Safety

Ayy Safety Guide

Last updated: 7 November 2026

Ayy is designed for low-friction communication between adults who share a physical place. Nearby social communication has real-world safety implications. Use the product with judgment and respect other people’s boundaries.

Nearby does not prove who someone is

Ayy can establish that a compatible cryptographic endpoint is participating and, in an encrypted chat, lets two people compare a security key in person (Verify security key).

That is not government-ID verification, a background check or proof of the real-world identity of the person holding a device.

An authenticated or encrypted conversation does not establish the other person’s real-world identity or make them trustworthy or safe.

Nearby does not mean exact location

Do not treat Bluetooth signal strength (RSSI) as an exact distance or direction to a person.

Ayy does not show an exact distance or direction to another person.

Environmental conditions, device hardware, operating systems and radio behavior can make proximity estimates uncertain.

A visible profile, broadcast, Direct Approach, encrypted chat or lack of a block does not give anyone permission to:

approach you physically;
follow you;
photograph/record you;
identify you outside the app;
pressure you to respond;
continue contact after you ask them to stop.

Use Block, Ignore or Mute when you do not want contact. Respect these signals when another person uses them.

Broadcasts are public-nearby, not private

Nearby broadcasts are intended for nearby participants and are short-lived in Ayy, but recipients may copy or screenshot them. Normal broadcasts disclose the saved profile and use a persistent public signing identity for the same account/installation, so other nearby users may link separate broadcasts even after they expire. Broadcasts only is not anonymous publishing. Do not post information you would not want nearby recipients to retain.

Private chat security is a choice

Authenticated direct-local private text is not E2EE by default. Both people can explicitly agree to enable E2EE using the chat shield; a pending request or yellow/non-E2EE state must not be presented as protected. Internet-carried private messages are separately endpoint-protected and the normal server does not ordinarily possess their plaintext.

If you deliberately report a private conversation and select particular messages as evidence, that copy becomes restricted staff-readable safety data, independent of the chat’s actual local protection mode.

Blocking and reporting

Blocking does not require filing a report.

You can report a nearby profile, an ayy (public-nearby broadcast) or a private chat. Only relevant evidence you explicitly select should be submitted.

Reports do not automatically ban someone. They are reviewed as safety cases.

Share Your socials only with people you are comfortable with. Once shared, the card stays in that chat on the other person’s device, and Ayy does not check that a handle belongs to the person who sent it.

Account verification and scams

Ayy’s device/account authority is not proof of a person’s legal name, employment, age claim, payment reliability or offline identity. Treat requests for money, credentials, intimate material or sensitive information with caution.

Never share cryptographic keys, account credentials, push/relay secrets or other security material with another user.

Background and delivery limitations

Nearby/background operation depends on platform restrictions, permissions, device state and radio conditions. Internet continuity and push notifications can also be delayed/unavailable.

Do not rely on Ayy to guarantee that another person received a message or remains physically nearby.

Adults only and child safety

Ayy is for users 18+. Child sexual abuse/exploitation, grooming or sexual solicitation of minors is strictly prohibited. See the Child Safety Standards for the reporting policy.

Emergencies

Ayy is not an emergency service and should not be used to summon emergency help, track a person in danger or guarantee someone’s safety/location.

If you or another person is in immediate danger, contact the appropriate local emergency service.

Contact

Safety/support/child-safety intake: support@kalaphos.com.