Privacy Policy for CrowdHop

Last updated: April 29, 2026

Overview

CrowdHop is a peer-to-peer mesh messaging app that works entirely over Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). It has no internet connection, no servers, and no cloud storage. Your data stays on your device.

Data We Collect

CrowdHop stores the following data locally on your device only:

Profile

  • A display name you choose (optional, max 11 characters)
  • A randomly generated anonymous ID (not linked to your identity)

Contacts

  • Display names and IDs of people you have manually paired with via Bluetooth
  • A shared encryption key per contact, generated during pairing

Message History

  • The last 100 messages sent and received, stored on your device
  • Messages are associated with a contact ID and timestamp

Settings

  • Your notification preference (silent, vibrate, or sound)

Data We Do Not Collect

  • We do not collect your real name, email address, phone number, or any account information
  • We do not access your device's phonebook or contacts
  • We do not collect location data (on Android 12 and above, Bluetooth scanning is explicitly declared as non-location-derived)
  • We do not use analytics, crash reporting, or any third-party SDKs
  • We do not send any data to servers — CrowdHop has no internet permission

How Bluetooth Messaging Works

When you send a message, it is transmitted as a short BLE packet to nearby devices. Devices running CrowdHop that are not your registered contacts will relay the packet onward without being able to read its contents.

Encryption: Messages between contacts are encrypted using AES-256-GCM. Relay devices cannot decrypt message content.

Pairing: When you pair with a new contact by holding phones close together, a short handshake packet is exchanged in plaintext to establish a shared secret. This packet contains your display name and anonymous ID. After pairing, all subsequent messages are encrypted.

Relay: Intermediate devices forward encrypted packets to extend range. They see only routing metadata (a hop counter and anonymous sender ID), not message content.

Data Retention

Message history is capped at 100 messages and stored only on your device. When you uninstall CrowdHop, all locally stored data — your profile, contacts, and message history — is permanently deleted.

Note: Messages you sent that were received by other users will remain in their local history after you uninstall the app.

Third-Party Services

CrowdHop uses no third-party services, SDKs, analytics tools, or advertising networks.

Children's Privacy

CrowdHop is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect data from children.

Changes to This Policy

If this policy changes materially, we will update the date above and post the revised policy at this URL.

Contact

For privacy questions or data requests, contact us at: dan@01d.co.uk