Who we are
FMote is made by Swift Apps, the trading name of Swift Applications Inc., a company registered in Canada ("we", "us", "our"). We are responsible for the information described in this policy. When it says "FMote" or "the app", it means the FMote remote app for Android.
How FMote works
FMote talks directly to your Fire TV over your home Wi-Fi, using the remote-control service built into Fire TV. Your key presses, the text you type and your voice travel from your phone to your TV on your own network. They are not sent to our servers, and FMote has no user accounts.
The first time you connect, your Fire TV shows a 4-digit code. When you type it into FMote, the TV gives the app a pairing key so it can send commands. That key is stored on your phone, encrypted, and is only ever sent back to that same TV.
What stays on your phone
To keep you connected and make the remote feel instant, FMote saves the following only on your device:
| What | Why |
|---|---|
| Your Fire TVs: their name (or the name you gave them), local network address, model, network hardware address (for waking the TV) and pairing key | To reconnect automatically and wake your TV |
| The list of apps installed on each TV, and the apps you pinned or opened recently | To show your apps instantly and put your favorites first |
| Your settings: remote style, language, haptics and similar choices | To remember how you like FMote |
| Simple counters, such as the number of successful commands | To decide when to show Google's rating prompt |
We never receive this information. It stays on your phone until you remove it (see Your choices).
Microphone and voice
FMote uses the microphone only while you use voice search: from when you tap or hold the mic until you tap Done, Cancel or let go. The audio is streamed directly to your Fire TV over your home network, just like pressing the voice button on a physical remote. FMote does not record or store your voice, and does not send it to us, to advertisers or to analytics services.
Your Fire TV passes your request to Alexa, which handles it under Amazon's own privacy terms. See the Amazon Privacy Notice.
Your home network
To find your Fire TV, FMote briefly searches your local Wi-Fi network using standard discovery messages that TVs and streaming devices answer. If you ask it to, it can also check the addresses on your local network one by one ("Scan my network"). FMote only looks for Fire TVs. It does not collect, store or share information about other devices on your network.
Data collected automatically
To keep FMote stable, understand which features are used, and improve the app, we use services from Google Firebase. These services may collect:
- Device and app information: phone model, Android version, language, screen size, app version, and random app-instance and installation identifiers.
- Usage events: for example, that the app was opened, a TV was paired, or a feature such as voice search or the keyboard was used. Events never include what you type, what you say or what you watch.
- Crash and performance data: error details, where a crash happened in the code, app start-up time, network request timing and similar diagnostics.
- Approximate location: country or region, derived from your network (IP) address. We don't use your phone's GPS.
Firebase services we may use include Google Analytics for Firebase, Crashlytics, Performance Monitoring, Remote Config (to turn features on or off without an update) and Cloud Messaging (only if you allow notifications). Learn how Google handles this data in Firebase's privacy information and How Google uses information from apps that use its services.
Advertising
FMote may show ads to help keep the app free. Ads are provided by Google AdMob and, where used, its certified mediation partners. To show and measure ads and prevent fraud, these providers may collect:
- your device's advertising ID and other device identifiers;
- device and app information (model, OS version, language, app version);
- your IP address and approximate location derived from it;
- interactions with ads (views and taps).
Personalized ads: where required by law (for example in the EEA, the UK and Switzerland), FMote asks for your consent before personalized ads are shown, using Google's consent tools. You can change your choice at any time from the app's settings. If you don't consent, you may still see non-personalized ads, which rely on the general context rather than your profile.
You can also reset or delete your advertising ID, or opt out of ads personalization, in Android Settings → Google → Ads (or Settings → Privacy → Ads on some phones). Ads are never shown based on your voice, the text you type or what you watch on your TV.
Other services
App artwork from Amazon
To show your TV's apps with their artwork, FMote downloads the images from Amazon's servers, at the addresses your Fire TV provides. Like any web request, this lets Amazon's servers see your network (IP) address. No other information is sent.
Google Play
FMote may occasionally show Google Play's built-in rating prompt, or open FMote's Google Play page if you tap "Rate". These are handled by Google Play under Google's Privacy Policy. We only see the public rating or review you choose to post.
Email support
If you email us, we receive your email address and whatever you write, including any device details you choose to include, and use them only to answer you.
Permissions
| Permission | What FMote uses it for |
|---|---|
| Internet and network access | Talking to your Fire TV on your home network, loading app artwork, and the analytics, crash-reporting and advertising services described above |
| Wi-Fi state and Wi-Fi multicast | Checking that you're on Wi-Fi and finding Fire TVs on your network |
| Microphone | Voice search, only while you use it. Android asks you first, and you can say no. |
| Advertising ID | Showing and measuring ads, subject to your choices above |
| Notifications (if requested) | Occasional updates about FMote, only if you allow them |
| Vibration | Light haptic feedback on button presses (you can turn it off) |
How long we keep it
- On your phone: until you forget a TV, clear the app's data, or uninstall FMote.
- Crash reports: up to 90 days.
- Analytics data: up to 14 months, then deleted or aggregated.
- Advertising data: kept by the ad providers under their own policies.
- Support emails: as long as needed to help you, then deleted within 24 months.
Security
Commands to your TV travel over an encrypted connection (TLS), checked against the Fire TV's own security certificate. Pairing keys are stored encrypted using Android's hardware-backed Keystore. Data sent to Firebase and ad providers is encrypted in transit. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, but we work to protect your information.
Your choices
- Ads personalization: change your consent in FMote's settings, or opt out in Android Settings → Google → Ads, where you can also reset or delete your advertising ID.
- Microphone: deny or revoke it at any time in Android Settings. Everything else keeps working.
- Notifications: turn them off at any time in Android Settings.
- Forget a TV: in the TVs tab, tap the menu next to a TV and choose Forget.
- Remove everything on your phone: go to Android Settings → Apps → FMote → Storage → Clear data, or uninstall FMote.
- Data held by our providers: email us to request access to or deletion of analytics and crash data linked to your app instance. We'll help you find the identifiers involved.
Children
FMote is a general-audience utility and is not directed at children under 13 (or the minimum age in your country). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact us and we'll delete it.
International transfers
Swift Applications Inc. is based in Canada. Our service providers, such as Google, may process information in the United States and other countries. When information leaves your country, we rely on the providers' safeguards, such as Standard Contractual Clauses, to protect it.
Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct or delete your personal information, to object to or restrict how it's used, to withdraw consent, and to data portability. This includes rights under Canada's PIPEDA and provincial laws, the EU and UK GDPR, and US state laws such as California's CCPA/CPRA. You can also opt out of personalized advertising as described above. To make a request, email us. We'll respond within the time the law requires and won't treat you differently for exercising your rights. You may also complain to your local data protection authority, including the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.
Changes to this policy
If FMote changes in a way that affects your privacy, we'll update this page and its effective date before the change takes effect. Significant changes will also be mentioned in the app's release notes or in the app.
Contact us
Swift Applications Inc. (Swift Apps), Canada
Email: [email protected]
Affiliation
FMote is an independent app. It is not affiliated with, endorsed or sponsored by Amazon, Fire TV or Alexa. Amazon, Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, Alexa and related marks are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Google Play, Firebase and AdMob are trademarks of Google LLC. App names shown in FMote belong to their respective owners.