Privacy Policy
Last updated: 10 November 2026
This Privacy Policy explains what personal data Yawr ("we", "us") collects when you use our app and website (together, the "Service"), why we collect it, and what choices you have. By using the Service you agree to this Policy.
1. Data we collect
Account & profile
- Phone number, used for OTP sign-in — this is your primary identifier, we do not require an email address.
- Profile details you provide: display name, profile photo, gender, whether you use Yawr to make or take calls, an optional preference for the gender of the people you are matched with, date of birth, languages, interests. Your preference is used only for matching and is never shown to other users.
Identity & voice verification (Listeners only)
- A short voice recording of you reading an on-screen phrase, submitted to verify your voice and identity claim.
- The recording is processed to produce a transcript, a phrase-match score, and a gender-probability score, which are used to auto-approve or route your submission to manual review.
- The raw audio recording is deleted automatically 30 days after a decision is made (approval or rejection). The transcript, scores, and the decision itself are retained after that, since they're part of your verification history — only the audio blob is purged.
- We do not record voice or video calls themselves. The only voice data we store is your verification recording (as above) and any voice story you choose to post: a story is shown for 24 hours, then removed from the app and deleted from storage by a daily clean-up.
Video verification (Listeners who take video calls)
- To take video calls, a Listener first submits a short video of themselves (5 to 30 seconds, with sound).
- Our staff watch it to check that your face is visible and that you are the person on your profile. We do not run face recognition on it. It is kept in private storage and is never shown to callers or other users.
- The video is deleted automatically 30 days after a decision is made, or 30 days after you replace it with a new one. The decision itself is retained as part of your verification history. Our team may withdraw video verification later, for example after a report, which stops you taking video calls.
Payments & wallet
- Wallet balance and a full transaction ledger (top-ups, call charges, withdrawal requests) for your account.
- For top-ups: order and payment references from our payment partners (currently Razorpay and Cashfree Payments). We never see or store your card, UPI PIN, or full bank details — those are handled entirely by the payment partner that processes your payment.
- For withdrawals (Listeners): the UPI ID you provide to receive payouts.
Calls & usage
- Text chat, where available: we store message text, participants, timestamps, read position and billing receipts so conversations remain available after calls. Reported messages may be reviewed by our moderation team. Messages are automatically screened when sent: phone numbers, email addresses, links and social media IDs are hidden from the recipient, and the original text of a message where something was hidden is kept for moderation review for up to 90 days. Closing an account stops chat access; when the account is erased, message text in its conversations and reported-message copies are erased, while billing records are retained. Message text is not included in push notifications.
- Call metadata: who was on a call, when it started/ended, how it was billed, and, for video, how long a camera was on. We do not store call audio, call video, images from calls, or transcripts of calls.
- Camera and microphone: the app asks for these permissions before you need them. The microphone is used during calls and verification. The camera is used only if you use it: for profile pictures, video verification and video calls.
- Video calls: your camera turns on when a video call connects, and switching to video during a voice call needs the other person to accept. You can turn your camera off at any time during the call. If you leave the app with your camera on, Android keeps sending your video, with an ongoing call notification showing, until you turn the camera off or the call ends; iPhone pauses your camera until you come back.
- Reports you or others file, including any free-text description, linked to the relevant call if applicable.
- Device push-notification tokens (for call and wallet alerts, and for tips and offers), if you enable notifications.
- Tips and offers: tips, reminders and offers from Yawr are on by default for every account, as push notifications and in-app messages, and you can turn them off in the app (see section 5). To choose who gets which message we use your app language, your role, whether you have topped up, how long it has been since you joined or last topped up, and which offers apply to you. We stop when your account is suspended or closed.
How you use the app (usage stats)
- To find where people get stuck, such as signing in or adding credits, the app records which of these steps you reach and how each one ended: the sign-in screen, asking for a code and whether it was sent, entering the code and whether it was right; opening Add credits, the plan you pick, starting a payment and whether it was paid, cancelled or failed, and how long you stayed; tapping Call or Match and what happened (for example, the call started, you had no credits, or the microphone wasn't allowed). The app also records when it is opened.
- Each step is stored with its time, a random ID for the app on your phone, a random ID for that session, your account ID if you're signed in, your app version and whether the phone is Android or iPhone. Steps before you sign in are recorded with the random app ID only, and are linked to your account once you sign in.
- It never includes your phone number, name, codes, messages, the topics you talk about, ratings, photos, voice, video, or payment details such as card or UPI details. Payment steps carry only our plan and order references.
- Usage stats stay with us: they are stored on our own servers and are not shared with Meta, OneSignal or anyone else. They are on by default, and you can turn them off (see section 5).
Crash and error reports
- When the app or our servers hit an error, a report is sent so we can fix it: what failed and where, your device model, operating system and app version, and your random account ID. We remove request contents, login tokens and web address details before anything is sent. Reports never include screenshots, your name, phone number, messages, call audio or video.
Measuring our ads (Android app)
- To see which of our ads work, the Android app can share with Meta: your device's advertising ID, a random install ID, IP address and device details (model, operating system, language, time zone, screen size, mobile network); that the app was installed and opened; that you signed up as a caller or as a Listener; and each top-up's amount, currency and order reference. Meta's software also sends its own diagnostic and crash information.
- We never share your name, phone number, gender, age, photos, voice, video, call details, chats, ratings, the topics you talk about, or who you talk to. You can turn this off (see section 5).
Support
- If you contact support, we store what you send us (name if given, your contact info, and your message) to respond to you.
2. Why we collect it
| Purpose | Data used |
|---|
| Sign you in and secure your account | Phone number, OTP |
| Match you with someone appropriate to talk to | Profile (including your gender, role and matching preference), languages, interests |
| Verify Listener identity and voice, prevent impersonation | Voice recording, transcript, scores |
| Check that a Listener taking video calls is the person on their profile | Verification video, profile photo |
| Connect voice and video calls | Live audio and video, sent during the call and not stored |
| Bill calls and pay out earnings | Wallet ledger, call metadata, payment-partner references, UPI ID |
| Investigate reports and keep the platform safe | Reports, call metadata |
| Notify you of calls, wallet activity | Push token |
| Send you tips, reminders and offers | Push token, app language, role, top-up status and timing, offers that apply to you |
| Find and fix where people get stuck in the app | Usage stats: steps reached and how they ended, app and session IDs, account ID, app version, Android or iPhone |
| Find and fix crashes and errors | Error reports: what failed, device model, operating system, app version, account ID |
| Measure which of our ads work, and show them to people likely to find Yawr useful | Advertising ID, install ID, IP address, device details, install and app-open events, sign-up as caller or Listener, top-up amount and reference |
3. Who we share it with
We do not sell your personal data. We share only what's described here, with:
- Our payment partners (RBI-authorised payment aggregators, currently Razorpay and Cashfree Payments) — to process wallet top-ups, identify payments and, where used for payouts, send earnings to your UPI ID. Each top-up is processed by one of them. Governed by each partner's own privacy policy (Razorpay's privacy policy, Cashfree Payments' privacy policy).
- Firebase / Google — to deliver push notifications to your device.
- OneSignal — to send tips, reminders and offers. We share a random account ID (never your name or phone number) and the labels listed above (language, role, top-up status and timing, applicable offers). These are removed when your account is closed.
- Sentry — to receive crash and error reports, as described under "Crash and error reports" above. Sentry stores them for us under its own terms; see Sentry's privacy policy.
- Meta (Android app only) — to measure and improve our ads, as listed under "Measuring our ads" above. Meta handles this data under its own terms, may use it to deliver and improve advertising and its products, and may keep event data for up to two years; see Meta's privacy policy.
- Law enforcement or regulators — only where legally required (e.g. a valid court order or statutory request).
Voice and video verification are processed on our own infrastructure — we do not send your verification recording or video to an outside company for processing.
The other person on a call sees and hears what you send while your camera and microphone are on. Live calls pass through media servers we run, and are not shared with anyone else.
4. Data retention
- Verification recordings and videos: deleted 30 days after a decision, as above.
- Live call audio and video: not stored. They exist only while being sent during the call.
- Usage stats: deleted after 90 days, and when you delete your account, including the steps recorded on your phone before you signed in.
- Voice stories: removed from the app 24 hours after posting and deleted from storage by a daily clean-up.
- Transaction/wallet records: retained for as long as your account is active and afterward as required for financial record-keeping.
- Reports and moderation history: retained to detect repeat issues and support appeals.
- "1st call free": if you received this offer, we keep a one-way code made from your phone number after you delete your account, so the same number can't claim it again. It can't be turned back into your number and isn't linked to your account.
- Our staff's activity log: records of what our team changed or reviewed on an account. After you delete your account, these keep your name and the last 4 digits of your phone number for 90 days, then stay without them.
- If you delete your account (Profile → Delete account, or see Delete Your Account), your profile, phone number, voice story and verification recordings and videos are erased immediately; transaction and moderation records we're required to retain are kept without your name or phone number, only as long as that requirement lasts.
5. Your rights
You can ask us to access, correct, or delete your personal data, subject to what we're legally required to keep (e.g. transaction records). To exercise these rights, use the in-app "Contact support" option or see our Contact Us page.
To stop tips and offers, turn off Yawr reminders & offers in the app under Profile → Notifications. Call, message and wallet alerts keep working. You can turn it back on there at any time. Turning off notifications for Yawr in your phone's settings also stops tips and offers, along with call and wallet alerts.
To stop usage stats, turn off Usage stats in the app under Profile → Privacy. The setting applies to that phone: steps not yet sent are deleted from it and nothing more is recorded. What we already received is deleted after 90 days, or straight away if you delete your account.
To stop sharing with Meta, turn off Ad measurement in the Android app under Profile → Privacy. The setting applies to that phone and stops further sharing; it doesn't remove what Meta has already received, and we can't delete data held by Meta, so see Meta's privacy policy for your choices there. Deleting your Yawr account doesn't remove it either. You can also reset or delete your advertising ID in your phone's settings.
6. Age restriction
Yawr is for users 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 18. If we learn an account belongs to a minor, we will close it.
7. Security
Data in transit is encrypted (HTTPS/WSS). Voice and video calls are encrypted between each phone and our media servers (DTLS-SRTP). They are not end-to-end encrypted: our media servers handle the call in order to pass it to the other person, and they do not store it. Our staff have no way to watch or listen in on a live call.
The app blocks screenshots and screen recording where the phone allows it. That cannot stop someone filming their screen with another device, so please think about what you show on camera.
Access to verification recordings, verification videos and admin tools is restricted to authorized staff for review and moderation purposes only.
8. Changes to this Policy
We may update this Policy from time to time; material changes will be reflected here with an updated date.
9. Contact & grievances
For privacy questions or to exercise your rights, see Contact Us. For a formal complaint, see our Grievance Redressal page.