Is the Govee App Safe to Use? Is it Secure?
When you buy through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Are you in the market for new smart devices throughout your home? Are you tired of pouring more money into major companies like Amazon or Google?
Any device connected to a Wi-Fi network will have some security implications. However, Govee has received certification in many areas to ensure their app is as secure as possible.
If you would like to learn more about the Govee company, what smart devices they provide, and how you are able to control it from your smartphone, then continue reading this article!
What is Govee Known For?
The Govee Home app is an application that works with Govee smart products, a brand that originated in China back in 2017.
The Govee Home application was developed to manage the user’s smart devices.
Govee has three major investors, including IDG Capital and Eastern Bell capital.
Govee itself is a brand that sells smart applications for households in the North American and European markets and are best known for their LED and smart light kits.
With the Govee Home app, consumers are able to control a number of different devices throughout their house.
This could include:
- Smart light bulbs
- LED strip lights
- Home security devices
- Water leak detectors
- Indoor thermometers
This is most efficiently completed by consumers pairing their smart devices to their home WiFi network, and then connecting them to the Govee Home app.
A majority of the Govee products are sold through Amazon and guarantee rapid replacements for defective devices.
Govee Privacy Policy
Govee’s privacy policy comprises four major areas: privacy, cookies, and IP addresses, third-party links, and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act Compliance (COPPA).
While the privacy policy can be a long and exhausting read, it is important to understand what you are agreeing to when using these devices.
The following is a short summary of each of the major categories in the Govee privacy policy.
Privacy
When using the Govee app, the company guarantees to protect the personal information of the users who use their application.
Furthermore, they will also never sell, rent, or share your information with other companies without your own authorization.
Cookies and IP Addresses
The application does require users to accept cookies. If you have your browser set to reject cookies, the website will be unable to recognize your account.
Because of this, cookies must be accepted for the website, and they will not use cookies to gather confidential information that may be stored on your hard drive.
Furthermore, the app and website do allow for third-party advertisers to display content geared towards their customers and serve ads for them.
These advertisers are allowed to utilize your cookies and/or web beacons to identify the effectiveness, efficiencies, etc. of the sites.
Third-Party Links
The Govee app may include third-party products or services on their app/website.
Consumers must be careful when going to these different sites as they have completely different privacy policies from Govee, so they have no responsibility or liability for the content or activities on these sites.
They do, however, welcome feedback about these sites as they are constantly looking to protect the integrity of their application.
Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act Compliance (COPPA)
The Govee app is in compliance with the COPPA Act as they do not collect any information from users under the age of thirteen.
Do note that while the policies have been summarized above, it is important to review the entirety of the privacy policy to understand all of the policies Govee has users agree to before using the application.
Security Implications
With any device that is added to your home Wi-Fi network, there will be security implications.
The Govee app offers a comprehensive certification and quality management system and is certified in many areas, such as:
- Federal Communications Commissions (FCC)
- Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)
- Conformity Europeene (CE)
- Geprutfte Sicherheit (GS)
- Korea Certification (KC)
- Product Safety Electrical Appliance & Material (PSE)
- Super Account Administrator (SAA)
- Electrical Testing Laboratories (ETL)
Despite the efforts to have information secured, any device that connects to the home WiFi system opens up the opportunity for cyber-attacks.
The cyber attack could simply start by using your account information to access your WiFi network and other personal information.
According to 3,391 user reviews from the AppStore, the Safety Score for the Govee Home app was a surprisingly low 28.6/100.
Some consumers do have major concerns about security. To combat the security issues, users could use Bluetooth to connect their devices, but they will be missing out on some major features.
This would include connection to Amazon Alexa or the Google Hub.
Conclusion
Overall, those who use the Govee Home app can know that their information is safe and secure in terms of cookies and their personal information will not be sold to companies.
However, the app should be used with caution as there is always the possibility of information being leaked with any app that connects to the Internet.
As far as user reviews of the Govee Hub application, many people found the app itself was not overly safe.
