Privacy Policy

Last updated: August 17, 2026 — applies to the MagicPing app on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch, Android, and Linux/Steam Deck, and to this website.

Summary

Data the App Processes

MagicPing only processes the information you enter yourself to manage your computers:

• computer name, IP address, MAC address, and port settings
• optional: SSH username, SSH port, and shutdown command for shutting down over SSH
• optional: the SSH password

Where that information is kept depends on the platform — only the Apple version syncs anything at all.

Where the Data Lives — by Platform

• iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch: computer names, addresses, and settings are synced between your own devices via iCloud (CloudKit) — in the private iCloud database of your Apple Account, which the developer cannot access. The SSH password is stored exclusively in the iCloud Keychain and is never written to the CloudKit database. Apple TV only displays the list. Apple Watch receives names, addresses, and status from the iPhone — no password and no SSH username.
• Android: there is no sync; everything stays on the device. The computer list lives in the app's own storage, and the SSH password is encrypted via the Android Keystore (EncryptedSharedPreferences). Android's cloud backup is turned off for MagicPing (allowBackup="false"), so the data does not reach your Google account through a device backup either.
• Linux and Steam Deck (Flatpak): also no sync. The computer list is a file in your user profile (under XDG_DATA_HOME, inside the Flatpak sandbox where applicable), with file permissions that allow only your own account to read it. The SSH password is never written to a file: if a system keyring is reachable (GNOME Keyring, KWallet, or any other service implementing org.freedesktop.secrets), it is stored there. If none is reachable — for instance on the Steam Deck in Game Mode, where no keyring runs — it is kept in memory for the current session only and is gone once you quit the app; you enter it again next time. The form tells you which of the two applies. If you would rather store no password at all, set up passwordless sudo on the target machine and leave the password field empty.

Network Access

MagicPing communicates only within your own network:

• Wake-on-LAN packets ("magic packets") to the computers you added
• reachability checks (TCP connection attempts) to the addresses you added
• SSH connections to your computers when you use the shutdown feature

The app never connects to servers operated by the developer or by third parties. iCloud sync is handled by Apple and is subject to Apple's Privacy Policy and your iCloud settings.

This Website

This website is a static page with no cookies. The only software embedded runs on the operator's own server — no third-party service is involved. When you access it, the web server technically processes your device's IP address in order to deliver the page (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR); it is not linked to any profile.

For audience measurement this website uses a self-hosted Umami instance (analytics.weigand.in). Umami works without cookies, does not store full IP addresses, and builds no cross-device profiles; it records anonymous metrics such as pages viewed, country of origin, and browser type. All data stays entirely on the operator's own server and is never shared with third parties (legal basis: legitimate interest in privacy-preserving audience measurement, Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR).

Deleting Your Data

You can delete any computer in the app at any time. The associated SSH password is always deleted with it — on Apple devices from the keychain, and therefore from every device on your account; on Android from the Keystore-backed storage; on Linux from the keyring or from the session's memory. On Apple devices the computer also disappears from your private iCloud database. Uninstalling the app removes the device's local data; the iCloud copy can be removed through your Apple Account's iCloud settings.

Your Rights

The app collects no personal data about you, so the developer holds no data he could disclose, rectify, port, or erase (Art. 15–20 GDPR). For this website, the anonymous metrics described above are processed; they are neither intended nor able to be linked to you as a person. You may object to the audience measurement at any time (Art. 21 GDPR) — an email to the contact below is enough, and a tracking blocker in your browser works too. If you have any privacy questions, feel free to use the contact below.

Changes to This Policy

If MagicPing's functionality changes in a way that affects how data is processed, this policy will be updated and the date above revised.

Controller / Contact