PopStop Privacy Policy

Effective date: October 30, 2026

The short version

PopStop checks the apps on your phone on your phone. The list of your apps is never sent to us or anyone else.
PopStop has no ads, no analytics and no tracking, and it doesn't ask you to create an account.
We (Porter Mercantile) do not run any server that receives data from the PopStop app in the Google Play edition.
Payments for Guardian are handled entirely by Google Play. We never see your card details.
Reports and backups that PopStop makes are saved on your phone. They leave your phone only if you choose to share them.

Who we are

PopStop is made by Preston Porter, doing business as Porter Mercantile, Thayer, Missouri, USA ("we", "us"). This policy covers the PopStop Android app distributed on Google Play, and the PopStop Tech edition described in its own section below.

Questions or requests: portermercantile25@gmail.com

What PopStop looks at on your phone, and why

PopStop's job is to find apps that show pop-up ads, fake "virus cleaner" apps, and remote-control apps that scammers use, and to help you remove them. To do that it reads the following information. All of it is processed on your phone and is not sent off your phone.

Information	Why PopStop needs it
The list of apps installed on your phone (names, package names, versions, install dates, which store installed them, the permissions they request, and their signing certificates)	To check every app against PopStop's built-in list of known harmful apps and warning signs. This uses Android's "query all packages" permission.
The code files of installed apps	To look for advertising code that is commonly used by pop-up adware.
Which apps can draw over other apps, are device administrators, accessibility services, notification listeners, keyboards, home-screen apps, wallpapers or widgets	These are powers that adware and scam apps abuse, so PopStop flags apps that hold them.
App usage history for the last 3 days (only if you turn on Usage Access in Android settings)	To spot which app put a full-screen ad over another app. PopStop only looks at when apps came to the screen. This is optional; PopStop works without it.
Your phone's make, model and Android version	Shown on your cleanup report.

What PopStop saves on your phone

Settings and lists, such as apps you've chosen to allow or block, and whether Guardian is turned on.
Cleanup history and reports (PDF), stored in PopStop's private app storage.
Backups of apps before removal. Before you remove an app, PopStop saves a copy of that app's install file (APK) so you can put it back. It does not copy the app's data, photos or messages.
Copies in your Downloads folder. When you finish a cleanup, PopStop saves the PDF report to Downloads/PopStop/Reports and the app backups to Downloads/PopStop/Backups so you can find them with the Files app.

Deleting a cleanup from History in PopStop removes its record, report and backups from PopStop's own storage. Copies already saved to your Downloads folder stay there until you delete them with the Files app. Uninstalling PopStop removes everything except the copies in Downloads. PopStop turns off Android's cloud backup for its own data, so its records are not copied to your Google account backup.

When anything leaves your phone

Google Play billing (Guardian subscription)

If you subscribe to Guardian, the purchase is handled by Google Play. PopStop asks Google Play whether you have an active subscription and confirms new purchases with Google Play. We do not run our own server for this and we don't receive your payment details. Google's handling of your purchase is covered by the Google Privacy Policy and Google Play's terms. The Google Play Billing Library included in the app is made by Google and may send technical information about the billing connection to Google.

Detection-list updates (optional)

In Settings you can enter a web address (starting with https://) for an updated detection list and tap "Update now". PopStop then downloads that file. The request contains no personal information from the app. Like any web request, the server you chose can see your phone's internet (IP) address. If you never enter an address, PopStop never makes this request.

Sharing a report (your choice)

If you tap Share, Print or Open on a report, Android hands the PDF to the app you pick (for example email or a printer). What happens next is up to that app.

Links to Google Play

When you choose to reinstall an app, PopStop opens its Google Play page.

Guardian (automatic protection)

If you subscribe to Guardian and turn it on, PopStop checks the phone in the background about every 15 minutes (and after the phone restarts) for newly installed apps, plus a full check about once a day. If it finds a likely harmful app it shows a notification. PopStop never removes an app by itself. Removing an app always goes through Android's own uninstall confirmation, which you approve. Guardian keeps a list of installed app names on the phone so it can tell what's new. You can turn Guardian off at any time.

Permissions PopStop uses

See all installed apps (QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES): to scan your apps, as described above.
Usage access (optional, you turn it on in Android settings): to find the app showing pop-up ads.
Ask to uninstall apps: to open Android's uninstall confirmation for apps you choose to remove.
Notifications: for Guardian warnings.
Run at startup: so Guardian keeps checking after a restart.
Internet / network state: for Google Play billing and the optional detection-list download.
Storage (Android 9 and older only): to save reports and backups to Downloads.

What we don't do

We don't sell, rent or share your information. We don't have it.
No advertising, advertising IDs, analytics or crash-reporting services are built into PopStop.
PopStop doesn't use your location, contacts, messages, photos, camera or microphone.

PopStop Tech edition

PopStop Tech is a separate edition for phone-repair technicians. It works the same way as above, with these differences:

License activation. When you activate, refresh or deactivate a license, PopStop Tech sends your license key and a random ID created for that install to our license server over an encrypted (HTTPS) connection. The random ID is not tied to your name, phone number or device hardware IDs. The server uses them only to check the license and count how many devices use it. Like any web server, it can see the internet (IP) address of the request.
Customer details. Technicians can type a customer's name, phone, email and notes, plus shop details, into a work order. These are stored only on the phone and appear on the PDF report.
Google account snapshot. PopStop Tech can list the Google account names signed in on the phone for the report. This stays on the phone.
PopStop Tech can change the screen timeout during a job and puts it back at the end, and can reinstall backed-up apps.

Children

PopStop is a general-audience utility and is not directed to children under 13. It does not knowingly collect personal information from anyone.

Your choices

You can turn Usage Access, notifications and Guardian off at any time in PopStop or Android settings.
You can delete any cleanup from History, delete the PopStop folder in Downloads, or uninstall PopStop to remove its data.
Because we don't hold any of your data, there is nothing on our side to delete for the Play edition. For PopStop Tech, you can ask us at portermercantile25@gmail.com to delete license activation records.

Changes to this policy

If PopStop's handling of information changes, we'll update this page and the effective date above before the change ships.

Contact: portermercantile25@gmail.com · Porter Mercantile, Thayer, Missouri, USA