ChatVia Privacy Policy: What We Collect & Your Rights

ChatVia is run by Immersive Mobile Designs Private Limited ("ChatVia," "we," "us"), 203, Shree Kashi Parekh Complex, Near Swastik Cross Roads, Navarangpura, Ahmedabad - 380009, Gujarat, India. Under India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (the "DPDP Act") we are the Data Fiduciary for the personal data described here, and you are the Data Principal.

This policy covers the ChatVia apps for web, Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS, and the chatvia.in website. Questions: privacy@chatvia.in.

We collect only what we need to run ChatVia. For each kind of data, here is what it is and what we use it for:

• Account details: your email address, username, display name, profile photo and "about" text. If you sign in with Google or Apple, the account ID they give us. Used to create your account, sign you in with one-time codes, show your profile to people you chat with, and send you service emails (sign-in codes, account and billing notices). We do not send marketing emails.
• Messages and media: the messages, photos, videos, voice notes, files, reactions and polls you send, and the groups you are in. Used only to deliver your messages and keep your chats in sync across your devices.
• People you interact with: the people you chat with, add as contacts, block or report, and chat requests you send or receive. Used to run those features. We do not read or upload your phone's address book.
• Devices and sign-in sessions: device name and ID, IP address, browser or app version, and when each session was last active. Used to keep your account secure and to show your list of signed-in devices.
• Notification tokens: the push token Apple or Google gives your device. Used only to send you notifications.
• Online status: whether you are online and when you were last seen. Used to show this to people you chat with.
• Payment details: your plan, payment history, and the phone number our payment partner needs for billing and AutoPay. Card, UPI and bank details go straight to Cashfree or Apple; we never see or store them. Used to bill you, manage your plan and keep tax records.
• Storage usage: how much storage your files use. Used to apply your plan's storage limit.
• Reports, support and feedback: reports you file (with the IP address they came from), messages you send to ChatVia Support, and ratings or feedback you give. Used to keep ChatVia safe, answer you and improve the app.
• Crash reports: on Android and iOS, if the app crashes, Google Firebase Crashlytics collects the crash details, device model and OS version, and on iOS your ChatVia user ID. Used only to find and fix bugs.
• Server logs: technical records of requests to our servers (IP address, time, request and result). Used for security, fixing problems and meeting legal duties.

We process your personal data because you agree to it. Before you sign in, you tick a box to confirm that you meet the minimum age (see Children) and that you agree to this policy and our Terms. You cannot sign in without ticking it. We keep a record of which version you agreed to and when.

The law also lets us use some data without asking, for "legitimate uses" under section 7 of the DPDP Act: for example, to follow a law or a court order, or in a medical emergency.

You can withdraw your consent at any time, as easily as you gave it, by deleting your account in the app's Settings or by emailing privacy@chatvia.in. After that we stop processing your data and erase it, except what the law requires us to keep (see Data retention). Withdrawing does not affect anything we did before. Without consent we cannot run your account, so withdrawing means your account is closed.

• Other ChatVia users: anyone signed in to ChatVia can find you by your email address or username, and sees your username, display name, profile photo, "about" text, online status and last seen. People you chat with see the messages you send them.
• ChatVia staff: messages are encrypted on our servers, but today ChatVia can technically decrypt them. Only a small number of security staff can do so, they must record a reason, and every access is logged. Moderators see the messages that users report to them. Full end-to-end encryption, where we cannot read your messages at all, is planned for v1.0. See /security.
• Service providers: the companies listed below, only for the job we use them for.
• Authorities: government agencies or courts, only when Indian law requires us to share data with them.

• Sell your personal data, or share it with data brokers or advertisers.
• Show ads, or use advertising identifiers.
• Use your messages for analytics, profiling, advertising or training AI models.
• Track children or show them targeted content.

These companies process personal data for us, under our instructions, and only for the purpose shown:

• Hostinger (Mumbai, India): hosts our servers, database and file storage. All your account data, messages and media are stored here.
• Zoho ZeptoMail (India): sends our emails (sign-in codes, account and billing notices). Receives your email address and the email content.
• Cashfree Payments (India): processes payments and AutoPay on web and Android. Receives your name, email, billing phone number and payment amount.
• Apple: App Store purchases, Sign in with Apple, and notifications to Apple devices (APNs).
• Google: Sign in with Google, notifications to Android and web (Firebase Cloud Messaging), and crash reports (Firebase Crashlytics).

Notifications include the sender's name and a short preview of the message, so that text passes through Apple or Google to reach your device. When you post a link, our server visits that web page to build a preview; the website sees our server, not you.

Your account data, messages and media are stored in India. Apple and Google may process the data they handle for us (sign-in, notifications and crash reports) on servers outside India. We transfer data abroad only as section 16 of the DPDP Act allows, and never to a country the Government of India has restricted.

The chatvia.in website sets no tracking cookies and runs no advertising or third-party tracking. If we count visits, we use cookieless analytics that do not identify you. The web app uses one secure cookie only to keep you signed in. Inside the apps, the only third-party tool that collects data automatically is Firebase Crashlytics, described above.

We keep personal data only as long as we need it for the purpose above, or as long as the law requires:

• Account details: while your account is open. When you delete your account, we remove your name, username, email, profile photo and sign-in links straight away.
• Messages: until they are deleted. Messages you already sent stay with the people you sent them to, shown as from "Deleted User", in the same way a delivered letter stays with its reader. Deleting a message "for me" hides it only for you.
• Media over your plan's storage limit: deleted 30 days after a paid plan ends, if you have not renewed or freed up space.
• Signed-in sessions: removed when you sign out, or after 30 days without use.
• Notification tokens: removed when you sign out of that device.
• Sign-in codes: expire after 10 minutes.
• Payment and invoice records: kept for as long as tax and company law require (currently up to 8 years), even after your account is deleted.
• Reports and moderation records: kept as long as needed to keep ChatVia safe and to deal with legal claims.
• Server logs and records of consent: kept for at least one year, as the DPDP Rules require.

All traffic to ChatVia is encrypted with HTTPS. Messages are stored encrypted. Passwords are hashed with Argon2 and sign-in tokens are hashed. Only a few staff can read message content, and every such access is logged. If a personal data breach happens, we will tell the affected users and the Data Protection Board of India as the DPDP Act requires, including what happened, what it means for you and what we are doing about it. Report security issues to security@chatvia.in.

Under the DPDP Act you have the right to:

• Get a summary of your data: what personal data we hold about you, how we use it, and who we have shared it with (section 11). Email us.
• Correct and update it: change your name, username, profile photo and "about" text in the app's Settings. For anything else, such as your email address, email us (section 12).
• Erase it: delete your account in the app's Settings, or email us. Retention above explains what the law makes us keep (section 12).
• Withdraw consent: see Your consent above (section 6).
• Nominate someone: name a person who can use these rights for you if you die or become unable to. Email us their name and contact details (section 14).
• Raise a grievance: see below (section 13).

To use any right, email privacy@chatvia.in from the email address on your account, so we can confirm it is you. We answer within the times shown under Grievances. You may also ask for this policy in any language listed in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India.

If you have a complaint about how we handle your personal data, contact our Grievance Officer: [NAME], [DESIGNATION], Immersive Mobile Designs Private Limited, 203, Shree Kashi Parekh Complex, Near Swastik Cross Roads, Navarangpura, Ahmedabad - 380009, Gujarat, India. Email: grievance@chatvia.in. You can also message ChatVia Support inside the app.

We acknowledge every complaint within 24 hours and resolve it within 15 days. If you are not satisfied with our answer, you can complain to the Data Protection Board of India. Please contact us first: the DPDP Act asks you to use our grievance process before going to the Board.

You must be at least 13 years old to register for and use ChatVia, or such greater age as required in your country or territory. In India, under the DPDP Act, anyone under 18 is a child and needs a parent's verifiable consent, which ChatVia does not offer, so in India you must be 18 or older. In the European Union, you must be at least the age your country sets for agreeing to online services yourself (between 13 and 16). We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone below these ages. If we learn that such a person has an account, we will delete it. If you believe this has happened, email privacy@chatvia.in.

This is version 2026-10-07, in effect from 7 October 2026. If we change this policy in a way that matters, we will update this page and ask you to agree to the new version the next time you sign in. Small fixes, such as typos, do not need a new agreement.

Privacy questions and requests: privacy@chatvia.in. Grievances: grievance@chatvia.in. Security issues: security@chatvia.in. Post: Immersive Mobile Designs Private Limited, 203, Shree Kashi Parekh Complex, Near Swastik Cross Roads, Navarangpura, Ahmedabad - 380009, Gujarat, India.