Telemetry

What Emu collects

Emu collects anonymous usage data to understand how the product is used and to improve the experience.

Event	When it fires	Properties
app-first-launch	First time the app starts	platform, arch
app-session-start	Every app launch	trial_day, license_status, version, platform, arch
checkout-clicked	“Buy Early Bird” button clicked	trial_day, license_status, source (settings_card or nag_dialog)
trial-expired	Trial period ends (sent once)	trial_day_at_last_use
license-activated	License key successfully validated	trial_day

Never collected

The following data is never sent, under any circumstances:

• Personal information (name, email, IP address, location)
• Environment variables or shell configuration
• File paths, file contents, or source code
• Connected Android device data, app data, or databases
• Screenshots, screen recordings, or video buffers
• Network traffic, intercepted HTTP requests, or HAR exports
• Keystroke or input recording
• Crash reports, error logs, or stack traces
• ADB shell command output

Each installation gets a random anonymous UUID that is not tied to any account or personal identifier. The UUID exists solely to count unique installations. Approximate location (country/city) is derived from your IP address when events are received. The raw IP address is discarded after processing and is not stored.

Where data is sent

Events are sent to PostHog, a product analytics platform. Data is stored in the US region (us.i.posthog.com). No data is shared with third parties. Events are retained for up to 7 years per PostHog’s data retention policy.

First-run notice

On first launch, Emu displays a one-time notice informing you that anonymous usage data is collected. Telemetry is enabled by default (legitimate interest under GDPR Art. 6(1)(f)). You can opt out at any time.

How to opt out

You can disable telemetry at any time using an environment variable or the in-app settings.

Environment variable

Set this variable before launching Emu:

export EMU_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=1

In-app toggle

Navigate to Settings → Privacy and toggle off Share anonymous usage data.

When you opt out, no analytics client is initialized and zero network requests are made to PostHog.

Inspecting telemetry

To see exactly what Emu sends, enable debug mode:

EMU_TELEMETRY_DEBUG=1 emu

This logs every event payload to stderr as JSON. Events are still sent normally — combine with EMU_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=1 to log without sending.

Privacy policy

Read the full privacy policy here: Privacy Policy