Hive DNS

Privacy Policy

Effective 9 September 2026 · Last updated 9 September 2026

Hive DNS collects no personal data.

We do not operate any server that receives data from the app. There are no accounts, no analytics, no advertising and no crash-reporting services. Nothing you do in the app is transmitted to us, because there is nowhere for it to be transmitted to.

1. What the app does

Hive DNS changes the DNS server your Android device uses to resolve domain names. It does this with Android's VpnService API, which is the only way to change system DNS without root access.

Your network traffic does not pass through the app. In plain mode no routes are added to the local interface, so browsing, video, messaging and every other connection continue to go directly over your Wi‑Fi or mobile network. Only the DNS setting changes.

Android shows a key icon in the status bar whenever a VpnService is active. This is a system indicator; it does not mean your traffic is being routed or inspected by us.

Hive DNS is not a VPN in the usual sense: it does not hide your IP address, does not encrypt your traffic and does not change your apparent location.

2. Information we collect

None. The app has no backend. It sends no data to the developer or to any third party for analytics or profiling purposes.

The following information is processed on your device only and never leaves it:

Your settings — selected DNS provider, custom DNS addresses, interface language, encryption mode, auto-connect preference and excluded apps. Stored with Android's SharedPreferences.
DNS statistics — if you enable statistics, the app counts queries, failures, average latency and bytes for the current session, and keeps a list of the domain names that were looked up so it can show you the most frequent ones. This data is held in memory only: it is never written to storage and disappears when the app process ends or when you tap "Reset".
Traffic figures — read from Android's own counters (TrafficStats and, if you grant Usage access, NetworkStatsManager). The app only reads and displays them.
Speed test results — response times measured for the servers in the list.

3. Where your DNS queries go

When Hive DNS is connected, the domain names your device looks up are sent to the DNS provider you selected — for example Cloudflare, Google, Quad9, AdGuard or a custom address you entered. That provider receives those queries and its own privacy policy applies to them. We are not a party to that exchange and we receive no copy of it.

If you choose DNS-over-TLS (DoT) or DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH), those queries are encrypted between your device and the provider you selected. In plain mode they are sent unencrypted, exactly as they would be with your default DNS server.

The speed test sends one DNS query for the domain smartbee.az to every server in the list in order to measure response time. No other information is included in that query.

4. Permissions and why they are needed

Permission	Purpose	Required?
`BIND_VPN_SERVICE`	Creates the local interface used to set the DNS server. Android asks for your explicit consent the first time.	Required
`INTERNET`	Sends DNS queries for the speed test and, in DoT/DoH mode, forwards queries to the selected provider.	Required
`FOREGROUND_SERVICE`	Keeps the DNS connection alive while active, as Android requires for VPN services.	Required
`POST_NOTIFICATIONS`	Shows the ongoing notification while the connection is active. If you decline, the app still works — you simply do not see the notification.	Optional
`RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED`	Restores the connection after a restart. Used only if you turn on "connect automatically when the phone starts".	Optional
`PACKAGE_USAGE_STATS` (Usage access)	Lets Android report daily and per-app traffic totals for the statistics screen. You grant it manually in system settings, and only if you want those tables. The figures are displayed on your device and sent nowhere.	Optional

To let you exclude specific apps from the DNS change, Hive DNS reads the list of apps that have a launcher icon on your device. This list is used to draw the selection screen and is never transmitted anywhere. The app does not request the broad QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES permission.

5. Third parties

Hive DNS contains no third-party libraries — no analytics SDK, no advertising SDK, no crash-reporting SDK, no social login. It is built against the Android SDK and the Kotlin standard library only.

The only external parties involved are the DNS providers you choose to use, as described in section 3.

If you install the app from Google Play, Google collects its own data about the installation under Google's Privacy Policy. That is outside our control.

6. Children

Hive DNS is a utility application and is not directed at children. Because it collects no personal data from anyone, it collects none from children either.

7. Deleting your data

All data the app holds lives on your device. Uninstalling Hive DNS removes it. You can also clear it at any time from Settings → Apps → Hive DNS → Storage → Clear data, or reset the statistics from within the app.

Because we hold no data about you, there is nothing for us to delete on request and no data export to provide.

8. Changes to this policy

If this policy changes, the new version will be published at this address and the "last updated" date above will change. Material changes will also be noted in the app's release notes.

9. Contact

Questions about this policy or about the app can be sent to smartbee.az.