The short version
FlightChat lets people traveling together, like families, friends or school groups, message each other when there's no internet, by connecting their iPhones directly. We don't run servers, we don't have accounts, and we can't see your messages, photos or anything else you do in the app. Everything stays on your phone and the phones in your group. The only exception is a report you choose to email us (see "Blocking and reporting" below).
What stays on your phone
FlightChat stores the following only on your iPhone, inside the app:
- Your name, and the codes and names of the groups you join
- A random ID created when you first set up the app, used to tell group members apart
- Your messages, reactions and delivery receipts
- Photos, videos, GIFs and files you send or receive
None of this is sent to us or to any third party.
What nearby phones can see
While FlightChat is open, your phone announces itself to other iPhones nearby that are running FlightChat, using Apple's peer-to-peer Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. That announcement includes:
- The name you entered
- Your random ID
- A short fingerprint of each of your group codes. The codes themselves are never broadcast.
Only phones that share at least one of your group codes can exchange messages with you. Once connected, each phone proves which groups it's in without revealing any codes, so a phone only receives the chats of groups it's actually in. Apple's technology can also link your phone to a phone that's connected to someone in one of your groups. If that phone shares none of your groups, it receives only your name and random ID, the same as your announcement, and nothing else. It doesn't appear in your app and can't message you. Other nearby FlightChat users may see your name in the announcement, but they can't join your chats or read anything. When FlightChat is closed or in the background, your phone stops announcing itself.
How messages are shared
- Group chat messages go to every connected phone in that group, and to no one else. So do card games played in a group chat: the game and its moves reach everyone in the group. Each phone holds the whole deal, and the app shows each player only their own cards.
- One-on-one messages go only to that person. So do games you play in a one-on-one chat: the game and its moves are sent only to the other player.
- When two phones in your group reconnect, each sends the other any messages it missed, but only ones that person was meant to receive.
- Connections between phones are encrypted using Apple's built-in MultipeerConnectivity encryption.
Blocking and reporting
Blocking someone is handled entirely on your phone. Your phone stops sending them anything and hides their messages. They aren't told.
If you tap Report and Block, your email app opens with a report addressed to us at biomass-65-jumbo@icloud.com. It contains:
- The reported person's name and random ID
- Your name and random ID
- The message you reported, if you reported one from a chat
Nothing is sent unless you tap Send in your email app, and you can edit the report first. We use reports only to look into abuse, and we delete them once they're resolved.
What we never collect
No analytics or advertising code runs in FlightChat. The app doesn't collect your location, contacts, phone number, email address, advertising identifier or device information, and it doesn't track you across other apps or websites.
If you've chosen to share analytics with app developers in your iPhone's settings, Apple may send us anonymous crash reports and usage statistics. We use these only to fix bugs. You can turn this off under Settings → Privacy & Security → Analytics & Improvements.
Buying FlightChat Pro
If you buy FlightChat Pro, Apple handles the payment. We never see your name, Apple Account, payment details or address. The app asks the App Store, on your phone, whether your Apple Account (or your family, with Family Sharing) owns Pro, and remembers the answer on the phone so Pro works offline. Apple gives developers sales reports that don't identify who bought.
Permissions the app asks for
| Permission | Why |
|---|---|
| Local Network | Required to find and connect to your group's phones nearby. |
| Camera | Used only when you choose Take Photo or Video, or Scan QR Code to join a group. The photo or video goes only to the chat you're in. A scanned QR code is read on your phone and isn't saved or sent anywhere. |
| Microphone | Records sound only while you're recording a video to send. |
| Photos (picker) | FlightChat uses Apple's photo picker, which gives the app only the photos and videos you choose. It can't browse your library. |
| Add to Photos | Used only when you choose to save a photo or video someone sent you. |
| Files (picker) | Used only for files you pick to send. |
Group invite links
A group's QR code and the link sent by Share Code point to flightchatapp.com and include the group's code and name. On an iPhone with FlightChat, the link opens the app directly and nothing is sent over the internet. On a device without FlightChat, the browser loads a page from flightchatapp.com, hosted by GitHub Pages. That page shows the code so you can type it in. It doesn't save or send the code anywhere, but GitHub may log the request like any website visit. Treat a group's link like its code: share it only with people you want in the group.
Finding groups nearby
When the person who started a group opens Add People Nearby, phones nearby with FlightChat can see the group's name and that person's name, until the screen is closed. The group's code isn't shown. If you ask to join, your name goes to that person's phone only, and they decide whether to let you in. Nothing goes through the internet.
Backups
Your chat history is saved in the app's storage on your iPhone. If you back up your iPhone to iCloud or a computer, iOS includes that storage in the backup. Apple's privacy policy covers those backups.
Exporting a chat
When you export a chat, FlightChat creates a ZIP file on your phone with the conversation and its media. It goes only where you choose to send or save it, and the app deletes its temporary copy once you're done.
Deleting your data
- To erase all messages and media on your phone, tap the gear icon, then Clear Chat History.
- Leaving a group erases that group's messages and media from your phone.
- Deleting the app removes everything it stored on your phone.
- Messages you've sent remain on the phones of group members who received them until they delete them.
Children
FlightChat is made for groups of all ages, including families with children. We don't collect personal information from anyone, including children under 13. Group codes control who a child can talk to: only phones set up with the same code can join a group.
Changes to this policy
If we change how FlightChat handles your information, we'll update this page and the date at the top. Any change that affects your data will also be described in the app's release notes.
Contact
Using FlightChat also means agreeing to its Terms of Use.
FlightChat is made by Roni Biran. Questions about privacy, or want to report abuse? Email biomass-65-jumbo@icloud.com.