File 03 / Technology / App
The Always Encrypted app
The Always Encrypted app is a private app we build and publish ourselves. It is not in any app store, it sends no telemetry, and you install it from this site on Android, iPhone, Windows, macOS, Linux or Kali Linux. It gives you the map, routes, pins, messages and device keys.
Installs as a web app on every platform today.
Pick your platform for install steps
What it does
The network, in your pocket
It is the same account you use on this site. Sign in with your username and password and everything below is there.
Navigate the private network
The theater map with access points, exposure levels and safety zones. Routes are worked out on our own server, not by a maps company.
Four routes by threat level
Each trip comes back as Lowest, Medium, High and Highest threat routes, with the time each one costs and an operating procedure you follow step by step.
Purple pins and messages
Private pins that only you see until you share one by handle or by a single-use link, and messages between handles about a pin or anything else.
Your devices and keys
Connect glasses, a watch, a ring, a pen or a tie clip to your account, renew their keys, and remove a lost one so doors stop accepting it. Open Devices
Meeting rooms
Join a private meeting room. Calls run over encrypted transport, and the audio and video are never stored on our servers.
Permissions
What it asks for, and why
Each one is asked the first time you use the feature that needs it. Say no and the rest of the app keeps working.
- Camera
To scan an AE Key QR code. The camera is on only while the scanner is open. The picture is read on the phone and never uploaded.
- Bluetooth
To release a door latch. The reader at the door sends a one-time challenge and the app signs it with the private key kept on your phone, so a copied code opens nothing.
- Location
To put you on the map and move the route along. Your position is used on the device only. When you ask for a route, the start and end you picked go to our router; no location history is kept or uploaded.
What it never does
Nothing reports on you
No analytics
No usage tracking, no crash reporter, no advertising ID. We do not count your taps or your trips.
No third-party SDKs
No ad, tracking, login or crash kits from other companies are built in. Sign-in, pins, messages and keys all run on our own server.
No store accounts
No Apple ID, Google account, email or phone number. Your account is a username and a password, and that is all we hold.
One thing to know today: the web map's street tiles come from OpenStreetMap, but they pass through our own server first. OpenStreetMap sees requests from our server and never your IP address. Our server sees your tile requests, as it sees every request to this site. The map library and fonts load from alwaysencrypted.com, and the account page does not look addresses up anywhere. Map data from OpenStreetMap contributors.
At a glance
| Permission | Used for | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Camera | Scanning an AE Key QR code | On only while the scanner is open; the picture is never uploaded |
| Bluetooth | Releasing a door latch | The app signs a one-time challenge with a key kept on the phone |
| Location | Showing you on the map | Used on the device; no location history is kept or uploaded |
Questions people ask
Is the app in the App Store or Google Play?
No. We publish it ourselves and you install it from this page. There is no store account to create.
Does the app track me?
No. It has no analytics, no crash reporter, no advertising ID and no third-party SDKs.
Why does it ask for camera, Bluetooth and location?
Camera scans an AE Key QR code. Bluetooth releases a door latch. Location puts you on the map. Each is asked the first time you use that feature, and the app keeps working if you say no.
What do I sign in with?
A username and a password, the same account you use on this site. We hold no email address or phone number.
Which devices can install it?
Android, iPhone, Windows, macOS, Linux and Kali Linux. Today it installs as a web app on every platform.
Where to go next
- NextRead your Devices list. Connect glasses, a watch, a ring or a pen and renew their keys.
- NextRead the theater map. The map the app opens on.
- NextRead how a door opens. What the Bluetooth challenge does.