Offline markdown viewer for Android: why "no internet permission" matters

Updated: 2026-10-29

Markdown files are often personal: journal entries, work notes, meeting minutes, health logs, AI answers about private questions. Before you open them in an app, it's worth asking one question: can this app send my files anywhere?

The quickest check: the Internet permission

On Android, an app needs the Internet permission to connect to any server. Without it, it physically cannot upload anything: not your files, not analytics, not ads.

To check an app:

1. On its Google Play page, scroll to About this app and look for App permissions (you may need to tap See more).
2. Or, on your phone, go to Settings → Apps → [the app] → Permissions → All permissions (wording varies by phone).
3. Look for "have full network access". If it's there, the app can use the internet.

Also read the Data safety section on Google Play. It shows what the developer says the app collects and shares.

What "offline" should really mean

A truly offline markdown viewer:

• Doesn't request network access at all
• Has no ads (ads need the internet)
• Has no analytics or crash-reporting SDKs
• Doesn't need an account
• Renders everything, including math and diagrams, with code bundled in the app instead of loading it from the web

MD Reader is built this way

MD Reader doesn't request the Internet permission. It contains no ads, analytics or trackers and needs no sign-in. Math (KaTeX) and diagrams (Mermaid) are bundled with the app, so they render on a plane just as they do at home.

Get it on Google Play

The trade-off: images that point to web addresses won't load, because the app can't fetch them. Text, tables, code, math and diagrams all work.

The privacy policy is short, because there's nothing to collect.

What happens when you tap a link?

Links in a document open in your browser or another app you choose. That app has its own permissions. MD Reader just hands the link over.

Good habits for private notes

• Keep sensitive notes in local storage instead of shared folders
• Convert to PDF on the device instead of using online converters. See markdown to PDF on Android.
• Check permissions again after big app updates