Book a call

Ear Assist Privacy Policy

Last updated: 12 November 2026

This policy covers the Ear Assist app for iPhone and iPad. It explains what the app does with your data, including the parts handled by Google for advertising, analytics and crash reporting.

Who we are

Ear Assist is published by Overpass Limited, a company registered in England and Wales (Company No: 05074817). Our registered address is 124 City Road, London, EC1V 2NX. We are the data controller for the app and are registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (registration number ZC213319).

This policy covers Ear Assist only. Other Overpass apps are covered by the mobile apps privacy policy.

Summary

  • Ear Assist has no accounts. The app does not ask for your name or email address.
  • Live sound from the microphone is played to your headphones. It is not stored or sent anywhere.
  • If you use the paid recording feature, recordings are saved on your device only. The app never uploads them.
  • The free version shows ads from Google AdMob. In the UK, EEA and Switzerland you are asked for consent first.
  • The app uses Google Analytics for Firebase and Firebase Crashlytics to understand usage and fix crashes.

Microphone and audio

Ear Assist needs microphone access to work. It picks up sound around you, adjusts it with the settings you choose, and plays it to your headphones in real time. This live audio is processed on your device and is not stored, uploaded or shared.

You can turn off microphone access at any time in iOS Settings, but the app cannot amplify sound without it.

Recordings

Ear Assist includes an optional paid recording feature. Nothing is recorded unless you start a recording. When you do, the audio is saved as an M4A file in the app's storage on your device.

  • The app never uploads your recordings to us or to anyone else.
  • You can play and delete recordings in the app. Deleting a recording removes the file from your device.
  • You can share a recording yourself through the iOS share sheet. Where it goes is your choice, and the app or service you share it with handles it under its own terms.
  • Like other app data, recordings are included in your device's iCloud or computer backups if you have backups turned on.
  • Deleting the app deletes its recordings from the device.

Recording other people without their knowledge may be unlawful where you are. Please only record where you have the right to do so.

Advertising (Google AdMob)

The free version of Ear Assist shows banner and full-screen ads provided by Google AdMob. Buying the Remove Ads upgrade turns them off.

Consent in the UK, EEA and Switzerland

If you are in the UK, the European Economic Area or Switzerland, the app shows a consent form from Google's User Messaging Platform before ads are loaded. This form follows the IAB Transparency and Consent Framework. It asks whether Google and its advertising technology partners may store and access information on your device, show personalised ads, and measure ad performance. You can accept, refuse, or choose individual purposes and partners.

You can change your choice at any time in the app under Settings > More Options > Privacy settings.

If you refuse consent for personalised ads, you may still see non-personalised or limited ads, which Google selects without using a profile of you.

Outside those regions

Outside the UK, EEA and Switzerland, ads may be personalised, subject to your choice in Apple's tracking prompt described below.

Apple's tracking prompt

The app shows Apple's App Tracking Transparency prompt. If you choose "Ask App Not to Track", your device's advertising identifier (IDFA) is not shared with Google or its partners. You can change this at any time in iOS Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking.

What Google collects for ads

When ads are shown, the Google Mobile Ads SDK collects information under Google's own policies, including:

  • Device identifiers, including the advertising identifier if you have allowed tracking
  • Your IP address, and approximate location derived from it
  • Device and app information, such as model, operating system version and language
  • How you interact with ads, such as views and taps

Google uses this to serve, personalise (where permitted) and measure ads, and to prevent fraud. Read How Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services.

Analytics and crash reporting (Firebase)

Ear Assist uses Google Analytics for Firebase and Firebase Crashlytics, both provided by Google.

  • Google Analytics for Firebase records app usage, such as app opens, sessions, screens viewed and a small number of in-app events. It uses an app instance identifier generated on your device, along with device model, operating system version, app version, language and country-level location derived from your IP address.
  • Firebase Crashlytics sends a crash report when the app crashes. A report includes technical details of the crash, the device model, operating system version, app version and a Crashlytics installation identifier.

In the UK, the EEA and Switzerland, Google Analytics for Firebase runs only if you consent to it in the consent form described above, because it measures app usage and stores information on your device. You can withdraw consent at any time under Settings > More Options > Privacy settings. Outside those regions, it runs by default.

Firebase Crashlytics runs for everyone, so that we can find and fix crashes.

Versions of Ear Assist before 2.9.2 collected analytics without asking for consent. Updating to 2.9.2 or later applies the behaviour described here.

This data does not include your name, your email address, your recordings or any live audio. We use it to see which features are used and to find and fix crashes.

If analytics is on, the app asks Apple whether you installed Ear Assist from an advert on the App Store and, if so, which campaign, ad group and keyword it belonged to. It asks once per install, retrying for up to a week until Apple answers. Those campaign identifiers, or a note that the install did not come from an advert, are then added to our analytics, including purchase and trial statistics, alongside the app identifier Firebase assigns to each install. This check does not use your advertising identifier and is not used to track you across other apps or websites. Nothing about your audio, captions or recordings leaves your phone unless you share a recording yourself.

In-app purchases

Purchases in Ear Assist, such as Remove Ads and the recording feature, are processed by Apple through the App Store. We never see your payment details. Apple tells the app which purchases you own so it can unlock them.

What we do not do

  • We do not collect your name, email address or contact details in the app
  • We do not receive, store or listen to your live audio or your recordings
  • We do not sell your personal data

Legal bases

Under UK GDPR, we rely on the following:

  • Consent for personalised ads, ad measurement, analytics, and the storing of, or access to, information on your device for these purposes in the UK, EEA and Switzerland. You can withdraw consent at any time in the app's Privacy settings.
  • Contract for providing the app and any upgrades you buy.
  • Legitimate interests for crash reporting that helps us keep the app working, for analytics outside the UK, EEA and Switzerland, and for showing non-personalised ads that fund the free version.

Sharing and international transfers

The data described above is shared with Google (for AdMob, Firebase Analytics and Crashlytics) and, where you have consented, with Google's advertising technology partners listed in the consent form. Apple handles purchases. Google may process data outside the UK, including in the United States, under the safeguards set out in its own terms.

Data retention

  • Recordings and settings stay on your device until you delete them or delete the app.
  • Analytics data is kept by Google for no longer than 14 months.
  • Crash reports are kept by Google for up to 90 days.
  • Advertising data is kept by Google under its own retention policies.

Children

Ear Assist is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has used the app and data about them has been collected, please contact us and we will do what we can to have it deleted.

Your rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:

  • Ask for a copy of personal data we hold about you
  • Ask us to delete it
  • Object to processing based on legitimate interests
  • Withdraw consent at any time, using the app's Privacy settings
  • Complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk

Because Ear Assist has no accounts, the analytics and crash data held by Google is linked to random device identifiers, not to your name. That means we usually cannot find it from your name or email alone. If you contact us, we will explain what we can do and help where we can.

Changes to this policy

We will update this page if the app's handling of data changes, and change the date at the top.

Contact us

If you have any questions about how Ear Assist handles your data, or wish to exercise your rights, please contact us:

  • Overpass Limited
  • 124 City Road, London, EC1V 2NX
  • Email: support@overpass.co.uk
  • Company No: 05074817
  • ICO registration: ZC213319