Delete your account and data
This page is for Hello Strangers, operated by Akshay Baldia. You can request deletion of the guest account and associated data from the app or by email. There is no fee and you do not need to reinstall the app to submit a request.
Request deletion
- In the app, open Settings → Request data deletion and submit the authenticated request.
- Or email akshaybaldia@gmail.com with subject Hello Strangers — delete my data. Include a request/account reference if you have one and a short description. A missing reference does not prevent you from contacting us for manual assistance.
Do not send passwords, OTPs, payment credentials, identity documents or another person's transcript. An email link opens your mail application; this page itself does not submit or collect a form.
Ownership and timing
For an in-app request we use the authenticated guest identity. If access is lost, we reconcile the original invitation/admission reference and existing trusted contact relationship. A nickname, claimed email or guessed UID alone is not proof. We explain any limited further information needed and offer manual review without exposing another account. Clearing app data is not proof that the server account has been deleted.
Our targets are acknowledgement within 24 hours, assessment of scope/ownership/exceptions within seven calendar days, and completion of eligible deletion within 30 days, or sooner where required. If a specific hold or unresolved ownership issue prevents completion, we explain the reason and next update rather than claim erasure is finished. A request or approval is not immediate deletion.
What is deleted
Approved processing removes eligible ordinary messages authored by the guest, profile/preferences, private admission records, matching journals, block links, invitation linkage, entitlements/raw purchase tokens if any, and Firebase Auth access. Ordinary room membership is replaced with a room-specific deleted-guest alias. Other participants' records are not disclosed to the requester or deleted merely because they shared a room.
What may remain
Restricted reported evidence, audit/security records, safety/anti-replay hashes and narrowly scoped legal holds have separate purposes and clocks. Held rooms or requests can delay completion. Ordinary chats otherwise expire seven days after room creation; closed reports and resolved appeals/completed deletion receipts have 180-day clocks, as do application audit/safety records. Open cases and legacy records without an expiry require review. Support correspondence follows the 180-day manual closure policy. Provider security logs/backups have separate handling; there is no promise of instant erasure from every copy.
See the complete retention table. We explain the specific exception that applies to your request and seek provider handling where appropriate. You may raise a deletion grievance or appeal through support.