Back to WarpWave

Privacy Policy

Effective date: April 6, 2026

Overview

WarpWave ("the App," "we," "us," or "our") is a camera, social, and AI creative platform for iOS. We believe in keeping things simple: we collect as little data as possible, we never sell your information, and your photos stay yours.

This policy explains what information the App collects, how it's used, and your choices.

Information We Collect

Account Information

WarpWave requires a phone number to create an account. We use Firebase Phone Authentication to verify your number via a one-time SMS code. Your phone number is stored securely by Firebase and is used solely for authentication. We also store a username you choose and a generated WarpWave ID (a short identifier derived from your account).

Age Verification

During onboarding, we collect your date of birth to verify you meet the minimum age requirement (13 years). We store your age group (not your exact date of birth) for compliance purposes. Users under 13 are blocked from creating an account.

Device Information

We collect your device's Identifier for Vendor (IDFV) — a device-level identifier used solely for abuse prevention. If an account on a device is banned for safety violations, the IDFV prevents creation of new accounts on that same device. We do not use this identifier for advertising or tracking across apps.

Profile Data

When you use WarpWave, we store:

  • Your username, profile settings, and privacy preferences (public/private)
  • Your profile photo (optional, moderated for content safety via Google Cloud Vision before acceptance)
  • Posts you share to the public feed (photos, videos, AI crossover images and videos)
  • Likes, follows, following relationships, and follow requests
  • Notification history (challenges, follow requests, reveals, tags, challenge responses)
  • Your block list (users you've blocked) and reverse block references
  • Open challenges you create and responses you submit

You control what you share. Duel and crossover posts require explicit consent from both participants before appearing in the feed. You can set your profile to private, limiting visibility to approved followers only.

Photos, Videos & Duel Data

All camera processing (warp scans, mirror effects, waterfall mode, background replacement, and other effects) happens entirely on your device. Photos and videos you create are saved locally. When you create or participate in a WarpDuel, AI Crossover, or Imagine Us experience, scan images are uploaded to our servers (Firebase Storage) to enable the feature. These images are stored temporarily — standard duels expire after 48 hours, AI crossovers after 30 days — and are automatically deleted within 7 days after expiration. Paid AI composites (where credits were spent) are retained as long as the associated post exists. If you share content to the social feed, the images and videos are retained as long as the post exists (until you or a participant removes it).

Profile Photos

If you upload a profile photo, it is moderated for content safety using Google Cloud Vision before being accepted. Your profile photo is visible to all WarpWave users. If you enable Imagine Us in your Settings and select your profile photo as an available photo, it may be used when another user initiates an Imagine Us experience with you (see "Imagine Us" section below). You can remove your profile photo at any time in Settings.

User Tagging

Other users may tag you in their solo posts, associating your username with their content. When tagged, you receive a notification. You can remove your tag from any post at any time, which fully disassociates you from that content and removes the post from your profile.

AI Crossover (Image Generation)

When you use AI Crossover, both participants' photos are uploaded to our server, which sends them to OpenAI's image generation API (gpt-image-1) to produce a composite scene. If you enter a theme (e.g., "racing," "space"), that text is processed by OpenAI's GPT-4o-mini to check for prohibited content before being used in generation. OpenAI's API data usage policy states that data submitted via their API is not used to train their models.

Imagine Us

Imagine Us is an opt-in feature that allows users to create AI-generated composite scenes featuring themselves and another WarpWave user. To be eligible for Imagine Us, you must enable it in your Settings and select up to 5 specific photos that other users may use. You can set a default photo and change your selections at any time. If you do not enable Imagine Us, no other user can generate a composite featuring you. Imagine Us is disabled by default for all users.

When another user initiates an Imagine Us with you, the AI composite is generated using your selected photo. The recipient receives the composite in a blurred state and can choose to "Reveal" or decline ("Not Interested"). If declined, the composite is not shown and a credit refund is issued to the initiator.

AI Video Animation

When you animate an AI Crossover, the composite image is sent from our server to xAI's video generation API (Grok) to create a short cinematic video. Before the video is generated, the composite image may be screened by OpenAI's GPT-4o-mini for safety (specifically to detect minors in the image). xAI processes the image solely to produce the animation. xAI's use of this data is governed by xAI's API terms of service.

Open Challenges

When you create or respond to an Open Challenge, your submitted photos or videos are stored and visible to other users within the challenge gallery. Challenge responses create content that is associated with the original challenge post.

Content Moderation

Images shared to the feed, profile photos, and AI-generated composites are analyzed by Google Cloud Vision for content safety. AI-generated composites may also be screened by OpenAI's GPT-4o-mini for additional safety checks (including minor detection). This automated analysis flags potentially inappropriate content, which may be auto-rejected or held for review. We also maintain a user report system — if users report content or other users, the report details (reason, optional description) are stored to enable safety review.

Feed Ranking

WarpWave uses a server-side algorithm to rank and order content in your feed. This algorithm considers factors including post engagement (likes), recency, content type, and whether you follow the creator. Your activity (likes, follows) influences the content you see. The ranking algorithm does not use personal data beyond your in-app activity. You can switch between a ranked "For You" feed and a chronological "Following" feed.

Push Notifications

We use Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) to deliver push notifications — for example, when someone challenges you to a duel, your AI crossover is ready, you're tagged in a post, or you're approved from the waitlist. A device push token is stored on our server and updated each time you launch the app. You can disable push notifications in your device's Settings.

Purchase & Credit History

When you purchase AI credits or WarpWave Pro, the payment is handled by Apple through the App Store. We do not have access to your payment details. We store a record of credit transactions (purchases, usage, and refunds) associated with your account to maintain your credit balance. Credits may be automatically refunded when AI generation fails due to errors, timeouts, or content moderation rejection.

Waitlist

If registration is temporarily closed, your account information (phone number, username, age group) is collected and stored while you are on the waitlist. You will receive a push notification when your account is approved. Your data is handled identically to active accounts.

Analytics

We use Firebase Analytics to understand how the App is used — for example, which features are most popular and general usage patterns. This data is aggregated and does not include your photos. We set anonymous user properties (subscription plan, credit balance) to understand usage patterns. We do not use advertising identifiers (IDFA).

Diagnostic Logs

When AI image or video generation occurs, we log technical diagnostic information (timing, success/failure status, error codes, provider used) to monitor service health and debug failures. These logs are associated with your account but do not contain your photos or personal information.

Information We Do Not Collect

  • We do not collect email addresses or real names
  • We do not track your location
  • We do not sell, rent, or share personal information with advertisers
  • We do not use your photos for training AI models
  • We do not read or store the content of your SMS verification codes
  • We do not use your device identifier (IDFV) for advertising or cross-app tracking
  • We do not use advertising identifiers (IDFA/AdSupport)
  • We do not collect your exact date of birth (only age group)

Data Storage & Retention

  • Account data (username, WarpWave ID, settings, age group): stored as long as your account exists
  • Profile photos: stored until you remove them or delete your account
  • Standard duels: expire after 48 hours, deleted within 7 days after expiration
  • AI crossovers (paid): retained as long as the associated feed post exists
  • AI crossovers (unpaid/expired): deleted within 7 days after expiration
  • Feed posts: remain visible until you or a participant removes them, or you delete your account
  • Moderation-flagged content: deleted within 24 hours
  • Reports: retained for safety review
  • Analytics: retained in aggregate form per Firebase/Google default policies
  • Diagnostic logs: retained for service monitoring
  • Deleted accounts: account data purged, audit trail retained for compliance and abuse prevention

All user data is stored on Firebase (Google Cloud) infrastructure in the United States.

Third-Party Services

The App uses the following third-party services, each with their own privacy policies:

  • Firebase (Google) — authentication, analytics, crashlytics, performance monitoring, data storage, push notifications, content moderation, and backend infrastructure
  • OpenAI — AI image generation (gpt-image-1) and content safety checks (GPT-4o-mini) for AI Crossover and Imagine Us features
  • xAI — AI video generation (Grok) for crossover animation
  • Google Cloud Vision — automated content moderation for feed images and profile photos
  • RevenueCat — subscription and in-app purchase management (processes purchase receipts, does not receive payment details)
  • Apple App Store — payment processing for subscriptions and in-app purchases

Children's Privacy

WarpWave requires users to be at least 13 years of age. Age verification is performed during onboarding — users who indicate they are under 13 are blocked from creating an account. Phone number verification provides an additional barrier, as most children under 13 do not have their own phone number.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has created an account, please contact us immediately and we will take steps to remove the account and all associated data.

AI video generation includes an automated pre-screen that detects minors in composite images. If a minor is detected, the video generation is blocked and credits are refunded.

Your Rights & Choices

  • Delete your account: Use the self-service Delete Account feature in Settings → Delete Account. This permanently removes your account data, posts, follows, blocks, notifications, and profile photo. An anonymized audit trail is retained for compliance.
  • Delete individual posts: Remove any of your posts from your profile at any time
  • Remove from feed: Hide any post you participated in from the public feed
  • Remove tags: Remove your tag from any post others have tagged you in, fully disassociating you from that content
  • Set profile to private: Limit your content visibility to approved followers only
  • Enable or disable Imagine Us: Control whether other users can create AI scenes with you in Settings
  • Manage Imagine Us photos: Select which specific photos (up to 5) are available for Imagine Us and set a default
  • Block users: Block any user to prevent all interaction in both directions
  • Report content: Report inappropriate content or users for safety review
  • Disable push notifications: Manage in your device's Settings
  • Remove profile photo: Delete your profile photo at any time in Settings
  • Stop all data collection: Uninstall the App

For any data-related requests not covered above, contact us at the email below.

California Privacy Rights

If you are a California resident, you have the right to request disclosure of the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you. You also have the right to request deletion of your personal information. To exercise these rights, use the Delete Account feature in the App or contact us at the email below.

We do not sell personal information. We do not share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make significant changes, we will notify users through an update to the App or a push notification. The effective date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision. Your continued use of the App after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or your data, reach out:

Email: support@warpwave.app