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Privacy Policy

Last updated: 2026-06-05

This Privacy Policy explains what information the ZapYaw app (“ZapYaw”, “we”, “us”, “our”) collects, how we use it, and the choices you have. ZapYaw is a chat and calling app that uses your phone number to create and identify your account. By using ZapYaw, you agree to the practices described in this policy.

1. Information we collect

• Phone number. We use your phone number to create your account, sign you in, and let other people find you on ZapYaw.
• Profile information. A display name and any optional profile details or photo you choose to add.
• Messages and call data. The content of your messages, the photos, documents, and other media you share, any voice messages you record, and — if you choose to send one — a contact you share, are transmitted through and stored securely on our servers so they can be delivered to the people you are talking to and kept in your chat history. We also keep the basic technical information needed to set up and route voice and video calls.
• Location (only when you choose to share it). If you tap “Share location” in a chat, ZapYaw reads your device’s current location at that moment and attaches it to your message as a map link. We access your location only at your request for that single action; we do not track you or continuously collect your location, and we never use it for advertising.
• Group membership. The groups you create or join, and your membership in them, so that group conversations work.
• Activity and status signals. To make chats work, we process signals such as whether you are online or when you were last seen, typing indicators, and message delivered/read status.
• Contacts (lookup by phone number). To help you find people you already know, ZapYaw can check which of your phone contacts also use ZapYaw, by matching phone numbers. We do not use your contacts for advertising and we do not sell them.
• Device token for push notifications. We store a device token so we can send you push notifications (for example, when you receive a new message or call) through Firebase Cloud Messaging.
• Basic technical data. Limited information such as app version and connection details needed to operate the service and diagnose problems.
• Crash and diagnostic logs. If the app crashes or hits an error, we collect diagnostic reports (via Firebase Crashlytics) — such as the type of device, app version, and where in the app the problem happened — to help us find and fix bugs. These reports do not include the content of your messages or calls.

2. How we use your information

• To create and secure your account and verify your phone number.
• To deliver your messages, media, and calls to the intended recipients.
• To enable group chats and group calls.
• To help you discover contacts who already use ZapYaw.
• To send push notifications about messages, calls, and important service updates.
• To operate, maintain, troubleshoot, secure, and improve the service.

3. Advertising

ZapYaw is currently free to use. We may introduce limited advertising in the app in the future. If and when we do:

• We will not sell your personal information to advertisers.
• Ads will not be targeted using the content of your private messages or calls — we do not read your conversations to choose ads.
• Advertising will be clearly distinguishable from your conversations.
• If we work with advertising partners who need limited data (such as a device advertising identifier) to display or measure ads, we will update this policy and, where the law requires it, ask for your consent first.

4. Third-party services

ZapYaw relies on the following third-party service to function:

• Firebase (by Google). We use Firebase Authentication to verify your phone number when you sign in, and Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) to deliver push notifications to your device. When you use these features, certain data (such as your phone number for verification, and a device token for notifications) is processed by Google’s Firebase services under Google’s terms and privacy practices. We also use Firebase Crashlytics to receive crash and error reports so we can diagnose and fix problems.

Aside from the service above, ZapYaw runs on our own self-hosted servers. Your messages, media, group data, and account information are stored on servers we operate, not on a third-party cloud chat platform.

5. Contacts

ZapYaw includes an optional feature to help you find friends who already use the app. It works like this:

• Only with your permission. We access the contacts on your device only after you grant the contacts permission. You can decline, and you can revoke it later in your device settings.
• We match by phone number. When you use the feature, the app checks which of your contacts’ phone numbers already belong to ZapYaw accounts, so you can start chatting with them.
• We do not store your contacts’ phone numbers or names. To let us tell you when a contact later joins ZapYaw, we keep only irreversible one-way codes (fingerprints) of your contacts’ numbers — not the numbers or names themselves. These codes cannot be turned back into phone numbers.
• We never sell your contacts and we do not use them for advertising.

6. How your information is shared

We share your information only as needed to operate ZapYaw: your messages and shared media are delivered to the people and groups you send them to, and your phone number and display name may be visible to people who can already contact you. We do not sell your personal information. We may disclose information if required by law, to protect the safety of our users or the public, or to enforce our Terms of Service.

7. Data retention

We keep your account information for as long as your account is active. Messages and media are retained so they can be delivered and remain available in your conversations. When you delete your account, we delete or anonymize your personal information within a reasonable period, except where we must keep certain data to comply with legal obligations or resolve disputes.

You can delete your account yourself in the app at any time (Settings → Delete my account). Deletion is scheduled after a 30-day grace period, during which you can cancel simply by signing back in; after that, your account and associated personal data are permanently removed. You can also request deletion by contacting us at the email below.

8. Security

We protect your information with reasonable technical and organizational measures, including encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS) between the app and our servers, and secure storage of your data. As with most messaging apps, your messages pass through and are stored on our servers so we can deliver them and keep your chat history — in other words, ZapYaw is not an end-to-end encrypted service. No method of transmission or storage is ever completely secure, so while we work hard to protect your information we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Children’s privacy

ZapYaw is not directed to children under the age of 13 (or the minimum age required in your country), and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will take steps to delete it.

10. Your choices

• You can edit your profile information in the app at any time.
• You can turn off push notifications in your device settings.
• You can delete your account at any time from Settings → Delete my account (a 30-day grace period you can cancel by signing back in).

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the “Last updated” date above. Significant changes may also be communicated within the app.

12. Contact us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or your data, contact us at support@zapyaw.com.