Privacy policy
Last updated 6 November 2026
This policy explains what the ZNext app and znext.app collect about you, why, who else handles it, how long we keep it and how to have it deleted. ZNext ("we", "us") runs the service. Write to [email protected] with any question about your data.
The short version. We keep what a messenger needs to work. Our servers are in Germany. Messages are encrypted in transit but are not end-to-end encrypted, so our systems can technically read them. We do not sell your data and we do not show ads. You can delete your account at any time.
What we collect
| Data | What it is | Why we need it |
|---|---|---|
| Account | Email address, first and last name, username, bio, profile photo, home country, language and time zone. | To create your account, show your profile to other people and put you in the right rooms. |
| Sign-in | If you sign in with Google or Apple, we receive the email address they confirm for you. We do not receive your password. | To sign you in. |
| Location | While the app is open, your phone sends its position. We turn it into a country, region and city and keep those, not your coordinates. | To find your geo rooms. Location is optional; without it you have no geo rooms. |
| Messages and media | What you send: text, photos, videos, voice messages, files, reactions, and which messages you have read. | To deliver your messages and keep your chat history. |
| Calls | Audio and video pass through our call servers in real time. Calls are not recorded. We keep who called whom and when. | To connect calls and show call history. |
| Device | A push notification token, the device type and app version. | To send you notifications. |
| Sessions and security | IP address, device name and sign-in time for each signed-in device, and server logs. | To keep your account secure, let you sign out other devices and stop abuse. |
We do not use your data for advertising, we do not build advertising profiles, and we do not use third-party analytics or tracking in the app or on this website.
Legal basis
If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or a country with similar law, we process your data because it is necessary to provide the service you asked for (your contract with us), because we have a legitimate interest in keeping the service secure and free of abuse, and, for location and notifications, because you allowed it on your phone. You can withdraw that permission in your phone's settings at any time.
Who else handles your data
We use a small number of providers who process data only on our instructions:
- Hetzner Online (Germany): servers, databases and file storage.
- Cloudflare: protects and delivers our website and API and stores nothing beyond short-lived caches of public files such as profile photos.
- Google: Sign in with Google, and push notifications on Android (Firebase Cloud Messaging).
- Apple: Sign in with Apple, and push notifications on iPhone (Apple Push Notification service).
Other people see what you choose to share with them: your profile, and the messages you send in a chat, group, room or channel they are part of. We disclose data to authorities only when the law requires it.
Where your data is stored
Your data is stored in Germany. Google, Apple and Cloudflare may process the limited data described above outside the EU; where they do, the transfer is covered by the European Commission's standard contractual clauses or an adequacy decision.
How long we keep it
- Your account and messages stay until you delete them or your account.
- When you delete your account, we sign you out everywhere, remove your profile details, photos, files, notification settings and device tokens, and replace your name with "Deleted account". Messages you sent to other people in chats and groups stay visible to them under that label, as they would with a letter you posted.
- Server logs are kept for 7 days. Backups are kept for 30 days, so deleted data disappears from backups within 30 days.
Security
All traffic between the app and our servers is encrypted with TLS. Passwords are not stored by us at all: you sign in with a one-time code or with Google or Apple. Access to our servers is limited to the people who run ZNext. Messages are not end-to-end encrypted.
Your rights
You can ask us to give you a copy of your data, to correct it, to delete it, to restrict or object to how we use it, and to send it to you in a portable format. Most of this you can do yourself in the app; for the rest, write to [email protected] from the email address on your account. We answer within 30 days. You can also complain to your local data protection authority.
Children
ZNext is not meant for anyone under 16. If you believe a child under 16 has an account, tell us and we will delete it.
Changes
If we change this policy in a way that matters, we will tell you in the app before the change takes effect. The date at the top shows the latest version.