9A5N QRQ Keyer BT Companion (iOS application)
This Privacy Policy describes how the 9A5N QRQ Keyer BT Companion mobile application ("the App") handles information when you install it on your iPhone or iPad and use it with a Bluetooth Low Energy 9A5N keyer (such as the 9A5N PicoKeyer-BLE).
The App is purpose-built to act as a Bluetooth companion for the 9A5N QRQ Keyer family of telegraphy devices. It is intentionally minimal: it does not collect, store on remote servers, or share any personal information. All keyer commands and responses stay between your device and the keyer hardware over a local Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) link.
When you pair and connect to a 9A5N keyer, the App communicates with it over a local Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) GATT link. Long messages are fragmented into 75-byte chunks at the application layer to fit the BLE MTU.
The exchange consists exclusively of:
This data never leaves your device or the keyer hardware. It is not transmitted to us, stored on remote servers, or shared with third parties.
The App integrates Google Firebase. When the App connects to Firebase, the request is processed by Google on our behalf and involves only the standard HTTPS metadata required for the request to reach Google's servers (your device's IP address, TLS handshake parameters, a Firebase project identifier).
The Bluetooth data described in section 1 is never sent to Firebase, and the App does not send Firebase your name, contact details, or any other personal data.
Google's processing of HTTPS metadata is governed by Google's own privacy policy, available at policies.google.com/privacy.
The App may store the identifier of the last-connected keyer exclusively in its private app storage on your device, for faster reconnect. This is a Bluetooth peripheral identifier assigned and managed by iOS; it never leaves the device.
You can remove this data at any time by deleting the App from your device (Settings → General → iPhone Storage / iPad Storage → 9A5N QRQ Keyer BT Companion → Delete App).
The App requests only what is strictly necessary to talk to the keyer hardware and connect to Firebase:
| Permission | Why |
|---|---|
| Bluetooth | Discover, connect to, and exchange data with a 9A5N keyer over Bluetooth Low Energy. iOS asks for your permission the first time the App uses Bluetooth; you can change this at any time in Settings → Privacy & Security → Bluetooth. Bluetooth is not used to determine your physical location. |
| Network access | Implicit; iOS does not show a permission prompt for it. Used solely for the Firebase connection described above. |
The App does not request access to your location, contacts, photos, camera, microphone, or any tracking permission.
The App relies on the following third party:
We do not embed any advertising network or social-media tracker. The App does not contain ads.
The App is intended for licensed amateur radio operators. It is not directed at children under the age of 13 and we do not knowingly collect any information from such users.
Because we do not collect personal data linked to you as an identifiable individual, there is generally nothing for us to access, rectify, or delete on your behalf. Where rights nonetheless apply, you have the right to:
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us.
We do not retain personal data because we do not collect any. The limited on-device data described above is retained until you delete the App from your device.
All HTTPS traffic to Firebase is encrypted in transit using TLS. Bluetooth communication uses the standard pairing exchange and link-layer encryption negotiated by iOS between your device and the keyer (Just-Works or passkey-based pairing, depending on the keyer firmware). We do not use, transmit, or have access to any credentials or content beyond what is necessary for the App to function.
We may update this Privacy Policy occasionally to reflect changes in the App or in legal requirements. The "Last updated" date at the top of this document indicates when the policy was last revised. Substantive changes will be communicated either through the App (on its next launch) or on the project website. Continued use of the App after such updates constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.