IdleDimmer Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 2, 2026

IdleDimmer ("the app", "we", "our") is a native Windows screen-dimming utility. This privacy policy explains what data the app handles, what it does not handle, and what limited network activity occurs.

Summary

The app collects no personal data, no telemetry, and no analytics. The app does not use cookies, tracking pixels, or any third-party SDKs. A single optional network request is made for in-app update checks, and that request contains no identifying information about you.

Data the app does NOT collect

• No name, email, address, phone, or any personal identifiers
• No browsing history, keystrokes, screen content, or window titles
• No location, IP address, or device fingerprint (beyond what Windows itself exposes to any process)
• No audio, video, screenshots, or microphone access
• No usage analytics, crash reports, or performance telemetry
• No cookies, local storage, IndexedDB, or any other browser-style storage
• No advertising IDs

Data the app stores locally on your device

The app writes a single configuration file to %LOCALAPPDATA%\IdleDimmer\dimmer.ini (or, when installed from the Microsoft Store, the package-private equivalent location under %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\<IdleDimmer>\LocalCache\). This file contains only your dimming preferences (per-monitor brightness levels, idle timeout, blocked-app list). It never leaves your device.

Network activity

The only outbound network requests the app makes are:

1. Update check (optional, off by default). When you click "Check for Updates" in the app, it sends a single HTTPS GET request to https://api.github.com/repos/UnDadFeated/IdleDimmer/releases/latest to compare your installed version against the latest published release. The request does not include any user-specific data, cookies, authentication, or query parameters. GitHub's servers may log the request per their own privacy policy (github.com/privacy).

The app does not maintain a persistent connection, does not phone home on a schedule, and does not auto-update itself.

Windows permissions used

The app uses the following Windows capabilities, all of which are scoped to the local user:

• Layered, transparent overlay windows (WS_EX_LAYERED) to render the dimming effect. These overlays are non-interactive, click-through, and cover each monitor's desktop area only when dimming is active.
• Audio session enumeration (IAudioSessionEnumerator) to detect when blocked apps are playing audio, so dimming is automatically suspended during their use.
• Process enumeration (limited to a small allowlist of blocked apps you configure) to detect foreground windows of those apps.
• Single-instance named mutex (Global\IdleDimmerMutex) to prevent multiple copies of the app from running.
• Registry read/write under HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run only if you explicitly enable "Start with Windows" in the app settings.

Children's privacy

The app is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect any information from anyone, regardless of age.

Changes to this policy

If we ever change what data the app handles, we will update this page and bump the version number above. Substantive changes will be noted in the app's release notes on GitHub.

Open source

The full source code is available at github.com/UnDadFeated/IdleDimmer. You can audit every line to verify the claims above.