Privacy policy
Last updated 3 August 2026
This explains what Fariin stores, what it cannot read, who else touches your data, and how to get rid of all of it. It is written to be read, not to be survived.
The short version
The contents of your messages and calls are encrypted so that only you and the person you are talking to can read or hear them. We cannot. What we do hold is the small amount of information needed to run an account and deliver a message: who you are, which devices you use, and when something was sent.
We do not sell anything about you, we do not show ads, and we do not upload your phone's address book.
What we store
Your account
When you sign up we store a username, a display name, and the phone number or email address you signed up with. If you add a profile photo, we store that too.
Profile photos and the display name are not end to end encrypted. They have to be readable by anyone allowed to see your profile, so treat them as public to the people you chat with.
Messages and media
Message text is encrypted on your phone before it leaves, and decrypted on the recipient's phone. We store the encrypted result so it can be delivered, along with the information needed to deliver it: who sent it, who it is for, and when. Photos, video, voice notes and files you send are stored the same way.
If you turn on disappearing messages, the message is removed once the timer runs out.
Calls
Voice and video calls are encrypted between the two phones. Most calls connect directly. When two phones cannot reach each other, which is common on mobile networks, the encrypted audio and video is relayed through a server so the call can happen at all. The relay passes the data on without being able to read it. We keep a record that a call took place, who it was between and how long it lasted.
Stories
A story is visible to the people you choose for twenty four hours, after which it is deleted. We record who viewed it so you can see that list.
Devices and notifications
We store a notification token for each device you sign in on, so your phone can be woken when a message or call arrives. We also keep a short record of the devices on your account so we can tell you when a new one signs in.
That new device email includes the approximate time, the device type and the IP address the sign in came from. We take the IP address from the connection itself rather than from anything the app tells us, so it cannot be faked by a client.
What we do not collect
- Your contacts. We do not upload your address book.
- Your location, unless you deliberately send a location in a message.
- Advertising identifiers. There are no ads and no ad networks in the app.
- Any analytics profile built for sale or for targeting.
Companies that process data for us
Fariin is small and does not own server hardware. These are the services it runs on, and what each one touches.
| Service | What it handles |
|---|---|
| Google Firebase | Accounts, the message database, and file storage. Message contents reach it already encrypted. |
| Apple Push Notification service | Waking your iPhone for a message or an incoming call. |
| Cloudflare | Relaying calls that cannot connect directly, and the website you are reading now. |
| LiveKit | Group calls with more than two people. |
| Resend | Sending the account emails described above. |
| Giphy | Searching for GIFs. A search you type there is sent to Giphy. |
We do not sell data to anyone, and none of the above is permitted to use your data for their own purposes.
Where your data is held
The message database and file storage run in the Middle East region of Google's cloud. Account emails are processed in Ireland. Call relays run on servers near whoever is calling, including in Mogadishu, Djibouti and Nairobi.
How long we keep things
- Messages stay until you or the other person deletes them, or until a disappearing timer removes them.
- Stories are deleted after twenty four hours.
- Device records are kept while the device is signed in.
Deleting your account
You can delete your account from inside the app. When you do, we email you and then wait thirty days before erasing anything, so that a deletion made in anger or by accident can be undone. Signing back in during those thirty days cancels it.
After thirty days we delete your stories and their media, your profile photo, your account record, and your sign in credentials. Messages you already sent to other people stay on their phones, in the same way a letter you posted stays with whoever received it.
Your rights
You can ask us what we hold about you, ask for a copy of it, ask us to correct it, or ask us to delete it. Write to support@fariin.com and we will answer within thirty days. If you are in the UK or the EU and you are not satisfied with our answer, you have the right to complain to your national data protection authority.
Children
Fariin is not intended for children under 13. If we learn that an account belongs to a child under 13, we delete it.
Changes to this policy
If this policy changes in a way that affects you, we will tell you in the app before the change takes effect. The date at the top always reflects the current version.
Contact
Write to support@fariin.com. For reports of abuse, write to abuse@fariin.com.