When an App-Controlled Product Needs Extra Privacy Consideration

Read the privacy policy before pairing

Before installing, read what the app collects, whether an account is required, whether usage data is transmitted and how it is stored. A manufacturer that answers those questions clearly is telling you something about its priorities. One that does not is also telling you something.

Permissions and accounts

Grant only the permissions the app needs to function; Bluetooth is necessary, location often is not. If an account is required, use an email address you control and a unique password. Consider whether remote-partner features, which route control over the internet, are something you want at all.

Do the buttons still work?

The most practical question: does the product work from its own buttons or a physical remote without the app installed? If so, the app becomes optional and the privacy question becomes a choice. If not, you are dependent on the app and the company behind it for as long as you own the product.

• Physical controls independent of the app
• No account required for basic use
• Clear data policy
• Option to delete account and data

Shared and family devices

Do not install intimate-product apps on shared phones or tablets. Notifications, app lists and Bluetooth device names are all visible to anyone using the device. Some products broadcast a recognisable device name; check whether it can be renamed.