Privacy Policy

Direct Chat — No Contact Needed is an independently developed mobile application, available on both iOS (App Store) and Android (Google Play). It allows users to open a chat with any phone number, or generate a shareable chat link and QR code, without saving the number as a contact first. This Privacy Policy applies to both the iOS and Android versions of the App; where behaviour differs between the two platforms, this is noted below.

We are committed to your privacy. We (the developer) do not collect, store on our servers, or sell any personally identifiable information. Specifically, the following are never collected by us or sent to our servers:

• Phone numbers you enter in the app
• Messages you compose in the pre-filled message field
• Your name, email address, or any identity information
• Contacts from your device address book
• Your precise GPS location
• Photos, or the contents of your gallery
• The specific clipboard text detected by the app (see Section 5)

Your phone numbers and messages always stay on your device. The information that does leave your device is limited to (a) the anonymous usage analytics and crash reports described in Section 3, and (b) the data Google uses to serve ads — which may include your device's advertising identifier and is subject to your consent, as also described in Section 3. None of this includes the phone numbers or message text you type.

3.1  Analytics (Firebase)

To understand how the app is used and to improve it, we use Google Firebase Analytics. This service collects anonymous, aggregated usage data. It is not linked to your name, email, phone number, or any account, and we cannot use it to identify you personally.

We log a small set of anonymous events when you perform certain actions. These events include only a country code and a yes/no flag for whether a message was included — never the actual phone number or message text:

In addition, Firebase automatically collects standard, non-identifying technical information such as an app-instance identifier, device model, operating-system version, app version, coarse region (derived from IP address, which Google does not store), and event timestamps. This helps us diagnose issues and understand which features are used.

Firebase Analytics is provided by Google. Google processes this data on our behalf in accordance with the Firebase Privacy and Security terms and the Google Privacy Policy. You can reset the anonymous analytics identifier at any time by clearing the app's data or reinstalling the app (see Section 10).

3.2  Crash & Performance Reporting (Firebase Crashlytics)

We use Google Firebase Crashlytics to automatically collect crash and diagnostic reports so we can find and fix bugs. When the app crashes or hits an error, Crashlytics may record technical details such as the type of crash, a stack trace, the device model and OS version, the app version, and an anonymous installation identifier. These reports are used solely to improve stability and are not used to identify you and never include your phone numbers or messages.

3.3  Advertising (Google AdMob)

The App is free and is supported by ads served through Google AdMob. We show banner, interstitial (full-screen), and app-open ads. To deliver and measure ads, Google and its partners may collect and use certain data, including your device's advertising identifier (IDFA on iOS / Advertising ID on Android), IP address, coarse/approximate location, device information, and your interactions with ads. This data is processed by Google in accordance with the "How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services" policy.

Your consent and choices:

• iOS App Tracking Transparency (ATT): On iOS 14.5 and later, we ask your permission before your advertising identifier is used for tracking. You can decline, and change your choice anytime in Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking.
• EEA / UK consent: If you are in the European Economic Area, the UK, or Switzerland, we display a Google-certified consent message (Google's User Messaging Platform) where you can accept or reject personalized ads before ads are shown.
• Personalized vs. non-personalized: If you do not consent (or decline tracking), you will still see ads, but they will be non-personalized — not based on your advertising identifier.
• Reset or limit your ad ID: iOS — Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking / Apple Advertising; Android — Settings → Privacy → Ads (reset or delete your advertising ID). You can also manage Google ad personalization at adssettings.google.com.

We do not receive or store your advertising identifier ourselves — it is used by Google's ad systems. Ad delivery is remotely configurable, so we may enable, disable, or adjust how often ads appear.

The App stores the following data exclusively on your device using Android DataStore (or iOS UserDefaults). This data never leaves your device and is never transmitted to us or any server.

You can delete all locally stored data at any time using the built-in Clear History feature in the app, or by clearing the app's storage in your device Settings.

The App requests only the permissions strictly necessary for its features. All processing happens on-device.

You may deny or revoke any permission in your device Settings at any time without affecting the core functionality of the app.

The App uses the following third-party services, all provided by Google:

• Google Firebase Analytics — anonymous, aggregated usage analytics (see Section 3.1).
• Google Firebase Crashlytics — crash and performance diagnostics (see Section 3.2).
• Google Firebase Realtime Database — used to remotely configure the app (for example, how often ads are shown). It stores no personal data about you.
• Google AdMob — serves the ads that keep the app free (see Section 3.3).
• Google User Messaging Platform (UMP) — displays the privacy/consent message used to obtain your ad consent where required.
• App Store Review / App Update Check — used to optionally prompt you to rate the app and to notify you when an update is available.

Each service processes data under Google's own terms and the Google Privacy Policy. We do not sell your personal data, and apart from Google AdMob's advertising use described in Section 3.3, we do not integrate other advertising networks or cross-app tracking libraries.

When you open a chat, the App opens the URL https://wa.me/<number>, which is handled by your device's browser or by the WhatsApp application. Once you leave our app, WhatsApp's own Privacy Policy applies. We recommend reviewing WhatsApp's Privacy Policy at whatsapp.com/legal/privacy-policy.

The App is not directed at children under the age of 13 (or the applicable age of digital consent in your jurisdiction). We do not knowingly collect any information from children.

If you believe a child has used the app in a way that raises privacy concerns, please contact us using the details in Section 11 so we can address this immediately.

We do not collect or store any personal data on our own servers — we have none. The data that leaves your device — the anonymous analytics, crash reports, and advertising data described in Section 3 — is transmitted securely over HTTPS to Google and is not used by us to identify you. Your phone numbers and messages are never transmitted.

All information stored locally on your device is protected by your device's own security mechanisms, including OS-level encryption, passcode protection, and biometric authentication. We recommend keeping your device OS and the App up to date to benefit from the latest security improvements.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will update the Effective Date at the top of this document and publish the updated policy within the app listing.

Continued use of the App after any changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

We do not collect personal data that could identify you, so there is no personal profile held by us to provide, correct, or delete. You retain full control over your data:

• Delete all recent contacts via the app's Clear History button
• Remove individual entries by swiping to delete on any list item
• Reset the anonymous analytics identifier by clearing the app's data or reinstalling the app
• Withdraw or change ad tracking consent — iOS: Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking; EEA/UK users can also revisit the in-app consent message
• Reset or delete your advertising identifier, and manage ad personalization at adssettings.google.com
• Remove all app data via Settings → Apps → Direct Chat → Storage → Clear Data (Android)
• Remove all app data via Settings → General → iPhone Storage → Direct Chat → Delete App (iOS)

If you are located in the EU/EEA, UK, or California, you may have additional rights under GDPR, UK GDPR, or CCPA. The analytics we collect is anonymous and aggregated and is not used to identify or profile individuals. If you have any request regarding your data, contact us using Section 11 and we will respond promptly.

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy, please get in touch: