FAQ
Short answers first. Deep links follow each topic.
Account and recovery
Do I need a phone number or email?
No. Accounts use a Buzzio ID and a 12-word recovery phrase created on your device. Optional @username is separate.
I lost my 12-word phrase. Can Buzzio reset it?
No. Buzzio never receives the phrase or private messaging keys. Without the phrase (and without an unlockable encrypted backup for history), those keys cannot be rebuilt.
Phrase vs backup recovery key?
| Key | Restores |
|---|---|
| 12-word phrase | Account identity and messaging keys |
| Backup recovery key | Encrypted chat-history backup you chose to save |
New phone with history usually needs both. See Account and backup.
How do I sign in on a new phone?
Install → restore → Buzzio ID + phrase. Identity/keys return. Full private history only if you unlock a backup.
Privacy
Can Buzzio read my private 1-to-1 chats?
No. Sealed 1:1 content is end-to-end encrypted. Readable history lives on your devices. See 1-to-1.
Can Buzzio read everything in the app?
No single rule. Shared products store more so they work: open-history groups, Communities, Broadcast, Stories (ops), Whisper Questions (owner must read answers), optional contact sync and cloud backup. That data is still not sold.
On Communities / Broadcast / open-history groups: text stays under server-held encryption; media is planned to use CDN storage with signed URLs and content-hash reuse (not sealed E2EE). Stories and private chat media stay on their existing crypto paths. See Sealed vs shared · Shared media deduplication.
What does “zero metadata” mean?
Scoped: on sealed surfaces after delivery/expiry, Buzzio aims not to keep a durable server archive of who privately talked to whom and what they said. It does not mean Tor anonymity or “stores nothing.” See scoped definition.
Is sealed sender fully finished?
Write + inbox cutover is complete for 1:1 messages, sealed controls, 1:1 call invites, and conversation-scoped presence (no legacy plaintext-from / sender_id_hint writes; sealed-only parse; legacy receipt listeners off; online under opaque presence_conv tokens). Full table: Privacy guarantees · Sealed sender.
Delivery still uses sender certificates so block and rate limits work. That is not “unfinished sealed sender” — see Why delivery still learns the sender.
Why not claim Tor-level privacy?
Buzzio runs on Firebase / FCM / CDN infrastructure. Providers can see accounts, connections, and that a recipient got a sealed wake at time T. See Threat model.
Will Buzzio find friends from my phone contacts?
No. Buzzio does not use a phone number as account identity and does not offer phone-book discovery. Share a Buzzio ID, @username, or QR instead. See Privacy guarantees.
Can Buzzio reset my phrase or unlock my wallet?
No. Keys and wallet are non-custodial. Optional encrypted backup is unlocked only with a recovery key you control — staff cannot restore your account for you.
Whisper
Whisper private chat vs Whisper Questions?
| Product | Promise |
|---|---|
| Whisper private chat | QR, time-limited, E2E, deleted after expiry |
| Whisper Questions | Anonymous ask links; owner can read answers; not E2EE like private chat |
Never treat them as the same privacy model.
Features
Which group type should I pick?
- Maximum secrecy → E2E groups
- Shared backscroll for late joiners → Open-history groups
See Groups.
Do you record calls?
No server call recording archive. Media prefers peer-to-peer; history list is local (~24 hours on the Call tab). See Encrypted calls.
Secure View vs Vanish vs disappearing vs once-view?
Different tools — see Glossary.
How do freemium limits work?
Free accounts: 50 messages/day (1:1 + groups + QR), limited creates (QR/group every 7 days; one community and one broadcast lifetime). Buzzio Premium, backup Premium, and Link Packs are separate products. Full table: Premium and quotas.