# How do I check that the app I downloaded is genuine?

Every build we ship is signed, and your operating system checks that signature before it runs anything. macOS builds are signed and notarized by Apple. Windows installers carry an Authenticode signature you can read under Properties > Digital Signatures. The Android APK is signed with our own key, which is why Android refuses any update that is not ours. The desktop apps also reject an update that is not signed with our key.

Download only from PrivacyNotes.app or from our [releases on GitHub](https://github.com/LifetimeLabsDev/PrivacyNotes.app/releases), which lists every version. We do not publish per-file checksums, and one would prove less than it looks: a checksum sits on the same site as the file, so anyone able to swap the file can swap the number beside it. A signature is checked against a key that is not on our website at all.

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Source: https://privacynotes.app/help/verify-download