PIKAST Privacy Policy
Effective November 12, 2026. Applies to the PIKAST Android app and the web app at pwa.pikast.app.
PIKAST is a podcast and audiobook player. It has no ads, no analytics and no tracking, and it does not sell or share personal data. Your library, listening history and settings stay on your device unless you turn on sync.
What stays on your device
Your subscriptions, episodes, downloads, playback positions, playlists, listening stats, audiobook folders and settings are stored only on your device (or in your browser for the web app). Uninstalling the app, or clearing the site's data, deletes them.
Sync (optional, PIKAST Plus)
If you turn on sync, your devices share one sync key. Before anything leaves your device it is encrypted with that key (AES-GCM). PIKAST's servers store only the encrypted files and a one-way hash of the key, so we cannot read your library. To protect the service from abuse, the server briefly keeps your IP address with request counts; that record is deleted after 2 days without use. Synced files that no device has touched for 180 days are deleted. You can stop syncing at any time in Settings › Sync; your devices keep their own copies.
The Android app can instead sync through your own Google Drive (a hidden app folder only PIKAST can see). In that case the files are in your Google account, under Google's terms, and PIKAST's servers are not involved.
Purchases
PIKAST Plus is bought through Google Play. Google handles payment; we never see your card or account details. To unlock Plus for your sync key, the app sends the purchase token to PIKAST's servers, which ask Google whether the purchase is valid and not refunded. We keep only a one-way hash of the token and which sync keys it unlocked.
Content you listen to
To show and play podcasts, PIKAST connects directly to the podcast's publisher (its feed and audio files) and to Apple's public podcast directory for search and charts; some chart requests pass through PIKAST's servers without being stored. Those services may see your IP address, as with any website. YouTube channels are read from YouTube's public feeds, and videos play in YouTube's own player, under Google's privacy policy.
Feedback
"Send feedback" opens your own email app with a message to pikastapp@gmail.com. It includes the app version, device model and Android version so we can help; you can see and edit everything before you send it. We use feedback only to answer you and fix problems.
Permissions
| Permission | Why |
|---|---|
| Internet, network state | Load feeds, play and download episodes, sync; "Wi-Fi only" downloads. |
| Notifications | Playback controls and download progress. |
| Foreground service (media playback, data sync) | Keep playing with the screen off, and finish downloads. |
| Folders you pick | Play audiobooks from a folder you choose; PIKAST reads only that folder. |
Children
PIKAST is not directed at children under 13 and does not knowingly collect their data.
Deleting your data
Uninstall the app or clear the web app's site data to delete everything on that device. Synced data is not tied to your name, email or account, and we cannot read it; it is deleted automatically 180 days after the last device stops syncing. Questions about your data: pikastapp@gmail.com.
Changes and contact
If this policy changes, the new version will be posted here with a new date. Questions: pikastapp@gmail.com.