Delete your Flipns account
You can delete your Flipns account and its associated data at any time. This page explains both routes — inside the app, and by email if you can no longer sign in — and sets out exactly what is erased and what we are required to keep.
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Before you start
You can change your mind for 30 days: sign in again and your account, profile and listings come back. After 30 days the deletion is permanent and cannot be undone. Deleting the app from your phone does not delete your account — your listings stay live and buyers can still message you.
Option 1 — delete it yourself in the app
Your account leaves Flipns immediately. Available on the website, iOS and Android.
- Sign in to Flipns.
- Open Settings and choose the Privacy tab.
- Scroll to Delete account and tap it.
- Type DELETE to confirm. If your account has a password, enter it.
- Confirm. Your account is deactivated at once and deleted for good after 30 days. Signing in again before then restores it.
Direct link (you will be asked to sign in first): flipns.com/settings.
Option 2 — request deletion by email, without signing in
Use this if you have lost access to your phone number or email, or simply prefer not to sign in.
- Email contact@flipns.com with the subject “Account deletion request”.
- Include the phone number or email address registered on the account, and your Flipns @username if you remember it.
- We will verify that the account is yours before deleting anything — usually by sending a one-time code to the registered phone number or email. This step protects you: acting on an unverified deletion request would let anyone erase your account.
- We acknowledge the request within 2 working days and complete the deletion within 30 days, usually much sooner. We confirm by email when it is done.
If neither the phone number nor the email on the account still works, tell us and we will offer another way to establish ownership — for example a recent payment reference, or details of a listing only you would know.
What is deleted
| Data | What happens on deletion |
|---|---|
| Phone number and email address | Removed from your account immediately. A sealed copy is kept for 180 days (see below), then erased. |
| Display name | Replaced with “Deleted user” everywhere it appears, including past conversations. |
| Profile photo | Removed from your profile immediately. The stored image is erased 180 days after deletion. |
| Bio | Removed. |
| City and coarse location | Removed, and your profile is switched to private. |
| Your listings | Archived immediately and removed from the feed, search results and the map. They come back if you sign in again within 30 days. |
| Push notification tokens | Deleted, so no further notification can be delivered to any of your devices. |
| Message forwarding settings | Deleted, so no further message is forwarded to your WhatsApp or phone. |
| Notification preferences | Kept for 30 days so a restored account keeps them, then deleted. |
| Login credentials and sessions | You are signed out everywhere immediately. Your sign-in methods are kept for 30 days so you can restore the account, then deleted. |
What is retained, and why
Some data survives deletion because applicable law requires it, because another user’s record depends on it, because it is the evidence we need if the account is involved in fraud or a dispute, or because removing it would let banned accounts return. None of it is used to contact you or to rebuild your profile. The one thing that can follow you is an enforcement decision: if you sign up again with the same verified phone number or email, a restriction that was in force on the deleted account applies to the new one.
| Data | Why we keep it | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Payment records and the credit ledger | Applicable tax, accounting and audit obligations, and detecting payment fraud. | The statutory retention period for financial records. |
| Messages you already sent | They are part of the other participant's conversation, which is their record of the deal. | For the life of that conversation, attributed to “Deleted user”. |
| A sealed copy of your name, email address, phone number and profile photo | So an account involved in fraud or a dispute reported after it was deleted can still be identified, and lawful requests answered — Indian intermediary rules require registration information to be kept for 180 days after an account is deleted. Only our safety team can see it. | 180 days after deletion, then erased. If the account is reported, under review, or named in a legal request or dispute, until our team closes the matter. |
| Sign-in records | Which sign-in methods the account used, and the devices, IP addresses and times of its sessions: the record of who used the account. | Retained after deletion. |
| Identity verification documents | Proof of the identity the account was verified with. | Retained after deletion. |
| Your listings and drafts | Archived, not erased: they are the platform's record of what was offered, and they are never shown again once the account is deleted for good. | Retained after deletion. |
| Abuse reports, moderation actions and the audit log | So safety decisions stay reviewable and banned users cannot return with a fresh account. | Retained after deletion. |
| A one-way fingerprint of your verified phone number and email address | So deleting and signing up again cannot lift a restriction or claim a one-per-person welcome credit or promotion a second time. We keep a keyed one-way hash, never the number or address itself, and it cannot be turned back into either. If a new account later verifies the same phone number or email, it inherits any restriction that was in force on yours. | Retained after deletion, with no fixed end date. |
| Evidence about an account that was banned, placed under review, reported after it was deleted, or named in a legal request or dispute | Only for accounts banned or held for fraud, illegal content or another serious violation, named in a report after deletion, or named in a court order, a request from the police or another authority, or a dispute that needs its records: so we can show our side of a dispute and answer lawful requests. We keep the sealed copy of its profile, including the email address and phone number, together with the content, media and sign-in records that show what happened. | Until our team closes the matter. It does not expire automatically. |
| Ratings and reviews you left for others | They are part of the other person's reputation and removing them would distort it. | Retained, anonymised to “Deleted user”. |
| Analytics events and session recordings | To understand how Flipns is used and to investigate problems. They are keyed to an internal account number, not to your name or contact details. | For the retention period configured on our analytics project. |
| Aggregate analytics counts | Totals that were already rolled up — how many listings were published in a city in a week, and the like. They contain no identifier and cannot be traced back to you. | Retained indefinitely. |
| Backups | Disaster recovery. Backups are not used to restore a deleted account. | Overwritten on the normal backup cycle, within 30 days. |
Timeline
- Immediately — your account is deactivated: your listings leave the feed, search and map; your contact details, name, photo, bio and location are removed from your profile; push tokens and forwarding settings are deleted; every session ends.
- Within 30 days — sign in again and your account comes back as it was, with your profile and listings.
- After 30 days — the deletion is final: your sign-in methods are deleted and the account cannot be restored.
- Within 30 days — for an email request, the deletion is completed and confirmed.
- 180 days after deletion — the sealed copy of your name, email address, phone number and profile photo is erased, unless the account was reported, is under review, or is named in a legal request or dispute.
- Within 30 days — copies in operational backups age out on the normal cycle.
- Statutory period — financial and safety records listed above are kept for as long as the law requires, then deleted.
Alternatives to deleting
If the problem is visibility or unwanted contact rather than the account itself:
- Set your profile to private, hide your city and hide your last-active time in Settings → Privacy.
- Block a specific person — it stops messaging in both directions.
- Turn off push notifications, or turn off WhatsApp and SMS forwarding, in Settings.
- Archive or delete individual listings and keep the account.
Questions
Can I undo a deletion?
Yes, for 30 days: sign in again with any sign-in method you used before, and your account is restored with its profile and listings. After 30 days the account cannot be signed into or restored. If you want to use Flipns later you will need to create a new account.
Does deletion cancel an in-app purchase?
No. Purchases made through Apple or Google Play are handled by that store, and deleting your Flipns account does not refund them. See the Cancellation & Refund Policy.
Who can I ask about this?
Our Grievance Officer, Arvind, at contact@flipns.com. Postal and phone details are on the contact page, and the full picture of what we hold is in the Privacy Policy.