Terms, privacy and community rules

1. Eligibility and acceptance

You must be at least 16 years old to create an account. If local law requires a higher age, that higher age applies. If you are under the age of legal majority, a parent or legal guardian must approve your use where required by law.

You may not use Annochat if you are prohibited from receiving the service under applicable law. If you use Annochat for an organisation, you confirm that you are authorised to bind it.

2. What Annochat provides

Annochat is a phone-verified communication service for closed group chats, contacts, statuses, media, GIFs, memes, reactions, replies, and polls. Features may differ by platform, country, or release.

The service is currently offered without a subscription fee. If paid features are introduced, their price, renewal, cancellation, and any statutory withdrawal rights will be shown before purchase.

3. Accounts and phone verification

• Provide an accurate display name and a phone number you are authorised to use.
• Keep control of your phone, verification codes, and active sessions. Do not share one-time codes.
• Tell us promptly at [SUPPORT EMAIL] if you believe your account or number has been compromised.
• You are responsible for activity performed through your authenticated session unless applicable law provides otherwise.

We may require re-verification after a number change, security event, prolonged inactivity, or material Terms update.

4. What anonymous means here

Annochat hides the sender's name from ordinary message bubbles and group-status viewers. It does not guarantee absolute anonymity. Group details show participant identity information, including display name and verified phone number, and service records link content to an account for delivery, safety, abuse prevention, legal compliance, and user-requested actions.

Do not use Annochat if you need guaranteed anonymity or confidential professional communications. Annochat does not currently claim end-to-end encryption. Other participants can copy, photograph, forward, or disclose content they can see.

5. Closed groups, contacts, and invitations

Group creators choose invited members when the group is created. Membership is then locked. Invitees can review the creator, participant list, rules, and invitation reason before accepting or declining. Group owners and administrators can manage the group within the controls available in the service.

Only add or invite people whose contact details you are permitted to use. Device contact access is optional. Contact matching does not give you permission to send unwanted messages or invitations.

6. Your content and licence

You retain ownership of content you create. You give Annochat a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to host, store, reproduce, process, adapt for technical formatting, transmit, and display that content only as needed to operate, secure, improve, and legally administer the service. This licence ends when the content is deleted from our systems, except for lawful retention, backups, reports, and content independently retained by other users.

You confirm that you have all rights and permissions needed to upload or share the content, including personal data, images, recordings, and intellectual property belonging to others.

7. Acceptable use

You must not use Annochat to create, upload, request, distribute, promote, or coordinate:

• illegal content or activity, including exploitation or sexual abuse of children;
• credible threats, terrorism, violent extremism, stalking, harassment, hate, or encouragement of self-harm;
• non-consensual intimate content, sexual exploitation, or private information shared without authority;
• fraud, impersonation, phishing, spam, malware, unauthorised access, or evasion of security controls;
• content that infringes copyright, trade marks, privacy, publicity, or other rights;
• the sale or promotion of prohibited goods or services; or
• automated scraping, reverse engineering where prohibited, excessive traffic, or interference with the service.

Group rules may be stricter than these Terms but cannot authorise illegal or prohibited conduct.

8. Statuses, disappearing messages, media, and polls

Status posts stop being visible after 24 hours. Messages in groups configured for 24-hour or 7-day disappearance stop being returned after that period. These controls do not prevent screenshots or copies, and physical deletion from operational storage or backups may occur later according to the retention schedule in the Privacy Notice.

Poll creators choose whether multiple answers are allowed, whether voter names are visible, and whether the poll has an end time. Do not rely on polls for elections, medical decisions, financial transactions, legal decisions, emergency response, or any process requiring independently audited results.

GIF search is supplied through a third-party provider. Search requests and media retrieval can be processed under that provider's terms and privacy policy.

9. Reports, moderation, restrictions, and appeals

Users can report messages or groups and block or leave groups. We may investigate reports and restrict, remove, preserve, or disclose content; limit features; suspend sessions; or terminate accounts when reasonably necessary to enforce these Terms, protect people or the service, comply with law, or address security and abuse.

Moderation decisions are currently based on user reports and human review when operational review is available. Annochat does not currently use automated ranking or automated content-removal decisions. If this changes, this section will be updated.

Where required, we will provide a reason for a restriction and a way to challenge it. Send a notice about illegal content, a moderation complaint, or an appeal to [LEGAL CONTACT EMAIL]. Include the content or group identifier, the reason, relevant law or rule, your contact details, and a good-faith statement that the information is accurate. We may request information needed to assess the notice and prevent misuse.

10. Third-party services

Annochat depends on hosting, database, storage, SMS, app-store, operating-system, and media providers. Third-party services have their own terms and privacy practices. We are not responsible for third-party services, but we remain responsible for our own legal obligations when they process data for us.

11. Changes, availability, and beta risk

We may change, suspend, or discontinue features for security, legal, technical, or product reasons. We will give reasonable notice of material adverse changes where practicable and required. The service may experience errors, delays, data loss, or downtime and should not be used for emergency communications.

12. Account suspension, termination, and deletion

You may stop using Annochat and request account deletion. We may suspend or terminate access for a serious or repeated breach, legal requirement, security threat, or risk to others. Where law requires, we will provide reasons and an opportunity to appeal.

Account deletion removes or de-identifies associated personal data unless retention is necessary for legal obligations, security, fraud prevention, dispute resolution, or the rights of others. Content already copied by another user cannot be deleted from that person's device.

13. Annochat intellectual property

The Annochat name, logo, software, interface, and original service materials belong to us or our licensors. These Terms grant only a limited, revocable, non-transferable right to use the service for its intended purpose. No ownership rights are transferred to you.

14. Warranties and liability

Nothing in these Terms excludes rights or remedies that cannot legally be excluded, including mandatory consumer protections or liability for fraud, wilful misconduct, or death or personal injury caused by negligence where applicable.

To the extent permitted by law, Annochat is provided on an "as available" basis without implied warranties. We are not liable for indirect or unforeseeable loss, loss caused by another user, or loss caused by events reasonably outside our control. Any liability cap must be completed and reviewed for enforceability before launch: [LIABILITY CAP OR REQUIRED CONSUMER-LAW WORDING].

15. Governing law and disputes

These Terms are governed by [GOVERNING LAW]. If you are a consumer, you keep any mandatory protections and right to bring proceedings available under the law of your country of residence. Contact [SUPPORT EMAIL] first so we can try to resolve the issue. We do not require consumers to waive access to courts or mandatory dispute-resolution rights.

16. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms. We will identify the version and date and give notice of material changes. When required, you will be asked to accept the updated Terms before continuing. Changes do not apply retroactively unless law requires it.

1. Personal data we process

Do not upload sensitive personal data unless it is necessary, lawful, and appropriate for the intended recipients. Annochat is not designed for health records, financial account credentials, government identifiers, or legally privileged material.

2. Why we process data and our legal bases

• Contract: create and secure accounts; deliver messages, groups, contacts, statuses, polls, and requested support.
• Legitimate interests: prevent abuse and fraud, protect the service and users, investigate reports, diagnose failures, and improve reliability, balanced against your rights.
• Legal obligations: respond to valid legal requests, preserve required records, and meet regulatory, safety, and accounting duties.
• Consent: where required, for optional device permissions or processing that is not necessary for the service. You can withdraw consent through device settings or by contacting us without affecting earlier lawful processing.
• Vital interests: only in exceptional circumstances to protect life or physical safety.

3. Who receives data

• People you communicate with: group participants can see the participant list, display names, phone numbers, roles, shared content, and visible poll voter names. Status audiences see the status but may receive an anonymous group label instead of the poster's identity.
• Processors: Supabase provides database and private media storage in the selected EU region. [SMS PROVIDER] processes phone numbers and verification messages when production SMS is enabled. Hosting, security, support, and delivery providers may process data only under instructions and contract.
• Independent third parties: GIPHY can receive GIF searches, media requests, IP address, and device/browser data under its own privacy terms. App stores and operating systems process data independently.
• Authorities and affected parties: where disclosure is legally required or reasonably necessary to protect rights, safety, and service integrity.
• Business transfers: a buyer or successor may receive data under confidentiality and applicable law during a merger, financing, restructuring, or sale.

Annochat does not currently sell personal data or use it for behavioural advertising.

4. International transfers

Primary database and media storage are configured in the European Union. Some providers or their support operations may process data outside the European Economic Area. Before launch, identify each transfer and publish the applicable adequacy decision, Standard Contractual Clauses, supplementary safeguards, and how to obtain a copy: [TRANSFER DETAILS].

5. Retention

We may retain limited records longer when required by law, necessary to establish or defend legal claims, or needed to prevent fraud and repeated abuse. Retained data will be limited and access restricted.

6. Your data protection rights

Depending on applicable law, you can request access, correction, deletion, restriction, portability, or objection; withdraw consent; and complain to a supervisory authority. You may also object specifically to processing based on legitimate interests. We may verify your identity and will respond within the legally required period.

Send requests to [PRIVACY EMAIL]. You are not required to pay unless a request is manifestly unfounded or excessive where law permits a fee. You can complain to [LEAD DATA PROTECTION AUTHORITY] or the authority where you live or work.

7. Account and data deletion

You can delete your account from Profile > Account > Delete account. The authenticated deletion removes your account, sessions, verification records, contacts, invitations, messages, statuses, reactions, poll votes, and private media from the active service. Shared groups are transferred to another participant where possible; groups with no remaining participant are removed.

Before Google Play release, Annochat must also publish a public web deletion-request path and disclose the final backup deletion period and any information that must lawfully be retained.

8. Security

We use access controls, authenticated sessions, restricted database access, and private media storage. No service is completely secure. Before production, Annochat must enforce HTTPS, production secrets, session expiry and revocation controls, backups, monitoring, incident response, and tested restoration. Contact [SECURITY EMAIL] to report a vulnerability or suspected breach.

9. Children

Annochat is not directed to children under 16 and does not knowingly permit them to create accounts. If you believe a child has provided personal data contrary to this rule, contact [PRIVACY EMAIL].

10. Automated decisions and recommendations

Annochat does not currently make decisions producing legal or similarly significant effects solely by automated means. It does not currently rank chat content using a recommender system. If that changes, this notice and the Terms will describe the logic, significance, controls, and legal basis where required.

11. Local storage and permissions

The web app uses local browser storage for essential session, onboarding, and interface state. It does not currently use advertising cookies. Android uses secure local storage for the session and requests camera, photo/video, and contact permissions only when related features are used. You can manage device permissions in system settings, although a denied permission can disable the related feature.

12. Contact and complaints