Privacy Policy
Effective date: May 30, 2026
This Privacy Policy explains how TxtCow collects, uses, stores, and discloses information when you use the TxtCow website, dashboard, APIs, and Android app.
Information We Collect
- Account information such as email address, password, and optional profile name.
- Device information such as device ID, device name, model, Android version, app version, timezone, carrier, and push token.
- SMS gateway data such as recipient phone numbers, sender phone numbers, message bodies, message timestamps, delivery status, queue status, and inbound SMS content processed through TxtCow.
- Optional contact data when you choose a recipient from your phone contacts inside the app.
- Optional camera input when you scan a QR code to add an API key.
- Diagnostic and security data such as login events, device logs, API activity, and fraud or abuse prevention signals.
How We Use Information
- To create and secure your account.
- To register your Android device as an SMS gateway and deliver messages you request us to send.
- To receive inbound SMS on your behalf and sync those messages to your dashboard or integrations.
- To send service notifications, verification emails, password reset emails, and push wake-up events.
- To troubleshoot service failures, enforce quotas, prevent abuse, and improve reliability.
Android Permissions
- Send SMS / Receive SMS: to operate the device as your SMS gateway.
- Read Phone State: to identify available SIM subscriptions and route sends through the selected SIM.
- Read SMS: only when you explicitly trigger recent SMS history import in the app.
- Contacts: only when you choose a contact as an SMS recipient.
- Camera: only when you scan a QR code to add an API key.
- Notifications: to receive operational alerts and wake-up signals for the gateway.
Disclosures and Sharing
- We share SMS content and recipient phone numbers with telecom carriers and device-level SMS services as necessary to deliver your messages.
- We use infrastructure and service providers for hosting, email delivery, and push notifications, including Google Firebase Cloud Messaging where applicable.
- We may disclose information when required by law, to protect rights and security, or to investigate fraud, abuse, or illegal messaging activity.
- We do not sell your personal information.
Data Residency
- TxtCow infrastructure is hosted on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) in Chuncheon, South Korea. Your data is stored in this region.
- Backups may be maintained in other regions for redundancy and disaster recovery purposes.
Retention
- Account information (email, password, API keys): retained for the duration of your account.
- Message records (recipient, sender, timestamp, delivery status): retained for 90 days by default. You can request deletion at any time.
- Inbound SMS records: retained for 30 days unless explicitly archived.
- Diagnostic logs and security data: retained for 7 days for troubleshooting and abuse prevention.
- After account deletion, some records may remain in backups for up to 30 days before being permanently deleted.
Your Choices
- You can stop using the app, revoke permissions, or remove the app from your device at any time.
- You can manage devices, API keys, and many message records from the TxtCow dashboard.
- You can request account deletion or privacy assistance by contacting support@txtcow.com.
Analytics and Tracking
- Google Analytics: We use Google Analytics to understand how users interact with our website. Google Analytics uses cookies and web beacons to collect information including IP address, browser type, pages visited, referring URL, and time spent on pages. This data helps us improve our service. You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by visiting https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout or through Google's Ad Settings.
- Google AdSense: We display advertisements through Google AdSense on our website. Google AdSense uses cookies and tracking pixels to show you personalized ads based on your browsing history. You can control personalized ads at https://adssettings.google.com or opt out at Network Advertising Initiative.
- Firebase Cloud Messaging: For push notifications on the Android app, we use Google Firebase Cloud Messaging. Firebase may collect device identifiers, IP addresses, and interaction data. See Google's privacy policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy.
Security
We use reasonable technical and organizational safeguards, including encrypted transport, access controls, rate limiting, and credential protection. No method of storage or transmission is completely secure.
If you use TxtCow to send SMS in regulated jurisdictions, you are responsible for obtaining valid consent and complying with local spam, privacy, telecom, and consumer protection laws. Your use of TxtCow is entirely at your discretion and risk.
Contact
Questions about this Privacy Policy can be sent to support@txtcow.com.