Fade Get Fade

Legal

Privacy policy

Effective 1 October 2026

Fade is a disposable email app. It gives you temporary email addresses that receive mail and then automatically delete it. You do not create an account, and you do not give us your name, phone number, or any personal details. This policy explains what information Fade handles, how the free and Pro tiers differ, and the choices you have.

Information Fade handles

  • Mail sent to your Fade address. When you use a Fade address, messages sent to it (the sender, subject, body, and attachment details) are stored briefly on our server only so the app can show them to you. Mail to a temporary address is automatically and permanently deleted a short time after the address expires (about 15 minutes after its last activity). Mail to a reserved (Pro) address stays until you release the address or your subscription ends. We do not read, mine, profile, or sell your messages.
  • A random device identifier. On first launch Fade generates a random token that is stored on your device and sent with requests so the service can tell which addresses and subscription are yours. It is not your name or email, and it identifies a device, not a person.
  • Notification token. If you turn notifications on, Apple gives us a device token that we store only to alert you when new mail arrives. It is removed when the address expires or when you turn notifications off.
  • Subscription status (Fade Pro). If you buy Fade Pro, the purchase is handled by Apple, and our payments provider (RevenueCat) tells the app whether your subscription is active so Pro features unlock. We never see your card or Apple account details.
  • Advertising data, free tier only. The free version shows ads through Google AdMob. To show and measure those ads, Google may process a device or advertising identifier, app interaction data, approximate (country-level) location inferred from your IP address, and basic diagnostics. We do not collect precise location and Fade never asks for location access. Fade Pro is completely ad-free, and Pro users are not shown ads or subject to ad tracking.

Fade for Chrome

The Fade Chrome extension works the same way, with these differences:

  • No ads and no tracking. The extension shows no ads, contains no analytics, and loads no remote code.
  • A random browser identifier. On install the extension generates a random identifier, stored in the browser's extension storage, so the service can tell which addresses and plan belong to this browser. Linking the browser to your iPhone or to your purchase gives it its own revocable browser key instead; the server keeps only a one-way hash of that key, plus a label such as "Chrome on Mac" and when it was linked and last used, so your iPhone can list and unlink it. A browser unused for 30 days is unlinked automatically.
  • Mail history on this browser. If you keep mail history, copies of your messages are stored only in this browser's extension storage, never on our server beyond the normal retention below. You can remove them when you unlink, or by removing the extension.
  • Web pages. The extension cannot read the pages you visit. Where a browser has no working side panel (Arc), clicking the Fade button adds Fade's own sidebar to that one tab, which Chrome allows only for the tab you clicked.
  • Purchases on the web. Fade Pro bought in the extension is sold by our merchant of record, Polar, which handles checkout, billing, tax and your license key. Polar receives your email address and payment details; we never see your card. Our server receives from Polar your plan, its renewal or end date, and your email address, which the app shows on your Pro card. A license key you enter to restore a purchase is sent to Polar to verify it and kept on our server only to free that browser's slot when it is unlinked.
  • Regional pricing. To show prices for your region, the extension's server looks up the country of your IP address in an offline database (IP geolocation by DB-IP). The address is not stored.

Ads and tracking

On the free tier, before any personalized advertising, Fade asks for your permission through Apple's App Tracking Transparency prompt. If you allow it, Google AdMob may use your device's advertising identifier to personalize and measure ads, which Apple defines as tracking. If you decline, you still see ads, but non-personalized ones, and the advertising identifier is not used. You can change this any time in iOS Settings, and upgrading to Fade Pro removes ads and ad tracking entirely.

How the information is used

To run the service: to receive and display the mail sent to your temporary address, to send the notifications you have enabled, to unlock Fade Pro for subscribers, and, on the free tier, to show and measure ads. We do not use your mail for advertising or profiling.

Who else is involved

  • Apple, for push notifications and for processing any Fade Pro purchase.
  • RevenueCat, our subscription-management provider, to verify Fade Pro status.
  • Google AdMob, to serve ads on the free tier only.
  • Polar, merchant of record for Fade Pro bought on the web through the Chrome extension, for checkout, billing and license keys.

We do not sell your data. Mail arrives from whatever services you choose to give a Fade address to.

Retention

Temporary Fade addresses and their messages are ephemeral: messages are deleted automatically a short time after an address expires. Reserved (Pro) addresses and their mail persist only while you keep them and your subscription is active. We do not keep long-term copies of your mail.

Security

Traffic between the app and our servers is encrypted with HTTPS/TLS. Inbound mail is held only briefly on an access-controlled server before automatic deletion.

Children

Fade is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect information from them.

Your choices

  • Every Fade address expires on its own; you can also generate a new one or stop using an address at any time.
  • Turn notifications on or off from the app's Settings.
  • Allow or decline ad tracking via the App Tracking Transparency prompt, or later in iOS Settings.
  • Upgrade to Fade Pro to remove ads and ad tracking entirely.

Changes

We may update this policy. If we do, the effective date above will change.

Contact

Questions about privacy: help@fade.email

Fade is published by Mohit Gaddam.