The short version
Aiko Chat stores your account (a username and display name, optionally an email) and the messages you send, so we can deliver them to the people you chat with. We do not use analytics or advertising SDKs, do not track your location, contacts, or device, and do not sell or share your data. Messages are not end-to-end encrypted. You can delete your account from the app at any time.
1. Who we are
Aiko Chat is a text messaging app. This policy explains what information the app and the server it connects to collect when you use Aiko Chat, and what we do with it.
2. What we collect
We collect only what we need to run a chat service:
Data
When
Why
Username and display name
When you create an account
To identify you to the people you chat with
Password (stored only as a salted argon2id hash, never in plain text)
If you sign up with a username and password
To sign you in securely
Email address (optional)
If you sign in with Apple or Google and the provider shares it
Account recovery and identification; it is optional and may be blank
Apple / Google account identifier (the provider's subject ID)
If you use social sign-in
To recognise you on return without storing a password
Messages you send (the text, plus who sent it, which channel, timestamp, and reply links)
Whenever you send a message
To deliver and display your conversations
Blocks and reports (who you blocked; messages you reported and the reason)
When you block a user or report a message
To enforce our Community Guidelines and act on objectionable content
Your acceptance of our Terms is recorded on your device only (it is not sent to our server).
3. What we do not collect
For clarity, Aiko Chat does not collect any of the following:
No advertising identifiers (IDFA / GAID) and no advertising or marketing SDKs
No analytics, crash-reporting, or behavioural-tracking SDKs (e.g. no Firebase, Sentry, Google Analytics)
No location data
No access to your contacts or address book
No access to your camera, microphone, or photos (Aiko Chat is text only)
No device fingerprinting or hardware identifiers
No IP-address logging for tracking purposes
No push-notification device tokens (the app does not yet send push notifications)
4. How we use your information
We use the information above only to:
Operate the service — sign you in, deliver your messages, and show your conversations;
We do not use your messages or account for advertising, profiling, or sale to third parties.
5. Sharing & third parties
We do not sell or share your personal data. The only external interaction is sign-in verification: when you use Apple or Google sign-in, we fetch Apple's and Google's public verification keys to confirm your sign-in token is genuine. This is a read-only key check — no personal data is sent to Apple or Google by us in that step. Your messages are shared only with the other participants of the channels you post in.
6. Security & encryption
All traffic between the app and our server is encrypted in transit using HTTPS / secure WebSockets (TLS).
Passwords are stored only as salted argon2id hashes; we never store or see your plain-text password.
Sign-in tokens are stored in your device's secure storage (Keychain on iOS, Keystore on Android).
Messages are not end-to-end encrypted. They are stored on our server and cached on your device in unencrypted form, so we are technically able to access message content (for example, to act on a report). Please keep this in mind and do not send highly sensitive information.
7. Retention & deletion
We keep your account and messages until you delete them. We do not run automatic expiry. You can delete your account at any time from Settings → Delete account in the app. When you delete your account:
Your account identity (username, display name, any email, and your sign-in credentials — password hash and/or any linked Apple, Google, or passkey identifiers) is permanently deleted;
The messages you sent are kept but anonymised — your name is removed and they are relabelled "[deleted user]" so the conversation other people saw stays intact, but the messages no longer link to you;
Blocks you created are deleted; reports you filed are kept but anonymised so our safety records remain auditable.
8. Your choices
Access & deletion — you can delete your account and its identity from the app at any time (see above).
Blocking & reporting — you can block any user and report any message from within the app.
If you have questions about your data, contact us (below).
9. Children
Aiko Chat is not directed to children under 13 (or the minimum age of digital consent in your country, if higher). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under that age.
10. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. When we make a material change, we will update the "Last updated" date above and, where appropriate, notify you in the app.
11. Contact
Questions about this policy or your data can be sent to the support contact listed on the app's App Store / Google Play listing.