Support & FAQ

Basic Flow:

1. Select your current emotional state ("vibe") from eight available options
2. Your vibe appears on the map at your approximate location for 24 hours
3. View other users' vibes within your geographic area
4. Send connection request ("ping") to another user's vibe
5. If recipient responds with acceptance ("wink") within 60 seconds, anonymous chat session ("spark") opens
6. Chat session lasts 3 minutes initially, extendable to maximum 9 minutes with mutual consent
7. All data expires and is permanently deleted after specified time periods

Important Disclaimer: The Service is provided "AS IS" without warranties of any kind. Functionality, availability, and reliability are not guaranteed.

Absence of visible vibes may result from:

• Low user density in your geographic area
• Time of day (activity levels vary)
• Technical issues with the Service (no guarantee of uptime)
• Location services disabled or malfunctioning on your device
• Network connectivity problems
• Age-based filtering settings (all users must be 18+; configurable age range preferences may apply)

No Guarantee of Availability: We make no representations regarding user availability in any location or at any time. The Service may have zero active users in your area indefinitely.

Vibes are temporary emotional state indicators displayed on the map interface. Technical specifications:

• Duration: 24 hours from creation
• Expiration: Automatic permanent deletion after 24 hours
• Editability: Cannot be modified after posting
• Deletion: Cannot be manually deleted before expiration
• Visibility: Shown to users within geographic proximity and age range

Data Retention Disclaimer: While standard expiration is 24 hours, expired data may persist in backups for up to 90 days before permanent deletion. This retention period ensures service reliability while maintaining privacy protections.

No. Once posted, vibes cannot be edited, modified, or manually deleted. You must wait for automatic expiration after 24 hours. This is by design and cannot be changed.

If you posted a vibe you regret, you must wait for natural expiration. We assume no liability for regretted content. Users are responsible for considering their posts before submission.

Currently, the Service is provided at no charge. However:

• We reserve the right to introduce fees at any time without notice
• We reserve the right to introduce advertising at any time
• We reserve the right to discontinue the Service entirely without notice
• Free access is not guaranteed and may change without warning

If fees are introduced in the future, all charges will be final with no refunds under any circumstances.

A ping is a connection request sent to another user's vibe. Technical specifications:

• Response Window: Recipient has 60 seconds to respond
• Expiration: If no response within 60 seconds, ping expires permanently
• Animation: Visual indicators display ping status for full 60 seconds
• Cancellation: Sender may cancel ping before recipient responds
• Limitation: Only one active outgoing ping permitted at a time

When a ping recipient accepts (winks), an anonymous chat session (spark) opens with the following parameters:

• Initial Duration: 3 minutes
• Extension Mechanism: Either user may request extension; requires mutual consent
• Maximum Duration: 9 minutes total (including extensions)
• Message Deletion: All messages permanently deleted upon chat expiration
• Anonymity: Random aliases assigned; no persistent identity
• No Reconnection: After chat ends, reconnection is impossible by design

No. This is impossible by design and intentional.

The Service architecture does not support:

• User history or interaction logs
• Friend lists or persistent connections
• Search functionality for past users
• Any mechanism to identify or locate previous chat partners

Each interaction is ephemeral and one-time only. This limitation is fundamental to the Service design and cannot be circumvented through support requests.

Limited Anonymity with Important Caveats:

The Service does not require traditional personal information (names, email addresses, phone numbers). However:

• Your device is assigned a unique anonymous identifier
• Your approximate location is stored and visible to other users
• Your birth year is stored for age filtering purposes
• Usage patterns may be traceable through behavioral analysis
• IP addresses and network metadata are logged by infrastructure providers
• Complete anonymity cannot be guaranteed under any circumstances

Critical Warning: Do NOT use this Service for activities requiring true anonymity. Law enforcement can obtain data through legal process. Data breaches may expose information. Other users may be able to identify you through context clues in conversations.

Location Precision and Privacy:

• Default Mode: Approximate location (neighborhood level accuracy)
• Soft Location Mode: Optional 80-120 meter randomization offset
• Important Limitation: Soft location is NOT a security feature
• Determined users may approximate your actual location through:
• Pattern analysis over multiple check-ins
• Triangulation if you post from different nearby locations
• Context clues in conversations (landmarks, businesses mentioned)
• Low population density areas where even randomization reveals general location

Location Safety Disclaimer: Never use the Service in locations where you do not want to be found or identified. We assume no liability for location-related incidents, stalking, or real-world confrontations resulting from location disclosure.

No. Messages are permanently and irretrievably deleted after chat expiration (maximum 9 minutes). However:

Critical Security Limitation:

• Other users can screenshot messages before expiration
• We have no technical ability to prevent screenshots
• Assume anything you write can be saved and shared outside the Service
• Deleted messages may persist in backups temporarily (up to 90 days)
• Messages may be preserved if copied to device clipboard

User Responsibility: You are solely responsible for what you choose to share. Never share information you would not want to become public. We assume no liability for screenshotted or preserved content.

NO. There is NO active moderation.

Users must understand moderation limitations:

• NO staff monitoring conversations in real-time
• NO proactive content review or filtering beyond basic automated filters
• NO guarantee that reported content will be reviewed
• NO guarantee of response to reports
• NO guarantee that violators will be banned or restricted

Primary Defense Mechanism: The instant ban button is your primary and most effective protection. Users must protect themselves through active use of blocking features. Do NOT rely on operator intervention.

Immediate Action Protocol:

1. Ban the user immediately using in-app ban button (7 minute minimum restriction)
2. Exit the conversation without further engagement
3. Report using in-app reporting (no guarantee of review or action)
4. Document evidence (screenshots, user identifier, timestamps) if considering legal action
5. Contact law enforcement if threats constitute criminal conduct

What We CANNOT Do:

• We CANNOT intervene in real-time disputes
• We CANNOT guarantee removal of abusive users
• We CANNOT prevent harassment from continuing
• We CANNOT provide immediate assistance

Critical Note: For threats of physical violence, stalking, or other criminal conduct, contact local law enforcement immediately. Do NOT wait for operator response. We are not equipped to handle emergency situations.

Yes. Bans are temporary by design:

• Minimum Duration: 7 minutes for user-initiated bans
• Escalation: Multiple bans may trigger longer automated restrictions
• Expiration: Users can return to the Service after ban expires
• Circumvention: Determined users can create new device identifiers to bypass bans

No Permanent Protection: We cannot provide permanent protection from specific users. For persistent harassment or stalking, contact law enforcement rather than relying on in-app banning.

Lost connections cannot be recovered.

Technical failures may result in:

• Immediate termination of chat sessions
• Loss of connection to matched users
• Permanent inability to reconnect
• Loss of message history (which would be deleted anyway)

No Liability for Technical Failures: We are not responsible for lost connections, crashed sessions, or data loss resulting from technical issues, network problems, device failures, or Service outages. The Service is provided "AS IS" without reliability warranties.

The Service is provided "AS IS" without warranties of functionality, availability, or reliability. Potential issues include:

• Server outages or maintenance (unannounced)
• Network connectivity problems (user or infrastructure)
• Device compatibility issues
• Operating system conflicts
• Third-party service failures (map provider, database, etc.)
• Bugs, errors, or technical defects

Basic Troubleshooting Steps:

1. Verify internet connectivity
2. Restart the application
3. Restart your device
4. Verify location permissions are granted
5. Update to latest application version
6. Reinstall the application

Important: We are not obligated to fix issues, maintain service availability, or ensure functionality. The Service may stop working permanently at any time without notice.

Troubleshooting Notification Issues:

• Verify notification permissions granted in device settings
• Ensure Do Not Disturb mode is disabled
• Check in-app notification settings
• Restart the application
• Reinstall the application if problems persist

Limitations: Notification delivery is dependent on third-party service (OneSignal) and device-specific factors. We cannot guarantee notification delivery reliability or timeliness. Missed notifications may result in missed connection opportunities.

Account Deletion Process:

1. Open application
2. Navigate to Settings
3. Select "Account Management" or "Delete Account"
4. Confirm deletion (irreversible)

Data Deletion Effects:

• Device identifier removed from active database
• Current vibe immediately deleted from map
• Birth year information deleted
• Local application storage cleared

Important Limitations:

• Anonymized aggregated analytics data may be retained indefinitely
• Deleted data may persist in backups for up to 90 days
• Data previously shared with law enforcement cannot be recalled
• Screenshots or data saved by other users is beyond our control
• Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone

Alternative contact: Email hello@pingandwink.com with device identifier and deletion request

No data export functionality exists.

The Service does not maintain:

• User interaction history
• Chat message archives
• Connection logs
• Historical location data (beyond 24 hours)

All content is ephemeral by design. Data export requests cannot be fulfilled because the requested data does not exist after expiration periods.

Data Lifecycle:

• Vibes: Automatically deleted after 24 hours
• Chat Messages: Automatically deleted after 9 minutes maximum
• Location Data: Overwritten with new data or deleted after 24 hours
• Device Identifier: Retained until account deletion
• Birth Year: Retained until account deletion
• Usage Analytics: Anonymized aggregated data retained indefinitely

Data Sharing:

• Data may be shared with law enforcement pursuant to legal process
• Data may be disclosed if required by court order or legal obligation
• Data is processed by third-party infrastructure providers (Supabase, Mapbox, OneSignal)
• Data is NOT sold to advertisers or marketing companies

For comprehensive data practices, review Privacy Policy at https://pingandwink.com/privacy.html