Privacy Policy

Who we are

TALKCOMS LTD ("Talkcoms", "we") is a telecommunications provider registered in the United Kingdom. This policy explains what personal data we process when you use the Talkcoms apps, websites and calling services, and the choices you have.

It is written to say exactly what happens — nothing more. Where the app makes a promise about your data, this page is the version of that promise that governs.

The short version

• Messages between Talkcoms apps are end-to-end encrypted. We cannot read them, and we keep no copy once they are delivered.
• Calls to ordinary phone numbers must be handed to the telephone network to connect; they are encrypted between your phone and us, and are never recorded.
• We keep the records needed to bill you — who you called, for how long, what it cost, and how the call sounded — never what was said.
• Your card details never touch our servers. Payments are handled by payment providers.
• We use no advertising identifiers, no third-party analytics, and no location tracking.

What we collect

• Account: your mobile phone number (it is your account identity), and your name and email address if you provide them (used for receipts and support).
• Contact discovery: to show which of your contacts use Talkcoms, the app sends scrambled codes (SHA-256 digests) of phone numbers — your address book itself is never uploaded, and names never leave your phone.
• Call records: the number dialled, duration, time, and cost of each chargeable call (required for billing), and technical quality measurements (network type, packet loss, audio quality scores) used to find and fix bad routes. Never the content of a call, and no recordings.
• Messages: encrypted message data passes through our servers only until your recipient’s phone confirms delivery, then it is deleted. It is encrypted end-to-end; we hold no key that can open it. Undelivered messages are deleted after 30 days.
• Payments: the amount, currency, payment reference and outcome of each top-up. Card numbers and M-Pesa credentials are processed by the payment providers and never reach us.
• Technical: a push-notification token (so incoming calls can ring), device model and OS version (support and compatibility), and IP addresses in short-lived service logs (security and abuse prevention).

What we deliberately do not collect

• No advertising ID, no third-party analytics or tracking SDKs, and no sale of personal data — to anyone, ever.
• No location tracking.
• No access to your phone’s own call log or SMS messages.
• No message content: end-to-end encryption means we could not read your chats even if asked to.

How we use your data

• To provide and bill the service: connecting calls, delivering messages, keeping your balance and history correct.
• To keep quality honest: the call-quality measurements tell us which routes and networks are failing so we can fix them.
• To protect the service and you: fraud prevention, abuse detection, and the rate limits that keep sign-in codes from being misused.
• To meet legal obligations that apply to telecommunications providers, including retaining billing records.
• To tell you things about your account and service. We will only use your details for marketing with an opt-out always available, and never share them with third parties for their marketing.

Who we share data with

• Telephone carriers: connecting a call to an ordinary phone number requires passing the dialled number to the networks that route it — that is how telephony works.
• Payment providers (for example M-Pesa and Stripe): they process your payment and confirm it to us by reference. They see what they need to take the payment; we see that it succeeded.
• Google: delivers the push notification that makes your phone ring, and — only if you enable backup — stores your encrypted backup in your own Google Drive, sealed with a PIN so that neither Google nor we can read it.
• Authorities, where the law requires disclosure, and professional advisers or acquirers in a corporate transaction — in each case only what is required.
• Every partner receives only the data needed for its task and may not use it for anything else.

How long we keep things

• Messages: until delivered, then deleted from our servers. Undelivered, at most 30 days. Your chat history lives on your phone, not with us.
• Billing and call records: for as long as telecoms and tax law require, and no longer.
• Account data: until your account is deleted (see below), then erased apart from records we are legally required to keep.
• Service logs: short-lived, kept only as long as security and troubleshooting need.

Your rights

Under UK and EU data protection law you can ask for access to your personal data, correction of anything inaccurate, erasure, restriction of processing, a portable copy, and you can object to processing based on legitimate interests, including any marketing. To exercise any of these, contact us using the details below. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ico.org.uk).

Deleting your account

You can delete your account from inside the app (Settings) or, without the app, at my.talkcoms.co.uk/delete-account. Deletion takes effect after a short grace period during which you can change your mind by signing in; after it, your data is erased apart from the billing records the law requires us to keep.

Security

Every connection between your phone and Talkcoms is encrypted in transit. Messages add end-to-end encryption on top. Backups are sealed on your phone with a PIN we never see. Access to systems holding personal data is restricted to the staff who need it, and every administrative action is logged.

Children

The service involves payments and is not directed at anyone under 18.

Changes and contact

Changes to this policy will be posted on this page, and significant changes will be notified in the app. Questions and requests: support@talkcoms.co.uk, or Talk to us inside the app.