Last updated: 04/07/2026
This Privacy Policy explains how Hala ("we," "our," or "the app") collects, uses, and protects your information when you use our messaging application. By using Hala, you agree to the practices described in this policy.
Phone Number and Verification. To create an account, we collect your phone number. We verify that you own this number using a "flash-call" system: we place a brief automated call to your number, and our app detects this call arriving (using your device's call log) to confirm the number is genuinely yours. We do not record or listen to any call, and we do not otherwise access or store your call history.
Messages and Media. We store the messages you send and receive, including text, images, videos, voice notes, audio files, documents, and contact cards you choose to share, so they can be delivered and synced across your devices.
Device Contacts. With your permission, Hala reads your device's contact list, locally on your device, to show which contacts are on Hala and to display saved names. Your contact list is never uploaded to our servers.
Google Drive Backup (Optional). If enabled, chat backups are stored in a private folder within your own Google Drive account — not on our servers.
Device Tokens and Notifications. We collect a device token to deliver push notifications for new messages.
Crash and Diagnostic Data. We use Firebase Crashlytics to collect crash reports and basic diagnostics if the app encounters an error. This never includes message content.
We do not sell your personal information to third parties, and we do not use your message content for advertising.
All communication between the app and our servers is encrypted in transit (HTTPS/TLS). Access to your messages and account data is restricted so that only you and the specific person you're messaging can retrieve a given conversation.
Your messages are currently not end-to-end encrypted. While we take steps to restrict access to your data, it is technically possible for it to be accessed by our systems, in the same way most online services store data. We are working toward end-to-end encryption in a future update, and this policy will be updated when that change takes effect.
Hala relies on Supabase (database, authentication, file storage), Google Firebase (push notifications and crash reporting), and Google Drive (optional, user-initiated backup) to operate.
You can decline or revoke any of these in your device settings, though doing so may limit certain features.
Hala is not intended for use by children under the age of 13 (or the minimum age required in your country). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children below this age.
You may delete individual messages or conversations from your own view, disconnect Google Drive backup, block or limit any contact, or contact us to request deletion of your account and associated data.
We may update this policy as Hala's features change. The "Last updated" date above will reflect the most recent revision.
Questions about this policy or your data? Reach us at halahelpdesk@gmail.com .