AeroChat
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Privacy
AeroChat privacy policy
AeroChat lets people near each other, for example on the same plane, chat over Bluetooth with no internet involved. The app does not request internet access at all, so it cannot reach any server and we receive nothing. There is no account and no sign-in.
What leaves your phone, and to whom
AeroChat is a peer-to-peer mesh. What you send goes directly to other phones running AeroChat nearby, and may be relayed onward by those phones so it can reach people beyond direct radio range. That includes:
- The display name you choose, so others can see who is nearby.
- The messages you send, with the name of the group they belong to if any.
- A random identifier created when you first open the app, used to route direct messages. It is not tied to your phone's hardware, your phone number or any account.
None of this is sent to us or to any company. It only travels between participating devices.
Messages are not encrypted
Please read this. Messages, including direct messages, are sent in the clear. Anyone nearby running AeroChat, or anyone with Bluetooth monitoring equipment, can read what you send, including people you did not mean to reach. The mesh relays traffic through strangers' phones by design.
Treat AeroChat like speaking out loud in the cabin. Do not send anything private or sensitive, and choose a display name you are comfortable showing to strangers.
What is stored on your phone
AeroChat keeps your display name, the names of the groups you joined and the random identifier in the app's storage on your phone. Messages and the list of people nearby are kept in memory only and disappear when the app is closed. Uninstalling the app removes everything.
Permissions
- Bluetooth, to find nearby phones and exchange messages with them.
- Location, on Android 11 and older only. Those Android versions require it before an app may scan for Bluetooth devices. AeroChat does not read your position, does not track you and sends no location data. On newer Android versions and on iPhone it is not requested.
- Notifications, on Android, to show that the mesh is running in the background and to give you a Stop button.
What AeroChat does not do
- No internet access of any kind. The permission is not even requested.
- No analytics, crash reporting SDKs, ads, advertising identifier or tracking.
- No account, no phone number, no contact details collected.
- No data sold or shared with companies.
App Store and Google Play
You download AeroChat from Apple's App Store or Google Play. Apple and Google process data about your purchase and download under their own privacy policies. If you have agreed in your device settings to share analytics with app developers, they may send us aggregated, anonymous usage statistics and crash reports. These do not identify you, and we only use them to fix problems in the app.
Children
AeroChat lets you talk openly with strangers nearby and is intended for adults. It is not directed at children.
Your rights
Under the GDPR you have the right to access, correct and erase personal data, and to object to its processing. Because AeroChat does not send your data to us, we hold nothing about you from the app. To remove what is stored on your phone, uninstall the app. Messages already delivered to other phones cannot be recalled. If you write to us, we only use your email to reply and delete the conversation when it is no longer needed. You can also lodge a complaint with the Belgian Data Protection Authority (dataprotectionauthority.be).
Changes to this policy
If AeroChat ever starts handling data differently, we will update this policy at this address and change the date at the top before the new version of the app is released.
Who we are
AeroChat is made by Faber Futuri, Leuven, Belgium (VAT BE 1028.556.920). For any question about this policy or your data, email [email protected].