Privacy Policy

Envela · Last updated: October 2026

This policy explains which personal data the Envela app processes, for what purpose and on what legal basis. Envela is an app for letters between the people who matter to you: every day you answer one question to one person – and the letters open only once you have both written. There are also personal letters, group letters and letters to your future self.

In short: We only collect what the service needs: your first name, your letters and, if you like, a profile picture. Letters are only visible to the people they are addressed to. There is no advertising tracking, no sharing for advertising purposes and no cross-app tracking. Sign-in is anonymous – no email, no password. Your address book is never uploaded.

1. Controller

Cornelius Maria Konieczny
Schulstraße 38, 46244 Bottrop, Germany
Email: koniecznycornelius@gmail.com

2. Data we process

First name, entered during setup. It appears under your letters and is shown to the people you are connected with.
Profile picture (optional): your own photo or one of the illustrated figures in the app.
Your letters: answers to the daily question, personal letters (including letters that open on a date or for a moment), contributions to group letters and letters to your future self – each with its date, chosen envelope and, if you add one, a photo.
Connections: who is connected with whom, the kind of connection you choose (e.g. friendship or family – it only decides which questions you get), invite codes, groups and their members, and the daily pairing of who writes to whom.
Special days (optional), such as birthdays, if you add them – so letters can open on exactly that day.
Push token: a technical device identifier (Apple/Firebase) used to send you notifications (e.g. “A letter has arrived”).
Anonymous account ID: an anonymous account is created on first use. If you choose “Secure your letters”, we link it to Sign in with Apple; Apple only gives us an anonymous identifier – no name and no email address.
Anonymous usage statistics: which features are used (e.g. app launch, letter written, invite sent). No names and no letter contents are stored.

We do not collect email addresses, phone numbers or location data.

3. Who can see your letters

A daily letter is for the person you write with that day. It stays sealed until you have both written.
A personal letter is only for the person you write it to. Letters with a date stay locked on the server until that day – even for you as the sender.
A group letter is for the members of the group and opens once everyone has written or the week ends.
A letter to your future self is only for you and stays sealed until its day.

We do not read your letters and do not use them for any other purpose.

4. Contacts and invitations

When you invite someone, you can pick a person from your contacts. This uses the iOS contact picker: Envela gets no access to your address book, only the one person you tap. Their name and phone number stay on your device and are only used to prepare the invitation as a message that you send yourself. They are not transmitted to us.

5. Purpose & legal basis

Processing serves solely to provide the app's features (assigning questions, storing letters and delivering them to the right people, sealing and opening, sending notifications). The legal basis is the performance of the user agreement under Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR; for push notifications and product improvement we additionally rely on our legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR).

6. Processors & storage location

We use Google Firebase (Firebase Authentication, Cloud Firestore, Cloud Functions, Cloud Messaging). Data is stored in data centres in the European Union (region europe-west1, Belgium). The provider is Google Ireland Ltd.; a data processing agreement is in place. Where data is exceptionally transferred to the USA, this is safeguarded by the EU Standard Contractual Clauses.

7. Purchases (in-app purchases)

Optional premium subscriptions are handled by Apple (App Store / StoreKit). Your payment data is processed exclusively by Apple; we receive no card or account details, only whether an active subscription exists.

8. Retention & deletion

We store your data for as long as your account exists. You can delete your account at any time in the app under Profile → Delete account; this removes your account and your data. Letters you have already sent to others may remain with them as part of their letter history. You can also contact us by email.

9. Your rights

You have the right of access (Art. 15), rectification (Art. 16), erasure (Art. 17), restriction (Art. 18), data portability (Art. 20) and objection (Art. 21 GDPR), as well as the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection authority. Please use the contact address above.

10. Changes

We update this policy when the app or the law changes. The current version is always available at this address.