App: PingDeck: Network Tools Package name: com.mobilecastle.pingdeck Publisher: Mobile Castle Effective date: 28 October 2026
This Privacy Policy explains what information the PingDeck app (“PingDeck”, “the app”, “we”, “us”) does and does not handle, and how. Please read it together with the policies of the third parties named below.
By using PingDeck you agree to the practices described here.
The rest of this policy gives the detail behind that summary.
PingDeck does not collect personal data on its own servers, because Mobile Castle does not run a server that receives your data. Specifically:
PingDeck contacts other computers only when you use a feature that needs it. Each server it contacts sees your device’s public IP address and the request itself, as any internet server does; their own privacy policies apply.
connectivitycheck.gstatic.com, to detect a sign-in page;
DNS questions for www.google.com,
cloudflare.com and wikipedia.org to your
network’s own DNS server, and for www.google.com to
Cloudflare, Google and Quad9 (9.9.9.9), to compare DNS speed; pings to
your router; and, if you allowed location, a Wi-Fi scan on the phone
itself.speed.cloudflare.com during
a diagnosis.data.iana.org (they do not receive the
name you look up), then asks the registry those files name about the
domain or address you entered.https://1.1.1.1/cdn-cgi/trace).The app’s About screen lists these services. Their privacy policies:
Use the network tools only on networks and devices you own or have permission to test.
Some information is stored locally on your device so the app can work and remember your settings. This data is not transmitted to Mobile Castle, and it is excluded from Android’s cloud backup. It includes:
All of it is removed when you uninstall PingDeck. Settings → Delete history removes your saved results, and Clear all local data removes history and settings. See Data retention and deletion below.
PingDeck is free and supported by ads served through Google AdMob, a Google service. Ads appear as banners on the dashboard (the Diagnose tab), the tool list, History, the subnet calculator and finished results, never while a diagnosis, scan, test or lookup is running and never while Android’s permission prompt is shown. There are no full-screen ads when you open the app or move between screens.
The ad requests PingDeck sends carry no content from the app: no result, address, host name, network name or report is ever passed to AdMob. To select and show ads, Google AdMob (and the Google Mobile Ads SDK included in the app) may collect and process information such as:
Google uses this information to serve and measure ads and to help prevent fraud and abuse, in accordance with Google’s own policies. Where required by law (for example, for users in the European Economic Area, the UK and Switzerland), PingDeck uses Google’s User Messaging Platform to show a consent form before serving personalised ads, and no ad is requested until that choice is made; you can change your choice at any time in Settings → Privacy options. You may also choose to watch a short rewarded ad to export one report, or to run one port scan of up to 1,024 ports; this is optional, and the app says what the ad unlocks before it plays.
You can limit ad personalisation and reset your advertising ID in your device settings (Settings → Google → Ads on most Android phones).
This version of PingDeck offers no in-app purchases. It does not connect to Google Play Billing, it asks for no billing permission, and no part of the app can start a payment. Some features are marked for a future Premium version; they show “Premium features are coming soon.” If purchases are added in a later version, this policy will be updated before that version is released.
PingDeck requests the following Android permissions. Each is used only for the feature described:
ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION,
ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION), asked at run time only when you
choose Allow (or Show network name) in a Wi-Fi tool, a
diagnosis or the dashboard: Android returns Wi-Fi scan results and the
name of your network only to apps with precise location. PingDeck never
reads your position, and never stores or sends your location. There is
no background location.ACCESS_WIFI_STATE,
CHANGE_WIFI_STATE): to read the connected Wi-Fi’s details
and to request a fresh Wi-Fi scan.INTERNET): for the network
tools and to load ads.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE):
to read the connection, its addresses, router and DNS servers.AD_ID,
ACCESS_ADSERVICES_AD_ID,
ACCESS_ADSERVICES_ATTRIBUTION,
ACCESS_ADSERVICES_TOPICS) for ads; and background-work
permissions (WAKE_LOCK,
RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED, FOREGROUND_SERVICE)
that the Google libraries use for their own short tasks.PingDeck asks for no camera, microphone, contacts, storage, phone, SMS, Bluetooth or background-location permission.
PingDeck relies on the following third parties. Their handling of information is governed by their own privacy policies:
| Service | Purpose | Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Google AdMob / Google Mobile Ads | Showing ads | https://policies.google.com/privacy and https://support.google.com/admob/answer/6128543 |
| Google User Messaging Platform | Asking for ad consent where the law requires it | https://policies.google.com/privacy |
| Cloudflare, Google Public DNS, Quad9, IANA and the RDAP registries | Answering the tests and lookups you run (see “What the tools send, and where”) | listed above |
When you share a report, Android’s share sheet sends it to the app you choose (for example email or a messenger). What that app does with it is governed by its own privacy policy.
PingDeck is a general-audience utility and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. The app is intended for general audiences and, in line with the store listing, is not aimed at or designed to appeal to children.
Because the app shows ads, it follows Google Play’s Families and ads policies for a general-audience app. If you believe a child has used the app in a way that raises a concern, please contact us using the details below.
Data stored locally by PingDeck (history, recent targets, preferences, exported reports and the diagnostic log) stays on your device and is retained until you remove it. PingDeck never deletes your history on its own.
You can delete this data at any time by:
Mobile Castle does not hold a copy of this data, so there is no separate server-side deletion request to make to us.
For data processed by the third parties above (for example Google’s advertising data), please use the controls those parties provide (see their policies linked above) and your device’s Ads settings.
Because PingDeck keeps your data on your own device and does not run a Mobile Castle server, your results are not exposed on our infrastructure. Reports leave your device only when you share them.
No method of electronic storage or transmission is 100% secure; while we aim to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time, for example if the app adds a feature that changes how information is handled. When we do, we will update the Effective date above and post the revised policy at the URL where this policy is hosted. Significant changes may also be noted in the app or its store listing.
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or PingDeck’s data practices, you can contact us at: