Chinese smartphone manufacturer OnePlus assured users on Saturday that it does not share private data with third parties, and that later in October, it will start giving users the choice to not share such information with the company. OnePlus has been under fire recently after a researcher said the firm’s phones were collecting some user data without their consent.

The company collects usage data and device information to better understand phone behaviour, to optimise the device for better user experience and to improve after-sales support, said OnePlus Co-Founder Carl Pei in a post on Saturday, adding that users can opt out of sharing such information.

“We’d like to emphasise that at no point have we shared this information with outside parties,” Pei wrote. “The analytics...which we only look at in aggregate, are collected with the intention of improving our product and service offerings.”

By October end, OnePlus will limit the information it collects, he said. It will no longer collect telephone numbers, MAC addresses and Wi-Fi data and will explain to users what data is being collected and why.