1. Security
Circlet provides a high level of security in instant messaging. It does not allow strangers to contact you directly, only friends in your friend list can communicate with you. Friends can be added to the list only by their email addresses. This is much safer than other messaging apps that use phone numbers, as strangers can guess (or even enumerate) phone numbers to contact you. In Circlet, you have the right to verify the person requesting to be your friend. You can (and should) ask them a question and wait for their response before actually adding them to your friend list. Circlet aims to ensure that your friends list contains actual people you know, protecting you from strangers' spam messages. In the future, we will continue to enhance the methods for adding friends.
2. Privacy
Circlet only requires you to provide your "Display Name" (even a pseudonym) and your email address. We use the email address to identify you and have a verification step during registration. No other personal information is required. You can add a short description to introduce yourself, but it is optional. Circlet focuses on communication with your real friends. It assumes that friends on your list already know each other. Circlet is not a social media platform for making new friends, and this distinction is crucial. Thus, there is no need to share personal information. In Circlet's Groups (created by others), some members might not be your friends. However, only Display Names (and thumbnails, if available) are shown, keeping email addresses private. Unlike other popular messaging apps that can reveal phone numbers in group chats and allow strangers to add you without your consent, Circlet ensures that only your friends can invite you to groups, and you have the right to accept or reject such invitations. This reflects Circlet’s commitment to user respect.
3. Instant Messaging
Circlet is designed as an instant messaging app, not for storing important or sensitive information, nor for using messages as reminders or proof. Circlet automatically cleans up old messages after a certain period. However, you have the option to save messages in each chat room to local storage. If you do not enable the local saving feature (disabled by default), the messages will not be stored on your device. This means that after closing the app, all shown messages are cleared, further protecting your privacy.