Last updated: August 19, 2026
TxtSnap is an end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) messenger. This page explains, plainly, what that means for your data: what the server can never see, what it does hold to make the service work, and for how long.
Every message, photo, video, voice note, and status you send is encrypted on your device before it ever leaves it, using the Signal protocol (the same cryptographic protocol used by Signal and WhatsApp) with post-quantum key exchange (PQXDH). It is decrypted only on the recipient's device. TxtSnap's server relays and temporarily stores ciphertext it cannot read — we do not have the keys, we cannot decrypt your conversations, and we could not hand over message content in readable form even if compelled to, because we never possess it.
Group messages use the same end-to-end model via per-group sender keys distributed directly between members' devices.
Running a messaging service requires some information beyond message content: routing messages to the right devices, letting people find each other, and delivering messages to a device that's temporarily offline. Here is everything, with retention:
| Data | Why | Retention |
|---|---|---|
| Email address | Account login (one-time code sent by email) | Kept while your account exists; an unverified signup with no other activity is deleted after 30 days |
| Username | How friends find and add you | Kept while your account exists |
| Device list & public keys | Routing encrypted messages to your devices; the Signal protocol's key exchange | Kept while the device is linked; removed when you unlink it |
| Friend & group membership | Who you can message, who's in a group | Kept while the relationship exists |
| Encrypted message queue | Delivering a message to a device that's briefly offline | Deleted the moment your device confirms receipt; any leftover row expires automatically after 30 days |
| Encrypted media (photos, video, voice notes) | Temporary relay storage — a device downloads and decrypts it, then it's no longer needed server-side | 30 days for chat media; 24 hours for status posts |
| Push notification token | Waking the app when a message arrives while it's closed | Kept while push is enabled on that device; cleared on logout or unlink |
| Streak counters | The daily-messaging-streak feature between two friends | Reset automatically after two days without a message between you |
| Login codes & device-link codes | One-time codes for signing in or linking a new device | 10 minutes, or immediately on use |
| IP address | Rate-limiting abuse (spam, brute-force login attempts) and basic server logs | Not stored beyond routine, short-lived request logs; never linked to message content |
What we never have, under any circumstance: the plaintext of your messages, photos, videos, or voice notes; your private encryption keys; or a way to reconstruct either from what the server stores.
We use Google Firebase Cloud Messaging and Apple Push Notification service solely to wake the app for a new-message notification — they receive a device token and a generic "new message" signal, never message content. We use email delivery (via Gmail) solely to send login codes.
You can unlink a device or delete your friend/group connections at any time from within the app. To delete your account entirely or ask what data is held about you, contact us at the address below — until an in-app self-service option ships, we'll handle these requests by hand.
If this policy changes in a way that affects what we collect or how long we keep it, we'll update the date at the top of this page.
Questions about this policy or a data request: privacy@txtsnap.com