MessageMate privacy policy
MessageMate (“the app”) is a texting app for small businesses made by VIP Tech, Dublin, Ireland. This policy explains what data the app uses and why. Contact: viptechviptech@gmail.com.
Text messages (SMS)
When you make MessageMate your default SMS app, it reads, sends and stores your text messages on your phone, like any SMS app. Your SMS messages are not uploaded to our servers, with one exception: if you turn on Team inbox, business conversations are copied to our database so the team members you invite can see and answer them. You can leave or delete the team at any time.
Your account
To sign in we store your email address and, if you give it, your name or business name, using Google Firebase Authentication. Email and password accounts must confirm their email address. We also store the date your free trial started.
Internet messages
If you link your mobile number, other MessageMate users who have your number can message you over the internet. We store your linked number and the internet messages you send and receive in Google Firebase (Cloud Firestore, London region) so they can be delivered to the other person’s phone.
Contacts, location and phone
- Contacts are read on your phone to show names instead of numbers. They are not uploaded.
- Location is only used when you tap “On my way”; it is placed in the message you send and not stored by us.
- Phone state and call screening are used only for missed-call text-back, to know that a call was missed and from which number. MessageMate never blocks or records calls.
Smart features
Detecting dates, numbers, addresses and Eircodes, suggested replies, chat summaries and translation all run on your phone using Google ML Kit. Your messages are not sent to an AI service. Language packs for translation are downloaded from Google the first time you use them.
Customer data you keep in the app
Customer labels, cards, notes, bookings, templates, automations and scheduled messages are stored only on your phone. If you send broadcasts, you are responsible for having your customers’ consent; the app adds “Reply STOP to opt out” to every broadcast and stops texting anyone who replies STOP.
Payments
The Pro subscription is handled by Google Play. We do not see or store your card details.
Sharing
We do not sell your data and do not share it with third parties for advertising. We use Google Firebase (Google Cloud) as our service provider to run sign-in and the database. The app has no ads and no analytics tracking.
Keeping and deleting data
We keep your account data while you use the app. To delete your account and the data stored on our servers, see how to delete your account or email viptechviptech@gmail.com from the email address you signed up with; we delete it within 30 days. Data stored only on your phone is removed when you uninstall the app (your SMS messages stay on your phone).
Your rights
Under the GDPR you can ask to see, correct, move or delete your personal data, or object to how we use it, by emailing us. You can also complain to the Data Protection Commission (dataprotection.ie).
Children
MessageMate is a business app for adults and is not meant for children under 18.
Changes
If we change this policy we will update this page and the date above.