Get Boardstrom
Live on the App Store and on Google Play.
On iPhone or iPad
Boardstrom is available now on the Apple App Store.
On Android
Boardstrom is available now on Google Play. If you joined the earlier closed beta, you don't need to do anything: the public version updates over your test install.
Boardstrom Pro is a one-time purchase, the same on Android and iOS. No subscription, yours forever.
Privacy on Android, in plain English
The Play Store listing shows a wall of permissions and data-collection disclosures that can read as suspicious. Most of those are Google's standard disclosure boilerplate, not things Boardstrom actually does. Here is the honest, plain-English version of what the Android app does and does not touch.
What the app actually does
- It reads Bluetooth advertisements from your Victron devices, on your phone, and shows them. That's the whole app. The Bluetooth conversation never leaves your phone.
- No account, no login, no cloud sync. You can't create a Boardstrom account because there is no such thing. There is no Boardstrom server that holds any of your data.
- No usage tracking. The app doesn't phone home with usage stats, analytics, or advertising identifiers. The one exception is crash reporting: if the app crashes, a diagnostic report goes to Sentry so the bug can be fixed. It contains technical crash data and a random identifier, no personal information. Details in the Privacy Policy.
Why Android asks for "Nearby devices" permission
Android groups all Bluetooth-scanning permissions under a system permission called "Nearby devices". Boardstrom needs this to find and read Victron devices over Bluetooth. The permission name sometimes sounds like the app is scanning for people or tracking location. It is not. The app:
- Does not access your GPS or location.
- Does not connect to non-Victron Bluetooth devices.
- Does not pair, write to, or modify any Bluetooth device. It only listens to the broadcasts Victron devices send into the air constantly.
What third parties the app does talk to, and why
- Google Play Billing for in-app purchases (Pro). Standard Google Play SDK, used only when you buy the one-time Pro unlock.
- RevenueCat wraps the Google Play receipt validation and gives the app a Pro / not-Pro answer. Receives an anonymous purchase token and a random per-device id, no personal info.
- Expo Updates delivers the JavaScript over-the-air updates that keep the app current between store releases. Receives the app version and the platform (Android / iOS), no personal info.
- Sentry receives crash and error reports so bugs can be found and fixed. Technical diagnostics and a random identifier only, no personal info.
That's the full list. All four are common third parties that thousands of consumer apps use. Their privacy policies are linked from our Privacy Policy.
Walking away
Uninstall the app and you're done. Nothing of yours stays anywhere: no account to delete, no cloud data to wipe.
If something here still feels off, email merten@boardstrom.com and I'll answer the specific concern directly. The source for the app is private but I'll walk through anything you want to verify.
Questions or feedback
Email merten@boardstrom.com any time. Bugs, ideas, things the app should do differently, all welcome.