Privacy Policy
Effective date: 2026-10-12
HeyYou is a location-based chat app for meeting the people around you. It is built to know as little about you as possible: there is no sign-up with a phone number or email, and almost everything you share disappears after 24 hours.
HeyYou is operated by L.D ("we", "us"). If you have any question about this policy, write to support@heyyou.app.
1. The short version
- You use HeyYou with a nickname. We never ask for your name, phone number or email.
- Other people see an approximate location for you, never your exact one. Your precise location is never stored on our servers.
- Messages, voice notes, "hey"s and your spot on the map are deleted automatically, generally within 24 hours.
- We do not sell your data, share it for advertising, or track you across other apps and websites. There are no ads in HeyYou.
- You can delete everything at any time from Settings → Delete my data.
2. What we collect and why
Account. When you open the app, we create an anonymous account identified by a random ID. It is not linked to your name, phone number or email. We use it to keep your session on this device and to connect what you send to your profile.
Profile. The nickname, emoji avatar and colour you choose, your optional "What are you thinking about?" status, and your settings (who can say hey to you, notifications, read receipts). Other users can see your nickname, avatar, colour and status.
Location. With your permission, the app reads your device's location while you are using it. Before anything leaves your phone, the location is rounded to an approximate point (about a hundred metres) and to a wider area code. Only that approximate point and area are stored, and they are used to show you on the map to people nearby, to put you in your area's public room, and to show distances such as "about 1 mile away". Your exact coordinates are never stored on our servers or shown to other users. On your phone, the precise location is also used to centre your own map, which loads map images from Mapbox (see section 4), and to look up the name of your area using Apple's location service. Ghost mode takes you off the map entirely.
Messages and voice notes. What you write in public area rooms, private chats and groups, and voice notes you record. Public room messages are visible to anyone in that area. Private messages are visible to the other person in the chat. We use message content only to deliver it, to apply automated filters against prohibited content, and to review it if it is reported.
"Hey"s and chat activity. Who you said hey to and whether they replied, when a chat was last delivered and read on each side (shown as ticks, unless read receipts are off), and unread counts.
Safety records. Blocks you make, and reports you file or that are filed about you, including the reason and any note, so we can review them and act.
Notifications. If you allow notifications, a push token from Apple, used only to send you HeyYou notifications.
Technical data. To keep the service secure and working, our providers process standard technical information such as IP address, device model, operating system and app version, and server logs.
Crash reports. If the app crashes, it sends a crash report (the error, device model, operating system and app version) so we can fix the problem. Crash reports do not include your messages or your location.
On your device only. Some data is stored only on your phone, for example drafts, display preferences, whether ghost mode is on, which rooms you have already read, and your session. It is removed when you delete your data or the app.
We do not collect your contacts, photos, real name, phone number, email, or precise location history.
3. How long we keep it
| Data | Kept for |
|---|---|
| Public room messages, private messages, voice notes | Automatically deleted, generally within 24 hours |
| Your spot on the map | Updated while the app is open; deleted within 24 hours of your last activity, or immediately in ghost mode or when you delete your data |
| "Hey"s | Up to 24 hours |
| Profile and settings | Until you delete your data |
| Reports and moderation records, including copies of the reported messages and voice notes | Up to 90 days, or longer if required by law or needed to handle a safety issue |
| Daily limits (for example, hey and report limits) | Up to 2 days |
| Crash reports and technical logs at our providers | According to their standard retention, typically up to 90 days |
Automatic deletion runs on a schedule, so some items may remain for a short time after they expire.
4. Who we share it with
Other users see what you choose to show: your nickname, avatar, colour, status, approximate location and distance, and the messages you send them or their area.
Service providers that run the app for us, under their own data protection terms:
- Google Firebase (authentication, database, cloud functions, file storage, app attestation, crash reporting, push delivery), which hosts our data in the United States.
- Mapbox, which supplies the map. Your device requests map images directly from Mapbox, which receives your IP address and the area of the map being viewed.
- Apple, which delivers push notifications and provides the location service your phone uses to name your area.
Push notifications show the sender's nickname and a short preview of the message, so that content passes through Apple's and Google's notification services to reach your phone.
Legal and safety. We may disclose information if we believe it is required by law, or necessary to protect someone's safety, to investigate abuse, or to enforce our Terms. We report child sexual exploitation material to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC).
We do not sell or rent personal information, and we do not share it for targeted advertising.
5. Your choices and controls
- Ghost mode removes you from the map while you keep chatting.
- Who can say hey to me controls who can start a chat with you.
- Read receipts can be turned off. Then nobody sees when you have read their messages, and you do not see theirs.
- Location and notifications can be turned off in your phone's settings at any time.
- Block anyone, and they will no longer see you or reach you.
- Delete my data (Settings) permanently deletes your profile, nickname, map presence, chats you are part of with their messages and your voice notes, your hey's, blocks and settings, and your anonymous account. This cannot be undone.
You can also email support@heyyou.app to ask for access to, correction of, or deletion of your data. Because accounts are anonymous, we may ask for details from the app (such as your nickname and area) to find your account.
6. Children
HeyYou is only for people 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 18. If we learn that a user is under 18, we will delete their account and data. If you believe a minor is using HeyYou, please report them in the app or write to support@heyyou.app.
7. Security
Data is encrypted in transit, and access is limited by security rules on our servers. No system is perfectly secure, so please do not share anything in HeyYou that you would not want others to see.
8. International users
We are based in the United States and our providers process data there. By using HeyYou outside the United States, you understand that your information will be transferred to and processed in the United States.
9. Additional information for California residents
Under California law (CCPA/CPRA) you have the right to know what personal information we collect, to ask us to delete or correct it, and not to be discriminated against for using these rights. We do not sell or share personal information as those terms are defined in that law, and we do not use sensitive personal information to infer characteristics about you. Approximate location is used only to provide the app's features. To make a request, use Delete my data in the app or email support@heyyou.app.
10. Additional information for users in the EU, EEA and UK
L.D is the controller of your personal data. We rely on these legal bases:
- Performance of a contract, to provide the app you asked to use (account, profile, messaging, map).
- Consent, for location and notifications, which you can withdraw in your phone's settings at any time.
- Legitimate interests, to keep HeyYou safe and secure (filters, reports, abuse prevention, technical logs).
- Legal obligation, where the law requires us to keep or disclose information.
You have the right to access, correct, delete, restrict or object to processing of your data, to data portability, and to complain to your local data protection authority. Contact us at support@heyyou.app.
11. Changes to this policy
If we change this policy, we will update the effective date above, and for significant changes we will tell you in the app before they apply.
12. Contact
L.D Email: support@heyyou.app Website: https://heyyou.app