ChatGIFPrivacy Policy
Last updated 5 November 2026
The short version. We use what you type and the photos you pick only to make your GIFs. Your GIFs stay on your phone unless you choose to share a link. We don't show ads, we don't sell your data, and the ChatGIF keyboard never records what you type. You can delete your account and everything linked to it from the app at any time.
Who we are
ChatGIF is an iPhone app, keyboard and iMessage app run by Calvin Holloway in the United Kingdom ("ChatGIF", "we", "us"). We are the controller of the personal data described here. You can reach us at hello@chatgif.app.
What we collect and why
Your account
When you first open ChatGIF, the app creates an anonymous account so it can keep track of your plan and your weekly GIFs. It has a random ID and no name or email. If you choose to sign in with Apple, Apple gives us an ID for you and, if you allow it, your email address (or an Apple private relay address). We use this to restore your plan on a new phone.
Your prompts and photos
To make a GIF, the app sends your prompt and settings to our server, together with a photo if you picked one. Our server passes them to OpenAI, which creates the GIF and sends it back.
- We keep a record of each GIF request: the prompt text, the model and settings used, whether a photo was included, whether it worked, the time, and how much it cost to make. We use this to apply your plan and daily limits, prevent abuse, and understand our costs.
- We don't keep your photos. A photo is sent to OpenAI to make the GIF and is not stored on our servers.
- We don't keep the GIFs we make for you. They are sent back to your phone and saved there.
OpenAI processes prompts and photos under its API terms. It does not use them to train its models, and may keep them for up to 30 days to detect abuse.
Your GIFs
Your GIFs are saved on your iPhone, in a folder shared by the ChatGIF app, keyboard and iMessage app. They are not uploaded to us unless you share a link (see below). Deleting the app deletes them.
Shared links
If you tap Copy link on a GIF, we upload that GIF and create a page at chatgif.app with a random address. Anyone who has the link can see the GIF, and messaging apps may show a preview of it. The page doesn't show your name, your prompt or anything else about you. We record which account shared it, so you can turn the link off and so we can act on reports of misuse. You can turn a link off in the app at any time, and it stops working within 15 minutes.
Purchases
Subscriptions and GIF packs are bought through Apple. We never see your payment details. Apple tells RevenueCat, our purchase service, what you bought, linked to your ChatGIF account ID. Autumn, our usage service, keeps track of your plan and how many GIFs you have left this week, also by account ID only.
The keyboard
The ChatGIF keyboard asks for Full Access only so it can read the GIFs saved by the app and copy one when you tap it. It does not record, store or send anything you type, and it makes no network connections.
The website
chatgif.app doesn't use cookies, analytics or trackers. Our hosting provider keeps standard server logs, such as IP addresses, for security.
What we don't do
- We don't show ads or use advertising trackers.
- We don't sell or rent your personal data.
- We don't access your contacts, your messages or your photo library. The app only sees a photo you pick, and only adds GIFs to your library when you tap Save.
Who processes your data
We use these providers to run ChatGIF. Each one only gets what it needs to do its job.
| Provider | What for | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Supabase | Accounts, GIF request records and shared GIFs | EU (Paris) |
| OpenAI | Making GIFs from your prompts and photos | United States |
| Apple | Sign in with Apple, purchases and app delivery | Worldwide |
| RevenueCat | Checking App Store purchases | United States |
| Autumn | Tracking your plan and weekly GIFs | United States |
| Cloudflare | Hosting chatgif.app and shared GIF pages | Worldwide |
When data goes outside the UK or EU, we rely on the UK International Data Transfer Addendum or the EU Standard Contractual Clauses, as offered by each provider.
Our legal basis
Under UK and EU data protection law, we process your data because we need it to provide ChatGIF to you (your account, making your GIFs, your plan and your shared links), and for our legitimate interests in preventing abuse, keeping the service secure and controlling costs.
How long we keep it
- Your account, your GIF request records and your plan details: until you delete your account.
- Shared GIFs: until you turn the link off or delete your account.
- Purchase records: as long as the law requires us to keep financial records.
Deleting your account
In the app, go to Account › Delete account. This deletes your account, your GIF request records and all your shared links straight away. Deleting your account doesn't cancel an App Store subscription. Cancel it in Settings › Apple Account › Subscriptions. You can also email us to ask for deletion.
Your rights
You can ask to see, correct, delete or get a copy of your personal data, and you can object to or ask us to limit how we use it. Email hello@chatgif.app and we'll reply within a month. If you're unhappy with how we handle your data, you can complain to the UK Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk or to your local data protection authority.
Children
ChatGIF isn't meant for children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect data from them. If you think a child under 13 has used ChatGIF, email us and we'll delete their account.
Changes
If we change this policy, we'll update the date at the top. If a change matters, we'll also tell you in the app.