Legal

Privacy Policy

Effective 22 October 2026

GhostChat is a one-to-one chat app for Android. This policy explains what data the app and our servers handle, why, for how long, and what you can do about it. We wrote it to be read, not skimmed past.

Who we are

GhostChat ("we", "us") runs the GhostChat app and the servers it connects to. We are responsible for the personal data described here. Questions, requests and complaints go to [email protected].

What we collect

Your account

To create an account you choose a username and a password. The server stores the username and a hashed (scrambled) version of the password, never the password itself. Your username is visible to people you chat with and to anyone who sends you a friend request.

What you send

Messages, photos and friend requests are sent through and stored on our server so they can reach the other person. The app also adds short call log entries to a chat (for example "Call ended – 2:14"), and your friend list is stored with your account.

Calls

Voice calls are live and are not recorded. To connect a call, the two phones exchange network details (such as IP addresses) through our server.

Technical data

IP address and request logs: our server sees your IP address when the app connects and keeps it in its logs to run and protect the service.
Push token and device model: so you get notifications while the app is closed, the app registers a push token from Google Firebase and your phone's model name (for example "Pixel 9") with your account.
Read status: the app remembers on your phone which messages you have read, to start their deletion timer and show unread counts.

GhostChat is free and shows a banner ad from Google AdMob. Google may collect your device's advertising ID, IP address, approximate location derived from it, and information about how ads are shown and used. In the EU, EEA, UK and Switzerland, the app asks for your consent first, and you can change your choice any time under Settings → Ad privacy choices.

What we don't collect

No phone number, email address or real name.
No access to your contacts, files or photo library. The app only sends photos you take with the camera from inside a chat.
No location. Location and camera details are removed from photos before they are uploaded.
No message content in notifications or push messages. Notifications show who wrote, never what. Push messages through Google only carry an ID that tells the app to check for news.
We do not sell your data and do not use your messages for advertising.

How long we keep it

Messages are deleted for both people 15 minutes after the recipient has read them. The server removes the deleted text completely within 7 days. Unread messages stay until they are read or the account is deleted.
Photos: the photo disappears from the chat like a message, but the uploaded image file can remain on our server. Email us and we will delete the photo files you have sent.
Your account stays until you delete it.
Server logs with IP addresses are kept only as long as needed to run and secure the service.
On your phone, your login is stored in Android's encrypted storage and is removed when you log out or delete your account. Photos you take are deleted from the phone right after they are sent.

We only share data with these services, and only for the reasons given:

Google Firebase Cloud Messaging, to deliver push notifications. It receives your push token and message IDs, never message content.
Google AdMob, to show ads, as described above.

Google's handling of this data is covered by the Google Privacy Policy and How Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services. We may also disclose data when the law requires it.

Phone permissions

Microphone: only during voice calls.
Notifications: to tell you about messages, friend requests and calls.
Full-screen alerts: to show incoming calls when the phone is locked.
Camera: the app does not ask for camera permission. It opens your phone's camera app, and you decide whether to send the picture.

Security

All traffic between the app and our server is encrypted with HTTPS. Messages are not end-to-end encrypted: they are stored on our server until they are deleted, so we could technically read them, but we do not. You can protect the app with a 6-digit passcode, and the app is never included in phone backups.

Your rights

Depending on where you live (for example under the EU's GDPR), you have the right to access the data we hold about you, have it corrected or deleted, object to or restrict its use, and receive a copy of it. Email [email protected] and we will reply within 30 days. You can also complain to your local data protection authority; in Sweden that is IMY.

We use your data to provide the service you asked for (our contract with you), to keep it secure (legitimate interest), and for personalised ads only with your consent where the law requires it.

Deleting your account

In the app, open Settings → Delete account. Without the app, use ghostchat.cloudm.one/delete or email us. Deletion is permanent: your account is closed, you are logged out everywhere, your messages are marked for erasure, and your username can never be used again. To also remove photo files, mention it in an email.

Children

GhostChat is not meant for children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect data from them. If you believe a child has an account, email us and we will delete it.

Changes

If we change this policy, we will update the date at the top and, for important changes, tell you in the app.