1. Overview
Squirrel Browser is an Android web browser that helps you find downloadable media on pages you visit and save it for local playback. Squirrel does not require an account and does not operate a Squirrel-hosted account, advertising profile, or media server.
This policy explains what information the app and its service providers may access, where it is processed, why it is needed, and how you can remove it.
2. Information stored on your device
Squirrel stores the following information locally on your Android device to provide its features:
- Browsing history: visited HTTP(S) page URLs, page titles, normalized host names, visit counts, timestamps, and cached favicons used for address suggestions and the new-tab page.
- Browser session data: WebView cookies, cache, local storage, form data, and tab state. Websites you visit may write this data through Android System WebView.
- Media and download data: detected media URLs, media type, page URL, request context needed to download, media metadata, download status, and completed media files.
- Preferences: viewer settings such as loop, shuffle, playback, scale, and display modes.
This information is used on the device for browsing, detection, downloading, playback, suggestions, and recovery. It is not sent to a Squirrel backend.
3. Network and websites
Squirrel is a browser, so pages, media, cookies, and requests go to the websites and content hosts you choose to visit. Those third parties may collect information under their own privacy policies, including your IP address, browser and device information, cookies, account information, and page activity.
The app may include the page URL, referer, cookies, and browser user-agent captured from your active WebView in a user-requested media download so the requested resource can be retrieved. Squirrel does not use this information for its own tracking service.
Squirrel supports both HTTPS and legacy HTTP pages. When a site uses HTTP, the connection is not encrypted by that site. Squirrel does not bypass authentication, paywalls, DRM, or other access controls.
4. Sensitive permissions
Squirrel declares the following Android permissions. They are used only when a feature or a website requests them, and Android runtime permission prompts are shown where required:
- Camera: to let a website use the camera after you approve the website request and Android permission.
- Microphone: to let a website use the microphone after you approve the website request and Android permission.
- Approximate or precise location: to let a secure website request location after you approve the website request and Android permission.
- Internet: to load pages and media and perform downloads.
- Foreground data-sync service: to keep an active download running and show its progress when you leave the app.
- Storage on Android 9 and earlier: to save completed downloads where that Android version requires storage permission.
Camera, microphone, and location data are passed to the requesting website by Android System WebView when you approve both prompts. Squirrel does not collect or retain recordings or location history on its own servers.
5. Advertising and third-party services
The Play Store build uses Google Mobile Ads (AdMob) for banner and rewarded advertising. Google may collect and process information such as advertising identifiers, IP address, approximate location derived from IP, device and app information, diagnostics, and ad interaction information to provide, measure, and protect advertising, subject to Google’s policies and your Android advertising settings.
Google’s information practices are described in the Google Privacy Policy and AdMob’s Google Play data disclosure. Squirrel does not sell personal or sensitive user data.
The app also relies on Android System WebView, Android MediaStore, WorkManager, and Media3 for browser, storage, background work, and playback functions. Their platform behavior is governed by Android and Google’s applicable policies.
6. Sharing
Squirrel does not share locally stored browsing history, detected media records, or downloaded files with the developer. You may intentionally share a downloaded file or link using Android’s system share sheet; that transfer is initiated by you and is governed by the recipient’s practices.
Information may be processed by Google Mobile Ads as described above, by websites you choose to visit, or when required by law. Squirrel does not sell personal or sensitive user data.
7. Retention and deletion
Local browsing history and browser data remain on your device until you clear them. Squirrel’s Bomb reset action requires confirmation and clears visit history, failed-download dismissals, cookies, cache, WebView storage, form data, favicons, and in-memory browsing state. It preserves completed downloaded media and their completion records.
You can remove completed media from Squirrel’s Downloads screen or from Android’s file manager. Uninstalling Squirrel removes its private app data; files already saved in the public Downloads directory may remain and can be deleted separately.
Squirrel does not create user accounts, so there is no Squirrel account to delete. To request help with privacy or deletion questions, contact squirrelbrowser@gmail.com.
8. Children
Squirrel is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children through a Squirrel account or backend service.
9. Changes and contact
We may update this policy when the app’s data practices change. The effective date at the top of this page identifies the current version. Questions about this policy can be sent to squirrelbrowser@gmail.com.