Privacy Policy

About this policy

SaiChat is a text and voice messaging app for people and businesses. This policy explains what information SaiChat collects, why we collect it, how long we keep it and the choices you have. It applies to the SaiChat Android app and the website saichat.in.

Information we collect

• Account: your name, mobile number, the "about" line you write and the picture style you choose (letters or an emoji with colours — SaiChat has no photo uploads).
• Messages: the text and voice messages you send and receive, with their time, delivery and read status, replies, 👍 reactions, stars, and whether a message was edited, forwarded or deleted.
• Groups: group names, descriptions, members, roles, permissions, invite links and join requests.
• Chat notes: the notes, reminders, scheduled (Auto send) messages and time slots you create.
• Settings: your app settings, Quick Reply shortcuts, chat lists, favourites, pinned, archived, muted and locked chats, and your Bin. Your chat lock PIN is stored only in a protected (hashed) form, never as the PIN itself.
• Device and activity: your phone's name and model, a notification token, when you were last active and whether you are online.
• Reports and blocks you make.

SaiChat does not read your phone's contact list, location, photos, videos or files. The app shows no ads and has no third-party analytics or tracking tools.

Permissions the app asks for

• Microphone — only while you record a voice message.
• Notifications — to tell you about new messages and reminders.
• Alarms & reminders — so reminders and scheduled notes fire at the exact minute.
• Start after restart — to set your reminders again after your phone restarts.
• Internet and network state — to send and receive messages.

How we use information

We use your information only to run and improve SaiChat: to create your account and verify your number, deliver your messages and voice messages, keep them in sync on your phones, show read receipts, online status and last seen, send notifications and reminders, send your scheduled messages at the time you choose (even when your phone is off), keep your account secure, stop spam and abuse, and answer your questions. We do not sell your personal information and we do not use your messages for advertising.

Login with WhatsApp

To check that a mobile number is yours, SaiChat sends a one-time code to that number on WhatsApp, using Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform. To deliver this code, your mobile number and the code are shared with WhatsApp (Meta).

Who can see your information

• People you chat with see your name, about line, picture, online status and last seen, and receive the messages you send in that chat. If you turn off read receipts, others do not see when you have read or played their messages.
• When you chat with a business, your messages in that chat go to that business, including any automated replies it has set up.
• Service providers that help us run SaiChat: Google Firebase (Google Cloud) for servers, database, login, cloud functions and notifications, and WhatsApp (Meta) for login codes.
• Authorities, when the law requires it, or when needed to protect our users and SaiChat.

We never sell your data.

Where we store information and for how long

• Your information is stored on Google Firebase servers in India (Mumbai region).
• Messages and voice messages are deleted automatically 60 days after they are sent.
• Starred messages: the text stays in your Starred messages until you unstar it, even after 60 days.
• Messages you delete and chats you clear stay in your Bin for 60 days, where you can restore them, and are then deleted.
• On your phone, you choose to keep 15, 30 or 60 days of messages. Starred messages are always kept.
• A message that cannot reach our servers within 5 minutes is never sent. It stays only on your phone until it is removed after 60 days or you delete it.
• A group with no messages for 60 days is deleted automatically, after warnings 7 days and 1 day before.
• Scheduled messages leave your notes once they are sent.
• When you delete your account, you leave all your groups; your profile, settings, notes, starred messages, Bin, lists and chat lock PIN are deleted; and you are logged out on all phones. Messages you already sent stay with the people you sent them to until they are deleted after 60 days.

Your choices and rights

You can edit your profile, turn off read receipts, mute, block or report anyone, delete messages (for everyone within 24 hours of sending), clear chats, lock chats with a PIN, log out your other phones, and delete your account at any time from Settings → Delete account. You can also email us to ask for a copy of your data, to correct it or to delete it. If you are in India, you have these rights under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, including the right to have your complaints addressed.

Security

Messages travel over encrypted connections and are stored encrypted on our servers. Messages are not end-to-end encrypted — this is what lets SaiChat send your scheduled messages and deliver messages to businesses. Access to stored data is limited to authorised systems and people. Please keep your phone, your login code and your chat lock PIN to yourself.

Children

SaiChat is not meant for children under 13. If you are under 18, use SaiChat only with the permission of a parent or guardian.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we change the "Last updated" date. For important changes, we may also tell you in the app.

Contact us

Questions, requests or complaints about privacy? Email support@saichat.in.