Privacy at Vocar

Who this notice covers

Vocar is a voice-messaging app for iPhone and CarPlay. It supports native Vocar recordings and an optional, unofficial WhatsApp linked-device connection. Vocar is the service operator for the processing described here. Privacy and support contact: vocar.app@gmail.com.

Vocar is currently in development. This notice describes the current implementation, including the retention limitations below. Production hosting, backup expiry and the final distribution configuration are not yet finalized.

Data used to provide Vocar

• Account: the user identifier, email and identity information returned by Apple or Google, your Vocar nickname and display name, and protected sign-in/session credentials.
• Native voice messaging: recordings, participants, timestamps, duration, reply references, delivery-operation information and listening/progress observations.
• Optional WhatsApp connection: linked-device credentials, selected voice recordings and related sender, chat/group, photo, phone-number and playback metadata made available by WhatsApp.
• Notifications and device state: an installation identifier, notification token, notification choice and temporary connection state needed for delivery and CarPlay preparation.
• Reports/support: your account, the reported sender/chat identity, reason, any explanation you enter and review status. A report does not automatically include audio.

Why we process it

We use these data to authenticate you, deliver and play the voice notes you request, maintain listening and reply state, restore your chosen connection, prepare CarPlay playback, honor notification choices, handle reports and protect the service from misuse.

Where European data-protection rules apply, core account/messaging processing is used to perform the service you request; optional permissions and linking are based on your choices and consent where required. Security and abuse handling pursue the legitimate interests of protecting users and the service. Legal obligations may also require specific processing. Optional access can be withdrawn as explained below.

Your phone and permissions

Microphone access is used when you record. Optional Contacts access matches names on your iPhone; your address book is not uploaded. Vocar may keep a protected local/shared cache of matched display names for phone/CarPlay presentation. Permission denial keeps provider-name fallbacks.

Notification permission controls what iOS can display. Vocar’s Notifications switch controls native Vocar alerts; WhatsApp arrivals use quiet background synchronization. Unread counts include eligible notes from both sources. Optional Siri access supports the available search/playback functions. Change system permissions in iPhone Settings.

What linking WhatsApp means

Linking is optional and uses an unofficial linked-device integration. Vocar is not affiliated with or endorsed by WhatsApp or Meta. The linked backend can process decrypted WhatsApp content. Vocar selects voice notes and the related metadata needed for the inbox; it does not intentionally archive ordinary text chats as inbox content.

WhatsApp’s end-to-end protection does not extend unchanged through Vocar’s backend and client. The Vocar backend is a trusted processing endpoint. Linking credentials and imported recordings are kept in an encrypted backend vault. Only link if you accept this processing. Disconnect in Vocar to stop processing and clear the stored connection data; remove Vocar from WhatsApp → Linked devices if remote logout could not be confirmed.

Reporting a user

Opening a person’s profile and submitting Report user sends a complaint to Vocar for review. It shares your Vocar account, the reported user’s identity, the relevant chat identifiers, the selected reason and any explanation you enter. Recordings, ordinary chat messages and provider credentials are not attached to the report.

For WhatsApp, Vocar resolves the sender from the selected incoming voice note. A group is not treated as one person. The report goes to Vocar; it does not submit a report to WhatsApp, block a WhatsApp contact or suspend their WhatsApp account. Use WhatsApp’s own contact information screen for those actions. Native Vocar blocking remains a separate action. Reports are available only to authorized service operators for review.

Service providers and recipients

Intended recipients receive native recordings you send. Supabase supplies account authentication, database and private recording storage. Apple and Google process sign-in in their own services; Apple processes remote notification delivery. WhatsApp/Meta supplies the optional linked service. This privacy page is served by the same Vocar backend as the app.

These providers process information needed for their respective services under their own terms and privacy notices. Vocar’s backend operator can access the data it processes, including recordings. The current development backend may run on a developer’s local server. Production hosting location and international-transfer arrangements must be finalized and reflected in this notice before wider release; no particular data region is promised here.

How long data remains

• Native recordings: normally become unavailable after 30 days. While the backend is running, scheduled cleanup removes expired audio, audio for deleted messages and abandoned uploads from active storage. It checks every minute in bounded batches and retries failures; server downtime or a backlog can delay physical removal. Message metadata may remain to preserve history and send recovery. Account deletion separately removes the owner’s files and account data.
• WhatsApp recordings: available history import requests the previous seven days. Imported/live items are generally retained for up to 30 days, subject to earlier provider expiry/deletion and connection cleanup.
• Account and connection credentials: retained while needed for the active account/connection. Disconnect removes the saved WhatsApp vault; account deletion removes retained Vocar/provider credentials.
• Reports: deleted after 90 days, or earlier when the reporter’s account is deleted. Native-user reports are also removed when the reported native account is deleted.
• Device caches: removed on account sign-out/deletion, with relevant WhatsApp caches also cleared on disconnect. An offline device cannot be remotely overwritten; its access and cleanup are checked when it next communicates.
• Deletion recovery: a minimal hashed completion receipt, without the owner identifier, is retained for seven days so interrupted deletion can finish safely.

Backups and provider logs can have separate retention. Backup expiry and restore/re-erasure procedures remain part of the production setup; this notice does not promise immediate overwriting of historical backups or externally saved copies.

Your controls and account deletion

You can withdraw microphone, Contacts, notification or Siri access in iPhone Settings, disconnect WhatsApp in Vocar, and choose native notification alerts in Vocar Settings. Sign out clears local account data; it does not delete the server account.

Settings → Delete account irreversibly removes your sign-in identity and profile, owned sent native recordings/uploads, account state, notification registrations and saved WhatsApp connection data from the active service. The initiating device clears protected sessions, journals, audio, drafts and shared CarPlay data. The operation can resume after interruption. Other people keep recordings they authored; erased recordings leave content-free identifiers so existing clients can invalidate cached copies.

Deleting Vocar does not delete your Apple, Google or WhatsApp account or WhatsApp’s own chat history. Exported/forwarded copies can remain outside Vocar. Where an older provider grant or remote WhatsApp logout cannot be confirmed, the app explains how to remove the remaining connected-app/Linked devices access.

Your rights and contacting us

Depending on applicable law, you may request access, correction, deletion, restriction or portability of your personal data, object to eligible processing, and withdraw consent without affecting earlier lawful processing. Contact vocar.app@gmail.com; we may need to verify your identity. You may also complain to your local data-protection authority. These requests are handled subject to applicable rights and exceptions.

Vocar does not use the described data for advertising profiling or automated decisions with legal or similarly significant effects. Account/security limits and report review support service operation; a report submission does not itself decide enforcement.

This website and updates

This static page adds no analytics scripts, advertising trackers or tracking cookies. The Vocar server and any eventual hosting provider receive the network/request information needed to serve and secure the page. Sending email shares the information you include with the mailbox/email provider. Avoid attaching private recordings or credentials unless specifically necessary and deliberately agreed.

We update this notice when processing changes. The date above identifies this version; material changes to optional access will be explained when relevant in the app.