Z Assist — Privacy Policy
Last updated: 12 October 2026
Z Assist ("the app") is a field monitor and remote control for Nikon Z-series cameras, published by dfgrom (the "developer"). This policy explains what the app does with data. In short: your footage, settings and camera data stay on your device; the only thing that ever reaches the developer's server is an anonymous purchase check.
1. Data we collect
Z Assist has no user accounts, no analytics, no crash-reporting service and no advertising SDK. The developer receives no personal data from the app.
The single exception is purchase verification (section 3): when you buy or restore Unlock Full Version, the app sends the store's purchase receipt together with an anonymous, app-generated device identifier to the developer's verification server, which asks Apple or Google whether the purchase is genuine. This protects the purchase against tampering. The receipt and identifier are used only for that check, are not linked to your name, e-mail or Apple/Google account, are not used for tracking or advertising and are not shared with anyone other than Apple or Google.
2. Data the app processes locally
To work, the app handles the following only on your phone or tablet:
- Camera live view, clips and photos — transferred directly from your camera to your device over your local Wi-Fi network or a USB cable (PTP/IP, port 15740). Clips and photos you download are stored in the app's private storage ("Playback cache") and, only when you choose Save, in your device's Photos library. You can delete the cache at any time in Options → Storage.
- Camera settings and metadata (model, serial number, firmware, exposure values, timecode) — read from the camera to display and control it; the serial number is used to keep each body's offline gallery separate.
- Your preferences (HUD layout, presets, LUTs you import, language, accent colour) — stored in the app's private storage.
- Purchase entitlement — a local yes/no flag that Unlock Full Version was bought, cached securely (Android Keystore / iOS Keychain) so the app works offline. The purchase itself is processed by Google Play or the Apple App Store under their own privacy policies; the developer never receives payment details.
- Remote Viewer — when you share your live view with a second phone, the video and camera readouts travel directly between the two devices over your local network, protected by an encrypted link (PIN + confirmation code). Nothing is relayed through the internet or any server.
No footage, settings or camera data are uploaded anywhere. Removing the app removes all of the above from your device.
3. Purchase verification server
| What is sent | Why | How long it is kept |
|---|---|---|
| App Store / Google Play purchase receipt (transaction token) | To confirm with Apple or Google that the purchase is genuine and has not been refunded | The receipt itself is checked and discarded. Only the store's transaction number, the product, the result (active / refunded) and the date are kept in an audit record |
| Anonymous device identifier generated by the app (a random value, not the hardware ID; reset when you reinstall) | Stored with the audit record so a refunded or disputed purchase can be matched to the install that made it; also used to rate-limit abuse of the endpoint | Kept with the audit record |
| Your IP address (as with any internet request) | Needed to answer the request; also rate-limited per address | Not stored in the audit record; server access logs are rotated automatically |
The audit record contains no name, e-mail, Apple ID, Google account or payment details and cannot be linked to you by the developer. The server is operated by the developer. It does not set cookies, does not use analytics and does not build profiles. If the server cannot be reached, the app keeps working with the purchase state it already has.
4. Device permissions and why
| Permission | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Local network / Wi-Fi state / nearby Wi-Fi devices | Find the camera on the network (mDNS), join the camera's hotspot, keep the connection on Wi-Fi |
| Camera | Demo Mode only — uses the phone camera as a stand-in for a Nikon body so the tools can be tried without hardware. Nothing is recorded or stored |
| Photos / media | Saving clips and photos you explicitly choose to export |
| USB | Cable connection to the camera |
| Keep screen on / foreground | Keeps the live-view link and downloads alive on set |
The app does not use the microphone; audio level meters show the camera's own audio. Every permission is requested only when you use the related feature and can be revoked in system settings; the app keeps working with reduced functionality.
5. Children
Z Assist is a professional tool intended for users aged 18 and over. It does not knowingly collect any data from anyone, including children.
6. Third parties
The only third parties involved are Google Play and the Apple App Store (app distribution and in-app purchase; they also answer the purchase-verification check described above). Z Assist is an independent product and is not affiliated with, endorsed or sponsored by Nikon Corporation. Nikon, Z and the Z-series model names are trademarks of Nikon Corporation.
7. Your rights
The developer holds no personal data about you. The only server-side record is the anonymous purchase audit entry described in section 3; if you would like it deleted (for example after a refund), e-mail us your purchase's order number from Apple or Google and we will remove it. Everything else the app stores is on your device and is removed when you uninstall it.
8. Changes
If this policy changes (for example, if an optional feature that needs a network service is added), the new version will be published at this address and the "Last updated" date revised. Material changes will be announced in the app's release notes.
9. Contact
Questions about privacy or support: zassist@dfgrom.com