$ rm -rf identity
delete your identity and data
applies to plaintxt on the web and the plaintxt Android app.
// how to delete — self-service, immediate
Android app: settings tab → danger → "delete identity permanently" → confirm.
web: plaintxt.app/settings → danger zone → "delete permanently" → confirm.
note: identities live where they were created. delete from the app if you created it in the app, or from the browser that holds it on web — this browser can only delete an identity it actually has (otherwise the settings link just sends you home).
deletion takes effect immediately. there is no waiting period, no "deactivation", and no recovery.
// what gets deleted
✓ your username and public key
✓ all conversations you participate in
✓ all messages (already unreadable ciphertext to us)
✓ all encrypted attachments
✓ all sessions and devices
✓ push notification registrations
✓ the private key stored on your device
rows are hard-deleted from the database — not archived, not soft-deleted.
// what is retained
nothing tied to your identity. we keep anonymous aggregate counters (e.g. "number of messages sent today") that contain no identifiers and cannot be traced back to you. if you had a paid subscription, Stripe retains its own payment records under Stripe's privacy policy — those are payment records, not message data, and were never linked to your message content.
// deletion happens even if you do nothing
plaintxt identities are temporary by design. free identities and all of their data are hard-deleted automatically after 24 hours of inactivity. messages self-delete much sooner — 60 seconds after being read, or 24 hours after sending, whichever comes first. walking away IS deleting.
// can't access your identity?
identities are anonymous — there is no email or phone number on file, so we cannot verify ownership of an identity you've lost access to. but you don't need us: any identity you can no longer access will hard-delete itself automatically when it expires (24 hours of inactivity for free identities; paid identities at their configured lifetime). for anything else, reach us via the contact page and we'll respond promptly.