Podcast search, feeds, artwork, and downloads

Nightcast uses Apple's public podcast/iTunes directory endpoints for podcast discovery and search. When you search for a podcast, your search terms are sent to Apple so matching results can be returned.

When Nightcast loads a podcast feed, episode artwork, or audio file, your device connects directly to the podcast publisher, hosting provider, content delivery network, or other URL supplied by that feed. Those third parties may receive ordinary network information such as your IP address, request time, and user-agent information. Their own privacy policies govern their handling of that information.

3. Smart Skip and automatic ad analysis

Nightcast Pro can analyze downloaded podcast audio to identify likely sponsor or advertising segments. The audio analysis and speech recognition are performed locally on your device. Nightcast does not send podcast audio or generated speech-recognition results to a Nightcast server for this feature.

To enable local speech recognition, Nightcast may download an offline Vosk speech-recognition model from Alpha Cephei. The model download is a normal network request, but your podcast audio is not uploaded to Alpha Cephei as part of Nightcast's analysis.

4. Sleep features and Health Connect

If you use the optional Nightcast Pro sleep features and grant permission, Nightcast can read sleep sessions and sleep stages from Android Health Connect. Nightcast requests read access to sleep data; it does not write health records to Health Connect.

When sleep-marker importing is enabled, Nightcast checks recent sleep information while the app is in the foreground and uses that information to derive episode-position markers. Nightcast does not use Health Connect sleep records to provide medical advice or a medical diagnosis.

Full Health Connect sleep records are not retained by Nightcast. Nightcast may keep local listening timing ranges for up to 7 days and derived sleep markers for up to 90 days so you can resume near the point where you likely fell asleep. These sleep-marker records are excluded from Nightcast's Android backup configuration.

Nightcast does not upload, sell, or include Health Connect sleep records in Nightcast's manual backup export. You can turn off sleep markers, clear sleep-marker and timing history in the app, or revoke Nightcast's Health Connect permission at any time in Android settings or Health Connect.

5. Wear OS sleep detection

On supported Wear OS devices, you can optionally allow activity-recognition access so the watch can detect an asleep/awake state. When enabled, the watch sends the asleep/awake state and its timestamp to your paired phone through Google's Wear OS / Google Play services communication layer. Nightcast does not use this feature to upload a health history to a Nightcast server.

The Wear OS companion may also exchange podcast and playback information with your paired phone so you can browse episodes and control playback from your watch.

6. Android Auto and connected devices

When you use Nightcast with Android Auto or other compatible media controls, Android may display or exchange playback information such as the current podcast, episode title, artwork, playback position, and playback controls with the connected device as necessary to provide that feature.

7. Nightcast Pro purchases

Nightcast Pro is offered as a one-time in-app purchase through Google Play. Google processes the payment transaction. Nightcast receives purchase status and related purchase-verification information from Google Play so it can unlock or restore Pro access. Nightcast does not receive your full payment-card details.

Google Play's handling of payment and account information is governed by Google's own privacy policies. Nightcast may retain signed purchase proof locally on your device to verify Pro access. That purchase proof is excluded from Nightcast's backup configuration.

8. Backups, imports, and exports

Nightcast can import and export podcast subscriptions in OPML format. Nightcast Pro can also create a manual full backup containing app information such as subscriptions, episode metadata, playback history, settings, and Smart Skip segment information. These files are created only when you choose to export them, and you control where they are saved or shared.

Nightcast's manual full backup does not include Health Connect records, local sleep-marker history, watch-sleep settings, or Nightcast Pro purchase proof.

Android may also back up eligible non-health Nightcast app data according to your Android/Google backup settings. Nightcast explicitly excludes its sleep-marker database and locally stored Pro purchase proof from its Android backup configuration.

9. Notifications and background operation

Nightcast may use Android notifications, foreground media playback, background download work, and background data-sync services to play podcasts, download episodes, refresh feeds, and analyze downloaded audio. These Android permissions are used to provide app functionality and are not used by Nightcast for advertising or behavioral profiling.

10. Analytics, advertising, and tracking

Nightcast does not contain third-party advertising, does not use an advertising ID for targeted advertising, and does not include a third-party analytics or crash-reporting SDK in the current release. Nightcast does not sell personal information.

11. Third-party services

Depending on the features you use, Nightcast may communicate with services provided by:

Google — Google Play, Play Billing, Android Health Connect, Wear OS / Google Play services, Android Auto, and Android backup services.
Apple — podcast search and directory information.
Alpha Cephei — download of the Vosk offline speech-recognition model used for local Smart Skip analysis.
Podcast publishers and hosting providers — RSS feeds, artwork, and podcast audio requested by you.

These third parties operate independently and may collect information under their own privacy policies. Nightcast does not control their privacy practices.

12. Data retention and deletion

Most Nightcast data is stored locally for as long as you keep it in the app. You can remove downloaded episodes, unfollow podcasts, clear relevant app history and settings, clear Nightcast's app data in Android, or uninstall Nightcast.

If sleep markers are enabled, Nightcast is designed to retain listening timing ranges for up to 7 days and derived sleep markers for up to 90 days. You can clear this data sooner from Nightcast settings.

Because Nightcast does not require a Nightcast account and does not maintain a central Nightcast user profile on its own server, there is generally no separate Nightcast cloud account record to delete. Records maintained independently by Google, podcast hosts, or other third parties are subject to those providers' own retention and deletion practices.

13. Security

Nightcast relies on Android's application sandbox and platform security controls to protect local app data. Built-in requests to Apple's directory and the Vosk model download use HTTPS. Podcast feeds and media are fetched from the URLs supplied by podcast publishers; if a publisher supplies an unencrypted HTTP URL, that particular request may not be encrypted in transit.

14. Children's privacy

Nightcast is a general-audience podcast application and is not directed to children. Nightcast does not knowingly operate a service intended to collect personal information from children.

15. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy when Nightcast's features, data practices, or legal obligations change. The effective date at the top of this page will be updated when changes are made.

16. Contact

Nightcast is developed and operated by PhishU, LLC.

For privacy questions or requests, contact:
[email protected]