Privacy Policy
Muteiny is operated by Trevanyaki Technologies LLC (“Muteiny,” “we,” “us,” or “our”). This Privacy Policy applies to the Muteiny mobile application and website at muteiny.com. It explains what information we collect, how we use it, and your choices.
Information we collect
Account information
- Phone number — used to sign you in via SMS verification, to match you with group invitations, and stored on our servers as part of your account (including your phone number in standard formats we use to operate the service).
- Display name — the name you choose to show to other people in your groups.
- Personal display names — optional names you choose for other members so they appear the way you prefer in your app. These are stored on your account and are visible only to you, not to the people you name.
- Profile picture — an optional photo you upload to represent yourself in conversations and group member lists, stored on our servers.
Messages and content
- Messages and reactions — text messages, emoji reactions, and related metadata (such as timestamps) that you send in groups.
- Photos and videos — media you attach to messages, stored so other group members can view them.
- Group and topic data — group names, topic names, group pictures, membership, your notification preferences (such as muted or hidden topics), pinned groups and topics, and information needed to run the app (such as which messages you have read in a group).
- Edited messages — if you edit a message, we may retain prior versions as part of the message record.
Invitations
- When someone invites you to a group, we may store a hashed version of your phone number, a partially masked phone number, and limited invite metadata (such as a contact-book label the inviter chose) until you join.
- When you invite others, we store similar hashed identifiers, masked phone numbers, and optional contact labels for pending invitees.
- If you invite someone who is already on Muteiny, you may choose a contact-book label for them that we store so your group can display a familiar name.
Device permissions
- Contacts — if you grant permission, Muteiny shows an in-app explanation before requesting access. Contacts are read on your device to help you search and invite people. We do not upload your full address book. Contact data stays on your device except when you invite someone, as described under Invitations above. You can enable access from Settings or when adding people to a group.
- Photo library — if you grant permission, you can attach photos and videos from your library to messages, and save photos or videos from messages to your library.
- Camera and microphone — if you grant permission, you can take photos and record videos with sound directly in the app to send in messages. Captured media is handled the same as photos and videos selected from your library.
- Push notifications — if you grant permission, we collect device push tokens (including Expo and Firebase Cloud Messaging tokens) and store them with your account so we can deliver notifications about new messages and activity in your groups.
On-device processing
Some features process data entirely on your device without sending it to our servers:
- Message search — Muteiny builds a local search index of your messages on your device so you can search across conversations. The index is stored only on your phone and is not uploaded.
- Topic title suggestions — on-device software may suggest topic titles from the message text you are composing.
- Video compression and trimming — videos are compressed and trimmed on your device before uploading.
Automatically collected information
Our infrastructure provider (Google Firebase) may process standard technical data necessary to operate the service, such as device type, app version, and IP address, as part of delivering authentication, storage, and notifications.
How we use information
We use the information above to:
- Provide, maintain, and improve the Muteiny messaging service
- Authenticate you and keep you signed in
- Deliver messages, media, and push notifications to you and your groups
- Process group invitations and membership
- Respond to support requests and protect the security of the service
We do not sell your personal information. We do not use third-party advertising analytics in the app.
Where we process data
We use service providers in the United States (including Google Firebase) to host and operate Muteiny. If you use the service from outside the United States, your information may be transferred to and processed in the United States.
How we share information
We share information only in these circumstances:
- With other group members — your display name, profile picture, messages, reactions, and media are visible to people in the groups you belong to.
- With service providers — we use Google Firebase (Authentication, Cloud Firestore, Cloud Storage, Cloud Functions, and Firebase Cloud Messaging) to operate Muteiny, and Resend to email moderation reports to our support team. These providers process data on our behalf under their terms and privacy policies.
- With Giphy — if you use the GIF picker, your search queries are sent to Giphy to retrieve results. Giphy may collect technical data such as your IP address in accordance with their privacy policy. We do not send your account information to Giphy.
- For legal reasons — if required by law or to protect the rights, safety, and security of Muteiny, our users, or others.
Data retention
We retain your account information, messages, and media for as long as your account is active and as needed to provide the service. If you leave a group, you will no longer see that group's content in the app; other members may still have access to messages you sent while you were in the group. To delete your account and associated data, use Settings → Delete account in the app (phone verification required) or contact us at support@muteiny.com.
Safety, reporting, and blocking
You can report a message from the message actions menu to flag objectionable content. You can also block someone from their profile or from a message. When you block someone, you leave any direct chats with them and their messages are hidden from group chats you share (including notifications and unread indicators). Blocked people cannot start a new chat with you or add you to groups. When blocking, you may choose to report them for review or block only. If you report (a message or a user), we store their user ID, optional message and group context, a reason when provided, and a timestamp. We email new reports to our support inbox (via our email provider) so we can review them within 24 hours and may remove content or suspend accounts that violate our Terms.
Security
We use industry-standard measures through Firebase and application-level access controls to protect your data. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
Children's privacy
Muteiny is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us personal information, please contact us and we will take steps to delete it.
Your choices and rights
- You can update your display name and profile picture in Settings.
- You can set personal display names for other members from their profile (visible only to you).
- You can leave groups at any time.
- You can report messages and block users from the app; you may optionally report someone when blocking (see Safety section above).
- You can delete your account from Settings (phone verification required).
- You can revoke contacts, photo library, camera, microphone, or notification permissions in your device settings.
- You can sign out of Muteiny from Settings.
Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, or receive a copy of your personal information, or to object to or restrict certain processing. To exercise these rights, contact privacy@muteiny.com.
Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will post the revised policy on this page and update the “Last updated” date above.
Contact us
Trevanyaki Technologies LLC operates Muteiny. Questions about this Privacy Policy? Email privacy@muteiny.com or support@muteiny.com.