The bandwidth exchange

Spark Tray is free because, while it's installed and running, it shares a portion of your device's idle internet bandwidth through a bundled sharing component. This is disclosed up front on the welcome screen and is a condition of using the free app.

• What is shared: a portion of your spare network bandwidth.
• What is never shared: your files, media, browsing history, credentials, or anything you process in the utilities.

Good-citizen limits

Sharing is designed to stay out of your way. It automatically pauses on metered connections and backs off while you're actively using the network. You can tune both behaviors in Settings ▸ Network & bandwidth exchange.

The status indicator

The sidebar footer and the Settings screen show a small pill with the current state:

Opting out

There is no in-app off switch. Because sharing is what makes the app free, uninstalling Spark Tray ends participation. Quitting the app from the tray also stops sharing for as long as the app is closed.