Privacy Policy

Animora ("Animora", "we", "us", "our") is a social and messaging web app, available at https://animorasocial.app/. It lets you post photos and videos of any kind (Radar feed), watch short clips (Shonen reels), share 24-hour stories, chat one-to-one or in groups, follow people, and discover new accounts.

This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, who we share it with, how long we keep it, and the choices and rights you have. By creating an account or using Animora you confirm that you have read this policy and agree to it. If you do not agree, please do not use the app.

This policy covers your privacy and data. The rules for using the app itself - your account, coins and payments, content you post, and what happens if those rules are broken - are in our Terms & Conditions (Settings → Terms & Conditions, or the public /terms page). Read both together.

You can reach us at any time through the Contact form (Settings → Contact & Support, or the public /contact page). We have no other public support channel.

a) Account information. You sign in with Google (Firebase Authentication). We receive your Google display name, email address, profile photo and a unique account ID. We never see your Google password. You then choose a username and may add a display name, bio, profile photo, chat wallpaper, gender and a "private account" setting.

b) Content you create. Posts (photos, videos, captions, titles, hashtags, attached music/audio clips), stories, comments, likes, emoji reactions, shares and saved posts.

c) Messages. Direct and group messages, voice notes, shared posts, view-once photos, replies, forwards, edits, deletions, "starred" flags, reactions, read receipts and timestamps.

d) Social connections. Followers and following, friend (ally) requests, your friends list, blocked users, groups you belong to (and your role in them) and chat streaks.

e) Activity and status. Online/last-active status, typing indicators, post view counts, which accounts viewed a story, notifications sent to you or generated by you (likes, comments, requests) and the time of each action.

f) Payments & withdrawals. When you buy a coin pack, payment is handled by Google Play Billing (in the app) or Cashfree (on the website). We receive a purchase/order ID, product ID, purchase status and the amount, so we can credit coins to your wallet - we do not receive or store your card details. Boosts, Green Tick, usernames, chat themes, gifts and subscriptions are then paid for out of your coin balance, with no separate payment for each one. Withdrawals unlock once your account reaches 1,000 Allies (followers) and 30,00,000 total views across your posts - both required - and even then only money received as gifts or creator-subscription income can ever be withdrawn; coins you added to your own wallet remain spendable in the app but can never be cashed out. Once your withdrawable balance is ₹100 or more, you can withdraw it to UPI or a bank account; this is processed by Cashfree Payouts, and to do it we collect your UPI ID, or your bank account number, IFSC code and account holder name. Every withdrawal has a small Animora Withdrawal Fee (₹10-₹25, based on the amount) deducted before payout - a platform fee kept by Animora, separate from whatever Cashfree separately charges us to process the payout.

g) Reports, appeals and support messages. When you report content we store who reported, who/what was reported, the reason and a copy of the reported text. When you use the Contact form we receive the category, your name, username, email address and your message.

h) Technical and usage data. IP address, browser and device type, pages/screens used, error and performance data. This is collected by our hosting provider (Vercel), Vercel Analytics and Google/Firebase as part of running the service.

i) Data stored on your device. Your sign-in session (so you stay logged in), your pinned-chat list (local storage), and a service worker used for notifications and to clear outdated cached files after an app update.

We do NOT collect your precise location, phone contacts, phone number or government ID. Camera/gallery and microphone are used only when you choose to upload a file or record a voice note, and only after your browser/device asks for permission.

• To create and run your account, sign you in and keep it secure.
• To show your posts, stories, comments and profile to the people allowed to see them, and to deliver your messages.
• To rank and recommend content in the Radar feed, Shonen reels and Discover (based on recency, likes, comments and views - we do not build advertising profiles).
• To send in-app and push notifications you receive from activity such as likes, comments and requests.
• To process boosts/payments and prevent payment fraud.
• To moderate the platform: review reports, remove content, and warn, temporarily suspend or permanently ban accounts that break the rules.
• To answer support requests, ban appeals, suggestions and data requests.
• To detect abuse, spam, ban evasion, security incidents and technical faults, and to improve performance and features.
• To comply with legal obligations and to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

Legal bases (where GDPR / UK GDPR applies): performance of our contract with you (running your account and delivering the service), our legitimate interests (security, moderation, fraud prevention, improving the app), your consent (for example microphone access or push notifications, which you can withdraw at any time) and legal obligation.

• Your name, username, profile photo, bio and follower/following counts are visible to other signed-in users.
• Public posts and stories are visible to all signed-in users. Posts and stories marked "Allies Only" are shown in the app only to you and accounts that follow you.
• If your account is set to Private, non-followers cannot see your post grid on your profile.
• Comments, likes, and story viewer lists are visible to the people who can see that content. Story owners can see who viewed their story.
• Your online status, last-active time, typing indicator and read receipts can be seen by the people you chat with.
• Messages are visible to the people in that conversation. Anyone in a conversation can screenshot, copy or forward what you send; we cannot prevent that.

Photos, videos, audio clips and profile pictures you upload are stored in cloud storage operated by Animora (Cloudflare R2). So that media loads for every viewer, uploaded files are given a link that can be opened by anyone who has the direct URL.

This means the in-app privacy setting ("Allies Only", private account, view-once) controls what the app shows, but it cannot stop someone who already has the direct file link from opening the file. The links are long and not listed publicly, but you should not upload anything you would not be comfortable being seen if the link were shared.

View-once photos are designed to be opened one time inside the app. We cannot stop screenshots, screen recordings or copies made by the recipient, and we do not guarantee that a view-once file is instantly erased from storage.

When you delete a post, story or audio clip we also try to delete the underlying file. Deletion of files is on a best-effort basis and copies may persist briefly in caches or provider backups.

All traffic between your device and Animora is encrypted in transit using HTTPS/TLS. Account data is stored in Cloudflare D1 and files in Cloudflare R2, sign-in is handled by Google Firebase Authentication, and access to the database is protected by Cloudflare's infrastructure security and by our server-side access rules.

Messages are NOT end-to-end encrypted. The people who administer Animora and its database can technically access stored data. We only look at message content where needed to investigate a report, abuse, a security incident, or to meet a legal request.

Administrator tools (such as banning accounts and reading reports) are restricted to a single designated admin account. No online service is 100% secure; if a breach affecting your personal data occurs we will notify you and the relevant authorities where the law requires.

Please protect your Google account (use a strong password and 2-step verification). Tell us immediately if you think your account was accessed by someone else.

We do not sell your personal information and we do not share it with advertising networks or data brokers. We share information only in these cases:

• Google (Firebase Authentication, Google Sign-In) - sign-in. Cloudflare (D1, R2, Workers) - database, file storage, hosting. Our use of information received from Google APIs follows the Google API Services User Data Policy, including its Limited Use requirements. We do not access your personal Google Drive; files are stored in storage owned by Animora.
• Vercel - website hosting, server functions and privacy-friendly, cookie-less analytics.
• Google Play Billing - payment processing for in-app coin pack purchases. Google acts under its own privacy policy for this.
• Cashfree - payment gateway for website coin top-ups, and Payouts for withdrawals to UPI or bank. Cashfree acts under its own privacy policy for the payment and payout details you give it.
• Formspree (formspree.io) - delivers reports and Contact-form messages to our inbox. What you type in those forms (and, for reports, the report details) is processed by Formspree and sent to us by email.
• Other users - as described in section 4.
• Law enforcement, courts or regulators - when we are legally required to, or in good faith believe disclosure is needed to protect people from serious harm (for example child-safety or imminent threat situations), or to enforce our rules.
• A successor - if Animora is transferred to another owner, your information may transfer with it, and we will tell you if your rights or choices change.

"Promoted" posts are paid boosts created by other users. Boosting does not give the advertiser any personal information about you. If a promoted post links to an outside website, that website has its own privacy practices.

Every post, reel, comment, story, message and profile can be reported directly from the app using the flag/report tool - so you can report either a specific piece of content or a user's account and behaviour as a whole. A report contains the reporter's username, the reported username, the content type and ID (or "profile" when a whole account is reported), the reason, the reporter's optional note and a copy of the reported text/caption where relevant. It is saved in our database (readable only by the admin account) and emailed to our inbox through Formspree. The reported person is not told who reported them.

If content or behaviour breaks our rules or the law, we may remove content, restrict features, temporarily suspend or permanently ban an account. A banned account is signed out of normal use and shown a ban notice; its profile, posts, stories, comments and messages are hidden from other users, and it cannot post, comment, message or send requests. We store the ban type, duration and reason on the account.

To appeal a ban, use the "Appeal this ban" button on the ban screen, or the Contact form with the category "Ban appeal / Unban request". Please include your username and a clear explanation. We review appeals in good faith, but we are not obliged to reverse a decision, and repeated or abusive appeals may be ignored.

Making knowingly false or abusive reports may itself lead to action against the reporting account. We may keep report, ban and appeal records, and enough data to recognise ban evasion, for as long as needed for safety and legal reasons, even after an account is deleted.

Animora welcomes any type of photo or video content - entertainment, vlogs, art, gaming, sports, music, comedy, discussion and everything in between. We do not restrict posting to any single topic or niche.

You are responsible for what you post. You must own or have the right to share your content. Do not upload anything that is illegal, sexually exploits or endangers minors (we have zero tolerance and will report to the authorities), sexually explicit or 18+ content of any kind (this applies no matter the format - photo, video, reel, story, profile photo, username, bio, comment or message), violent or gory for shock value, hateful or harassing, threatening, deceptive/impersonating, spam, malware, or that infringes someone else's copyright, trademark or privacy.

Copyright owners who believe content on Animora infringes their rights can send a takedown request via the Contact form (category "Copyright / content takedown") with: the work concerned, where the infringing content appears (username / post), your contact details, and a statement that you are the owner or authorised to act for the owner. We remove valid infringing content and may ban repeat infringers.

Usernames, brand names & trademarks. A username (@handle) must not use, copy or imitate anyone else's trademark, brand, company, product, channel, studio, franchise or official account - for example names like Google, YouTube, Instagram, Netflix or Crunchyroll - including versions with words such as "official", "support", "team" or "india", extra numbers, or look-alike letters. Animora blocks such names when an account is created or renamed ("Policy violation") and may remove, change or suspend any username that breaks this rule at any time. Do not use a username to pretend to be another person, company, Animora staff or a public authority.

Premium usernames. Usernames with 1 to 4 characters are premium and are bought with coins when you choose them (Settings → Account Profile & HUD); the price depends on the length and is shown before you pay. A username is a right to use that handle inside Animora only, for as long as your account is active and follows these rules. Buying one does not give you any trademark, copyright or other ownership of the name, and it does not protect it against a valid complaint from a rights owner. If we must remove or change a username because it infringes someone else's rights or breaks these rules, we may do so without a refund, except where the law requires one. Coins are not refundable.

By posting, you grant Animora a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to host, store, display and distribute your content inside the service solely to operate it. You keep ownership of your content, and the licence ends when you delete the content or your account (except for copies already shared by others or held in short-term backups).

• Stories stop appearing in the app after 24 hours. Their files are removed on a best-effort basis.
• You can delete your own posts, comments and messages (unsend) at any time.
• Deactivate: hides your account. Nothing is deleted, and logging back in restores it exactly as it was.
• Delete permanently: your account is scheduled for erasure and you are signed out. If you do not log back in within 3 days, your profile and all posts you made are permanently erased and your sign-in account is removed. Logging in within those 3 days cancels the deletion.
• Some things may remain after deletion: messages you sent inside other people's chats, comments you left on other people's posts, and notifications already delivered may remain until removed by the other party or by us on request. Report, ban and appeal records may be retained as described in section 8. Provider backups are overwritten on the provider's normal schedule.
• Contact-form and report emails are kept in our inbox for as long as needed to handle the matter and for legal/safety records.

Want anything else erased? Send a "Privacy or data request" through the Contact form from the email linked to your account and we will handle it.

In the app you can: edit your profile, switch your account to Private, choose Allies Only for posts and stories, block users, delete posts/comments/messages, deactivate or permanently delete your account, and turn off browser permissions (microphone, notifications) at any time in your browser/device settings. You can also revoke Animora's access to your Google sign-in at myaccount.google.com → Security → Third-party access.

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to: access the personal data we hold about you; correct it; delete it; restrict or object to certain processing; receive a portable copy; and withdraw consent at any time (this does not affect earlier processing).

EEA / UK users (GDPR): you may also lodge a complaint with your local data-protection authority. California residents (CCPA/CPRA): you may request to know, correct and delete your personal information; we do not sell or "share" personal information for cross-context behavioural advertising, and we will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights. India (Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023): you have the right to access, correction, erasure and grievance redressal.

To exercise any right or raise a privacy grievance, use the Contact form with the category "Privacy or data request". We may need to verify that the request comes from the account holder. We acknowledge requests within 72 hours and aim to resolve them within 30 days (sooner where the law requires).

Minimum age: Animora is not for children under 13 (or under the minimum age required in your country to consent to data processing, if higher). We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under that age, and accounts found to belong to an under-age person are removed.

Ages 13-17: if you are under 18 you may only use Animora with the knowledge and permission of a parent or guardian, and only in the way local law allows for your age.

Animora and the content shown in it are not directed at children, and we do not knowingly show child-directed advertising, in line with Google's AdSense program policies and applicable children's-privacy law (for example COPPA and India's DPDP Act, 2023). Sexually explicit / 18+ content is never allowed on Animora regardless of the age of any account (see section 9), and content that sexualises minors is never permitted under any circumstances and is reported to the relevant authorities.

If you believe a child under the permitted age has created an account, please contact us through the Contact form and we will delete the account and data promptly. Parents/guardians can also use the form to ask for access to, or deletion of, their child's data.

We do not use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies. Firebase Authentication stores a sign-in token in your browser so you stay logged in; local storage keeps small preferences (for example pinned chats); a service worker handles notifications and clears stale cached files after updates. Vercel Analytics measures page usage without cookies. Coin pack purchases go through Google Play Billing's native purchase sheet, not a web checkout, so no separate payment cookies are set. You can clear these from your browser settings at any time (you will be signed out).

Our service providers (Google, Vercel, Formspree) operate data centres in several countries, including outside your own country (for example the United States). By using Animora you understand your information may be transferred to and processed in those countries, which may have different data-protection laws. Our providers use recognised safeguards such as standard contractual clauses where required.

We may update this policy when the app or the law changes. The "Effective date" at the top shows the latest version. For material changes we will show a notice in the app. Continuing to use Animora after a change means you accept the updated policy.

Questions, complaints, ban appeals, data requests, copyright notices or suggestions: use the Contact form (Settings → Contact & Support, or the public /contact page). Choose the category that fits so it reaches us quickly.