Privacy Policy

Last updated: September 2026

1. Age Requirement

HearMe is strictly for users aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly allow anyone under 18 to use the Service.

We use automated systems to detect signals that a user may be under 18. If we detect or are informed that a user is under 18, we will terminate their access and delete their account, subject to safety records we are required to keep (see Section 4).

If you believe a minor is using HearMe, report them in-app or email support@hearme.chat.

2. Information We Collect

Automatically

  • IP address, and the country derived from it (via Cloudflare)
  • Session ID and device identifier
  • Browser and basic device information
  • Pages visited, and time and duration of visits
  • If you use our Android app: a push-notification token for your device (so calls and replies can reach you), the app version, and the result of a Google Play Integrity check

Information you give us

  • Email address (if you create an account, or sign in with Google)
  • Username, avatar, and profile details you choose to add (such as a display name and the interests you list)
  • Chat preferences: interests, gender filter, country/region filter
  • Payment details — handled entirely by our payment processor. We never see or store your full card number.

Generated by your use of the Service

  • XP, level, friends list, room and community memberships
  • Direct messages, room messages, and requests you post
  • Bottles: short voice notes (up to 15 seconds) you choose to leave for the next person
  • Reports you submit, or that are submitted about you
  • Safety and moderation records (see Section 4)

3. How We Use Your Data

  • To match you with other users and run text chat, voice calls, rooms, requests, and direct messages
  • To create and manage your account, and provide Premium features you purchase
  • To keep the platform safe — detect abuse, minors, fraud, and illegal activity
  • To act on reports and enforce our Terms of Service
  • To understand usage and improve the Service
  • To comply with the law and respond to lawful requests

We do not sell your personal data.

Legal bases (for users in the EU/EEA, UK, and similar jurisdictions): performance of a contract (running the Service you asked for), legitimate interests (safety, abuse prevention, improvement), legal obligation (safety and law-enforcement duties), and consent (analytics cookies and marketing emails, where applicable).

4. Safety, Moderation, and Automated Scanning

You should understand exactly what this means in practice.

Automated checks. Messages sent on HearMe pass automated checks by software. Today these detect:

  • Users who state or indicate that they are under 18
  • In rooms, words on a prohibited-terms list
  • Spam patterns, through rate limits and a bot challenge

Consequences. If your message is flagged, it may be blocked from delivery, and you may receive a warning, have your chat ended, or have your account suspended or permanently banned.

Safety records. When our systems flag content, or when a user reports you, we create a safety record. This can include the message content, the matched text, your user or session ID, your IP address, and a timestamp. These records are kept for up to 12 months — longer if legally required or if needed for an ongoing investigation — so we can enforce bans, catch repeat offenders, and respond to lawful requests.

Human review. Flagged content and reports may be reviewed by our moderation team.

Abuse prevention. We use Cloudflare Turnstile to prevent abuse. It runs only when we see unusually rapid activity, such as many new chats or messages in a short time, and it may process your IP address and browser details to do so. See Cloudflare's Privacy Policy at https://www.cloudflare.com/privacypolicy/.

Voice calls. Audio is transmitted peer-to-peer using WebRTC, and relayed through our servers only when a direct connection isn't possible. We do not record or store your calls. Every one-to-one call is private. The only exception is a report: the person you are talking to can send us the last 60 seconds of audio held in their browser or app, which a person on our team reviews and which we delete within 7 days. Reported audio is not transcribed automatically. There is no video on HearMe.

Law enforcement and child safety. We will preserve and disclose data to law enforcement or child-protection authorities where we are legally required to, or where we believe in good faith it is necessary to prevent serious harm — including any case involving child sexual exploitation or abuse. We have zero tolerance for this content.

5. What We Store, and What We Don't

TypeStored?
Random 1-on-1 text chatNot stored after delivery — except when flagged by our safety systems or included in a report
Random 1-on-1 voice callsNot recorded
Direct messages with friendsStored, so you can see your history
Room and community messagesStored, so members can see channel history
Reported chatsStored as part of the report, so moderators can see context
Bottles (voice notes you leave for the next person)Stored for up to 48 hours, then deleted with the audio
Safety-flagged messagesStored for up to 12 months (Section 4)

6. Cookies and Local Storage

Essential cookies handle your session and keep you signed in. These are required for the Service to work.

Analytics. We measure page views with Google Analytics 4. It loads only after you accept cookies in the banner and never after you decline; until you accept, no analytics script runs and no analytics cookie is set.

Advertising. If we show ads, advertising cookies (for example from Google AdSense) are set only after you accept them in the cookie banner. Declining keeps ads non-personalised and does not affect your access to HearMe.

Local storage remembers your preferences (sound, theme).

You can clear cookies and local storage at any time to reset your session.

7. Third-Party Services

Each has its own privacy practices:

  • Cloudflare — CDN, security, country detection
  • KLIPY — GIF search and sharing in chat
  • Google Analytics — usage statistics, only after you accept analytics cookies (website) or turn analytics on (Android app)
  • Google OAuth — optional sign-in with Google
  • Our payment processor — Premium subscription billing (we do not store full card details)
  • Zoho Mail — handling email sent to our support address
  • Google Play Billing — Premium bought in the Android app
  • Firebase Cloud Messaging (Google) — delivers the Android app's incoming calls and notifications
  • Firebase Crashlytics (Google) — crash reports from the Android app
  • Google Play Integrity — checks that requests come from the genuine Android app on a real device, to prevent abuse

8. Data Retention

  • Random 1-on-1 text chat: kept for up to 24 hours so moderators can see context if someone reports, then deleted
  • Reported voice clips (last 60 seconds): deleted within 7 days
  • Bottles (voice notes up to 15 seconds): deleted after 48 hours
  • Android app push tokens: until you sign out, turn notifications off, or delete your account
  • Session data: 30 days after last activity
  • Guest sessions: automatically deleted after 30 days of inactivity
  • Account data: until you request deletion
  • Safety and moderation records: up to 12 months, or longer where legally required or needed for an ongoing investigation
  • Ban records: kept for as long as the ban is in effect
  • Billing records: as required by tax and accounting law

9. Your Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, object to or restrict our processing of your data, withdraw consent, request data portability, and complain to your local data protection authority.

To exercise any of these, email support@hearme.chat. We'll respond within the time required by applicable law, and may need to verify your identity first.

Please note: we may decline a deletion request for safety records, ban records, or data we're legally required to keep. Deleting your account does not lift a ban.

10. International Data Transfers

HearMe is available globally. Your data may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your own, including by the third-party providers listed in Section 7. Where required, we rely on appropriate safeguards for those transfers.

11. Security and Data Breaches

We use HTTPS/TLS encryption, access controls, and encrypted backups. No system is completely secure, and we can't guarantee absolute security.

If we become aware of a breach that poses a risk to you, we will notify affected users and the relevant authorities as required by law.

12. Children's Privacy

HearMe is not for anyone under 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 18.

If you are under 18, do not use this Service and do not send us any personal information.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe a child under 18 has given us personal information, contact support@hearme.chat and we will delete it and terminate the account.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy. The "Last updated" date will change, and material changes will be announced on the Service. Continuing to use HearMe after a change means you accept the updated policy.

14. Contact

support@hearme.chat