Privacy Policy
TheTest.com is a browser-based device testing tool. This policy describes what the site actually does when you use it, and what leaves your device when it does. There are no accounts, no sign-in and no user profiles.
What we collect and why
Analytics. We run our own copy of Umami, an analytics tool. Its script is served from this site rather than from an external tracker. It records page views and named button clicks, such as which test you started. It sets no cookies, and it never receives your test results.
Error reports. When a script on the site fails, an error report is sent to our own error tracking server. It contains the error and its stack trace, the page URL, and your browser and operating system. Each session gets a random ID so repeated errors can be grouped; it is not linked to you and is discarded when you close the tab. Error reports never contain test results, camera or microphone data, or your location. Session replay is not enabled, so nothing on your screen is recorded.
Feedback. If you send feedback through the help menu, your message and any email address you choose to enter go to that same self-hosted error tracker so we can read and answer it.
Third-party services
Most tests run entirely in your browser. This table lists every service the site can reach, and what triggers it.
| Service | What is sent | When | Purpose | Hosting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Umami analytics | Page URL, referrer, browser, operating system, screen size, event name | Every page view and tracked button click | Usage statistics | Self-hosted |
| Error tracking (Firefly) | Error and stack trace, page URL, browser, operating system, a random session ID; feedback text and any email you enter | When a script error occurs, or when you submit feedback | Fixing faults and replying to feedback | Self-hosted, reached through this site |
| Cloudflare | Your IP address and normal request metadata | Every request to the site | TLS, caching and protection in front of our origin server | Third party |
| ipify, seeip, ipgeolocation.io | The request itself; each returns your public IP address | Only when you run the IP and location test | Finding your public IP address | Third party |
| ipapi.co, seeip, ipwho.is | Your public IP address | Same test, once your IP has been found | Approximate, city-level location lookup | Third party |
| OpenStreetMap | Map tile requests covering the area around your approximate location | Only when you open the map on that test | Drawing the map | Third party |
| Cloudflare speed test | Measurement traffic and connection details | Only when you run the network speed test | Measuring your connection speed | Third party |
The IP and location test tries those providers in order and stops at the first that answers, so in practice only one pair is contacted. Our origin server is hosted in Germany with Hetzner, behind Cloudflare.
Two tests make deliberate probe requests. The browser test tries to load an insecure http://example.com resource to check whether your browser blocks mixed content; a correctly configured browser blocks it before it leaves. The privacy test inserts a decoy ad element and requests an ad-shaped URL on this site to detect ad blockers. Neither contacts an advertising network. The site carries a Google AdSense verification tag in its HTML, but no advertising script is loaded and no ads are served.
What stays on your device
Test results, scores, any comments and serial numbers you type, and any photos you attach are saved in your browser storage on that device only. Reports are assembled in your browser. None of it is uploaded to us or to anyone else. Your theme, language and knowledge-base view preferences are stored the same way.
Camera, microphone and device permissions
Camera, microphone, location, MIDI, Bluetooth, USB and similar permissions are requested only when you press the button for the test that needs them. Video, audio and recordings stay in the page in memory and are never uploaded; closing or reloading the tab discards them. Browser location, if you allow it, is used to place a marker on the map in your browser and is never sent to our servers.
Retention
Data saved on your device stays until you clear it. Analytics and error data are held on servers we control and are not sold or shared with anyone else. Data sent to the third-party services above is retained under their own policies, which we do not control.
Your choices
- Clear All Results on the Reports page removes everything saved locally, or you can delete results one at a time. Clearing site data does the same.
- You can decline any permission prompt. The rest of the site still works.
- A tracker or ad blocker will stop the analytics script from loading, and the site works normally without it.
- If you do not run the IP and location test, no IP lookup and no map request is made.
No test results are currently saved in this browser.
Business use
Reports are built and stored in the browser of the person running the tests. If your organisation uses TheTest for technician workflows, the reports your staff produce stay on their machines unless they export them. Organisations deploying the tool keep control of their own data; we do not receive it and cannot access it.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as the site changes, with a new date below.
Contact
Questions about this policy can go to [email protected].
Last updated: September 2026