Privacy Policy
Last updated: 18 October 2026
WhisperLite is a private, low-data messenger made by StratPollen Studio ("we", "us"). This policy explains what information the app handles, why, and the choices you have. It applies to the WhisperLite web app at whisperlite.netlify.app and whisperlite.stratpollen.com, and to the WhisperLite app in app stores.
The short version
- Your messages, photos, files, voice messages, calls, names and profile pictures are end-to-end encrypted. We can't read, see or hear them.
- We don't ask for your phone number, email address or contacts.
- If you choose to send your location, it is end-to-end encrypted and only the people in that chat can see it. We never collect or store it.
- No ads, no advertising or analytics trackers, and we never sell your data.
- We only handle the small amount of technical information needed to deliver your messages and keep the service safe.
- You can delete your account in the app at any time.
1. End-to-end encrypted content
Everything you send in a chat is encrypted on your device before it leaves it. Only the people in that chat have the keys to unlock it. That includes:
- text messages, reactions and replies;
- photos, videos, files and voice messages;
- voice and video calls;
- your display name, profile picture, chat names and chat photos;
- thoughts you share (shown over your picture for 24 hours), and your time zone (used to show "their time" to the people you chat with; you can turn this off with "Show local time");
- locations you choose to send.
Location
WhisperLite only uses your location when you tap "Location" in a chat and confirm. It is never tracked in the background or shared live. The location is end-to-end encrypted like a message, so only the people in that chat can see it. We never collect or store it, and it is not used for ads or analytics. If someone taps "Open in Maps", their own maps app (such as Google Maps or Apple Maps) receives that location to show it, under that app's privacy policy.
Our servers only store and pass along the encrypted (scrambled) version, so the people in your chat can receive it. We cannot read it, and we cannot hand over readable copies to anyone.
2. Information we do handle
To run the service we process a limited amount of technical information that is not end-to-end encrypted:
Anonymous account ID
When you start using WhisperLite, the app creates a random, anonymous account ID. It isn't linked to your name, phone number or email. It's used to deliver messages and to apply security rules (for example, that only members of a chat can post in it).
Chat delivery information
Chats are identified by random codes. To deliver messages we store which anonymous IDs belong to which chat, when messages were sent, their size, and delivery and read receipts. If you turn on active status or seen status, the people in your chats can see when you are online or have read their messages. You can turn these off in Settings.
Notifications
If you allow notifications, your device gives us a push token so we can alert you about new messages and calls. The alert carries the new message still end-to-end encrypted, plus a code that tells your device which chat it belongs to. Neither we nor Google (which delivers the alert) can read it. Your device unlocks it with the chat's key and shows the sender's name, the message and the time. If you lock WhisperLite with a PIN or turn on the privacy screen, alerts only show the sender's name and "New message". With message previews off, they just say "New message".
Calls
Calls connect directly between devices where possible. As with any internet call, the devices on a call can see each other's IP addresses. When a direct connection isn't possible, the call is passed through a relay server run by Cloudflare. The relay sees IP addresses and how much data is sent, but not the content of the call, which stays encrypted.
Security and abuse protection
We use Firebase App Check with Google reCAPTCHA Enterprise to make sure requests come from the real WhisperLite app and not from bots. reCAPTCHA collects hardware and software information, such as device and app data, and sends it to Google for analysis. Google's Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply to that.
Problem reports and reports about other people
If you report another person, we receive the reason you pick, what you type, their display name and anonymous ID, the chat's random code, and only the messages you choose to include (up to 5 of the other person's recent messages, sent to us as readable text so we can review them; the AI assistant that writes the first reply reads them too). They are not told who reported them. If you send a report from Settings → Report a problem, we receive what you type. If you tick the option to include technical details, we also receive your device and browser type, app version and language. We use this only to fix problems.
Reports now also include your account's anonymous ID, so we can reply to you in the app. For a report about another person, we also receive their anonymous account ID, so we can suspend the account if it breaks our rules. Suspensions are decided by a person on our team, never automatically.
Limits on new accounts
To stop people making accounts in bulk for spam, each new account is checked once by our server. In the Android and iPhone apps, the app sends a scrambled code made from your phone's ID; in a browser, a random code your browser keeps. Our server also scrambles your internet address. We store only these scrambled codes, never the phone ID or the address itself, and use them only to count new accounts (up to 3 per phone in 30 days) and to block phones we've suspended for breaking our rules. We also note which scrambled code each new account was made with, so a suspension can cover the phone too. The counts are deleted after 30 days. Accounts that existed before this check aren't counted.
Help & support and the AI assistant
When you ask a question in Profile → Help & support, or send a report, we receive what you type, your anonymous account ID, your app version and language. An AI assistant (Claude, made by Anthropic) reads what you typed and writes a first reply, which appears in your Help & support conversation. Anthropic processes this text only to write the reply and does not use it to train its models. Our team can read the conversation and may reply too. AI replies can be wrong, so they're labelled as AI. The assistant never sees your chats, contacts or keys. Don't include passwords, PINs or recovery codes.
Anonymous usage totals
So we can see how the service is used and plan for growth, the app adds to simple daily totals for all users combined: how many people opened the app that day, how many messages were sent and how many calls were made, with their total length. The web app and our website also add to daily visit totals (page opens, visitors, and first-time visitors); your browser keeps a small note of the last day it was counted so each browser counts once a day. Your app and browser send only these numbers. They aren't stored with your account ID and never include anyone's messages, names, contacts or who you talked to.
Automatic error reports
If something in the app breaks, it sends us a short anonymous report so we can fix it: the error message, where in the app's code it happened, the app version and your device and browser type. It never includes your messages, names, photos, contacts or keys. We keep these reports for up to 30 days.
Purchases and tips
Premium is optional. If you buy it in an app store, the payment is handled by that store (for example, Google Play). We receive confirmation that a purchase is active, but not your card details. Voluntary tips on the website are handled by PayPal. PayPal shares the payment amount and the details you choose to give PayPal with us, under PayPal's privacy statement.
Website hosting
The app's files are served by Netlify. Like any web host, Netlify processes standard connection information (such as IP address and browser type) to deliver the files and protect the service.
3. Information stored only on your device
Your encryption keys, your PIN, your list of chats, saved messages and media you've opened, and your settings are kept on your own device. If you set a PIN, this data is locked with it. We never receive your PIN, and we can't recover it or your recovery code for you.
4. What we don't do
- We don't collect your phone number, email address, contacts, location or advertising ID. A location you choose to send in a chat is end-to-end encrypted and readable only by the people in that chat.
- We don't show ads or use advertising or analytics trackers.
- We don't sell or rent personal information, and we don't share it for advertising.
- We don't scan or analyse your messages. Because they're end-to-end encrypted, we can't.
5. Service providers
We use these companies to run WhisperLite. They process information only to provide their service to us:
| Provider | What for |
|---|---|
| Google Firebase (Google Cloud) | Anonymous sign-in, storing and relaying encrypted messages and files, push notifications, App Check. Chat data is stored in Google's Singapore region (asia-southeast1). |
| Cloudflare | Call relay when a direct connection isn't possible. |
| Netlify | Hosting the app's files. |
| Google Play / app stores | App distribution, Premium purchases and tips in the app. |
| PayPal | Voluntary tips on the website. |
| Anthropic | The AI assistant that writes first replies in Help & support (only the text you send there or in a report). |
These providers may process information in countries other than your own. They protect it under their own security and data-protection commitments.
6. How long we keep information
| Information | Kept for |
|---|---|
| Encrypted photos, videos, files and voice messages | 30 days after sending (free) or 1 year (Premium), then deleted automatically. |
| Encrypted text messages | Up to 30 days on our servers, long enough for every phone in the chat to receive them, then deleted automatically. They're removed sooner if the sender deletes them for everyone or a disappearing-message timer runs out. Your chat history stays on your phone. |
| Invite links | Expire after 24 hours by default. A group's link can be set to stay open for 7 or 30 days, and stops working sooner if it's reset. Expired invites are deleted within a day. |
| Your profile in each chat and your push registrations | Until you leave the chat or delete your account. |
| Encrypted backups (Premium) | Until you delete them or ask us to. |
| Problem reports, reports about other people, and Help & support conversations | Up to 1 year. |
| Scrambled phone and connection codes used to count new accounts | Counts: 30 days. The code an account was made with: 1 year. A suspended phone's code: until the suspension is lifted. |
| Automatic error reports | Up to 30 days. |
| Anonymous usage totals (all users combined) | Kept as long as the service runs. They can't be linked to you. |
7. Deleting your account and data
In the app: open Settings → Delete account and confirm. This removes your name and picture from all your chats, your notification registrations and your anonymous account, and erases all WhisperLite data on that device. Messages you already sent may remain in encrypted form, which no one can read without the chat key, until they expire or are deleted as described above.
Delete some of your data, without deleting your account:
- A message: press and hold it, then tap Delete for everyone (removes it from our servers and everyone's phones) or Delete for me.
- A whole chat: on the chat list, swipe the chat left and tap Delete (clears it from your phone).
- Your name and picture in a chat: open the chat, tap ⋯ → Leave chat. Your profile is removed from that chat.
- Your profile picture: go to Profile, tap your picture, then Remove photo.
- Cloud vault backup (Premium): ask us by email at whisperlite-support@stratpollen.com, or in the app under Profile → Report a problem, and we'll delete it.
Messages are removed from our servers after 30 days in any case; media after 30 days (free) or 1 year (Premium).
By email: you can also ask us to delete data by writing to whisperlite-support@stratpollen.com. Because accounts are anonymous, please send the request from the app if you can. If you can't, tell us roughly when you used the app and we'll do our best to help.
8. Security
We use end-to-end encryption, encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS), strict server security rules and App Check to protect the service. No system is perfectly secure, but we design WhisperLite so that even we can't read your conversations.
9. Children
WhisperLite is not intended for children under 13, or under the minimum age for online services in your country. We don't knowingly collect information from children. If you believe a child is using WhisperLite, contact us and we'll help.
10. Your rights
Depending on where you live (for example, under the GDPR, the Philippine Data Privacy Act or California law), you may have the right to access, correct, delete or object to the processing of your personal information. Because WhisperLite is anonymous and end-to-end encrypted, we hold very little that can be linked to you. To make a request, email whisperlite-support@stratpollen.com.
11. Changes to this policy
If we change this policy, we'll update the date above and, for important changes, let you know in the app.
12. Contact
StratPollen Studio
Email: whisperlite-support@stratpollen.com