Privacy Policy

This policy describes the current Android and iOS implementation. Future features such as internet relays and location channels are not described as if they were already available.

Information kept on your device

Close2Me stores the information needed to provide the features you use, including:

• your local identity key, profile, trusted-peer information, and settings;
• conversations, delivery state, reactions, and attachment metadata;
• received attachment bytes and file-transfer state; and
• call, SOS, and other experience state that you create in the app.

Message databases are not yet encrypted with SQLCipher. The private identity key is protected by Android Keystore or iOS Keychain; an existing plaintext identity key is moved into that platform store and erased from its database row on upgrade. Newly received attachment files are sealed with authenticated encryption before they reach app storage, using key material rooted in that protected identity. On upgrade, Close2Me attempts to seal older received files before starting its communication services and records which files completed migration; missing or inconsistent files are not silently treated as protected. Received previews and playback resolve sealed bytes inside the app; opening a file in another app may create a short-lived plaintext cache copy. These controls reduce at-rest exposure, but they do not protect an unlocked or fully compromised device and are not comprehensive database encryption.

Information exchanged with nearby devices

When discovery is on, Close2Me uses Bluetooth to advertise and discover compatible nearby devices. Nearby communication exposes the radio and routing metadata needed to find peers and deliver packets. Content sent over a direct established link is encrypted and the peer identity is authenticated during the Noise XX handshake.

Multi-hop mesh forwarding currently provides encryption on each radio link, not end-to-end encryption across the whole route. An intermediate Close2Me relay device can process the plaintext it forwards. Packet headers and radio characteristics such as timing and signal strength can also reveal metadata even when content is encrypted on the wire.

People you choose to communicate with receive the content and files you send. Close2Me cannot prevent a recipient from saving, copying, photographing, or sharing that content.

On-device AI image generation

Close2Me includes an optional feature that generates images from a text prompt you write, using a Stable Diffusion model (SD-Turbo) that runs on your device. The feature does nothing until you choose to turn it on.

Prompt text and the images produced by generation are processed entirely on your device. Neither your prompts nor the images you generate are sent to a Close2Me-operated server, or to any other server, in order to generate them.

Turning the feature on downloads a one-time model file (roughly 6GB) directly from Hugging Face’s infrastructure at huggingface.co over HTTPS. That direct connection exposes your IP address and ordinary connection metadata to Hugging Face, the same way any direct file download would. The download happens only if you opt in, and only once unless you choose to redownload the model; Hugging Face’s handling of that connection is governed by its own terms and privacy documentation.

Every image the app generates is screened by an automated, on-device safety classifier — checking for categories including child-safety and adult-content material — before it is shown to you. Like generation itself, this classification runs entirely on your device; its results are not sent to us or to any third party.

If you send a generated image in a conversation, it is treated as a photo attachment for storage, transfer, and encryption purposes — the same as any other photo you share. See “Information kept on your device” above.

Product analytics, diagnostics, and configuration

The Android and iOS apps integrate Firebase Analytics, Performance Monitoring, Remote Config, and Crashlytics. Depending on the build configuration and your platform settings, Google may process app-instance and device information, coarse product events, performance measurements, and crash diagnostics. Close2Me’s event vocabulary is designed not to include message content, peer identifiers, names, public keys, fingerprints, Bluetooth addresses, exact location, attachment names, or attachment URIs.

Allowed events use bounded categories and measurements such as screen name, connection result, attachment kind and byte count, visible-device count, platform, and build number. Firebase data is used to understand reliability, diagnose failures, operate update prompts, and evaluate low-risk experience changes. Google’s handling of this data is governed by its own terms and privacy documentation.

Close2Me does not currently include an advertising SDK and does not use nearby activity or private communications for ad targeting.

Permissions

Close2Me requests permissions only when a feature needs them:

• Bluetooth for nearby discovery and communication;
• nearby/location permission where the Android version requires it for Bluetooth scanning;
• microphone for calls and voice notes;
• camera for QR verification; and
• photo/file access when you choose an attachment.

The current app does not provide geohash location channels and does not intentionally collect precise location for analytics. You can revoke permissions in system settings, although the related feature will stop working.

Retention and deletion

Local information remains on the device until it is removed by an app feature, cleared through the operating system, or the app is uninstalled, subject to platform backup behavior. Close2Me does not yet provide a panic-wipe/data-destruct control. Firebase applies its configured retention and deletion practices to telemetry it processes.

Security limits

No communication system can eliminate all risk. Close2Me cannot protect plaintext on a compromised sender, relay, or recipient device; hide all Bluetooth timing, proximity, or traffic patterns; or guarantee delivery. The detailed, phase-accurate security assessment is published in our Privacy & Security Assessment.

Children

Close2Me is not directed to children under 13. Do not use the app to collect or send another person’s sensitive information without an appropriate legal basis and consent.

Changes and contact

We will update the effective date and this document when the app’s data practices materially change. For privacy questions or requests, contact us at privacy@close2me.app. For general support, contact support@close2me.app.