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Is Ello Messenger Safe?

Ello Messenger privacy label · by Ello Messenger Corporation · checked November 2026

  • Collects location
  • Recently updated
App Privacy label Developer-reported · checked November 1, 2026
Used to track you
0types

None declared

Linked to you
6types
Not linked to you
0types

None declared

Short answer

Mostly a question of trust: Ello Messenger collects data linked to you but declares no tracking. The sensitive items are location and user content. In total the label lists 6 data types; 14% of secure messengers we checked declare tracking.

At a glance

Ello Messenger privacy in one look

Data exposure on the label
Linked to you
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4

Built only from the developer's App Store label. It describes disclosure, not tested behaviour.

Verdict from the label
Linked to you, no tracking

Ello Messenger collects 6 data types tied to your identity but declares no tracking.

Try it

Did Ello Messenger ask for something?

Pick the permission prompt you saw. We compare it with what Ello Messenger's developer declared.

It asked me for access to…
Tap a prompt to compare it with the label.
Matches the label

Ello Messenger lists Location on its label, linked to you. Choose While Using and turn off Precise Location if the feature works without it.

Matches the label

Ello Messenger lists User Content on its label, linked to you. Choose Limited Access and pick only the photos you want to share.

Not on the label

Contacts is not on Ello Messenger's label. That can be fine: data used only on your iPhone does not have to be declared. If the data would need to leave the phone for the feature to work, ask why it is missing.

Not declared on the label

Ello Messenger declares no tracking, so a tracking prompt would contradict its label. Decline it, and consider reporting the mismatch to Apple.

Not on the label

Health & Fitness is not on Ello Messenger's label. That can be fine: data used only on your iPhone does not have to be declared. If the data would need to leave the phone for the feature to work, ask why it is missing.

A permission is what the app can reach on your iPhone; the label is what the developer says leaves it. They answer different questions.

Line by line

What Ello Messenger collects, explained

Data typeWhat it coversWhere to limit it
LocationSensitiveLinked to you Where your phone is, either precisely (street level) or approximately (city or area). Settings › Privacy & Security › Location Services: choose Never or While Using, and turn off Precise Location if the app does not need it.
User ContentSensitiveLinked to you Messages, photos, videos, audio recordings, documents and support chats you create or upload. Settings › Privacy & Security › Photos: choose Limited Access or None; review Microphone and Files access too.
Search HistoryLinked to you Searches you run inside the app. Look for a clear-history or private-search option in the app.
Contact InfoLinked to you Your name, email address, phone number or postal address. Use Sign in with Apple with Hide My Email where offered, and check the app's account and marketing preferences.
PurchasesLinked to you What you have bought or tend to buy. Review in-app marketing settings; subscriptions are listed in Settings › [your name] › Subscriptions.
Usage DataLinked to you What you tap, open and view inside the app, plus which ads you have seen. There is no single iOS switch. Look for an analytics or personalised-ads toggle in the app's own settings.
Reading the label

What Ello Messenger's label means for you

Ello Messenger's label has 6 types under “Data Linked to You”. A data type can appear in more than one section when it is used for different purposes — for example, identifiers used for both analytics and advertising.

Ello Messenger declares no tracking, which means the developer says it does not combine your data with other companies' data for advertising or sell it to data brokers. The data linked to you — location, user content, search history, contact info, purchases and usage data — is still tied to your identity, typically through an account, and is covered by the developer's privacy policy and retention rules.

The items that deserve the most attention are location and user content. Location history reveals home, work and routines. Precise location deserves the most scrutiny.

Messengers see who you talk to as well as what you say. Even with end-to-end encrypted content, contact lists and metadata can be collected and linked to you. Check whether contact upload is optional, whether backups are encrypted too, and whether disappearing messages exist.

Among the 172 secure messengers in our snapshot with a label, 14% declare tracking, 54% collect data linked to you and 29% say they collect nothing. Ello Messenger lists 6 data types, more than the average of 2.8 for this group.

Social apps are built around identity and contacts, so data linked to you is nearly universal. Tracking and contact upload are the settings worth checking.

On your iPhone

Settings to check for Ello Messenger

  1. 1

    Location

    Settings › Privacy & Security › Location Services › Ello Messenger. Choose While Using or Never, and switch off Precise Location if a city-level answer is enough.

  2. 2

    Photos

    Settings › Privacy & Security › Photos. Limited Access lets you pick exactly which pictures the app can see; Add Photos Only lets it save without reading your library.

  3. 3

    Contacts

    Settings › Privacy & Security › Contacts. Limited Access shares only the people you select instead of your whole address book.

  4. 4

    Microphone & camera

    Settings › Privacy & Security › Microphone and Camera. The orange and green dots in the status bar show when either is in use.

  5. 5

    Sign-in

    When creating an account, Sign in with Apple can give the app a relay address from Hide My Email instead of your real one.

  6. 6

    Lock the app

    On iOS 18 and later, touch and hold the icon and choose Require Face ID. Anyone who picks up your unlocked phone then needs your face, fingerprint or passcode to open it.

Cross-app tracking

Does Ello Messenger track you?

No tracking declared

There is no “Data Used to Track You” section on Ello Messenger's label.

Does Ello Messenger track you? Full answer and how to stop it →

iOS 18 and later

Lock Ello Messenger behind Face ID

  1. Find Ello Messenger on your Home Screen or in App Library.
  2. Touch and hold the icon until the quick-actions menu opens.
  3. Tap Require Face ID (or Require Touch ID / Require Passcode, depending on your iPhone).
  4. Tap Require Face ID again to confirm. Ello Messenger now asks for authentication every time it opens.

The lock is an iPhone feature, so it works whether or not Ello Messenger has a passcode of its own. It does not change what the app sends to its developer.

Lock or hide Ello Messenger: step-by-step guide →

From the App Store record

About Ello Messenger

DeveloperEllo Messenger Corporation
App Store categorySocial Networking
Latest version2.3.1, released October 2026
First releasedNovember 2023
RequiresiOS 16.0 or later
Size365 MB
Age rating17+
Languages2 (EN, ES)
Bundle IDcom.ello.messenger

The current version shipped in October 2026, so the app is actively maintained and its label is likely current. Labels are updated by developers when practices change.

Read with care

What the label cannot tell you

  • A label is self-reported. Apple publishes the developer's answers and can reject apps that misrepresent them, but it does not independently verify what Ello Messenger sends.
  • It does not say where data is stored, how long it is kept, whether it is encrypted, or which companies receive it. The privacy policy covers those points.
  • Optional data counts: if a feature lets you add something (a profile photo, a phone number), the type is listed even if you never use the feature.
  • Data handled only on your iPhone is not 'collected', so a no-collection label is compatible with an app that reads your files locally.
  • Third-party sign-in, payment processors and SDKs are supposed to be included, but a label can lag behind a new version.

The question to ask Ello Messenger's developer: Is the message content end-to-end encrypted by default, including backups?

How it compares

Ello Messenger vs similar secure messengers

Data types listed on each App Store privacy label
Tracks youLinked to youNot linkedCollects nothing

Fewer types is not automatically safer: a cloud backup app has to collect your files to work. Compare like with like.

Checking another app?

Look up any of our apps in seconds, or put two labels side by side.

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Do it now

Your Ello Messenger privacy checklist

Tick what you have done
Tick each step as you do it on your iPhone.

Done. You have applied every control the label points to.

Quick quiz

True or false?

  1. Q1Ello Messenger's privacy label says it uses data to track you.
    Right.
    Not quite.

    False: there is no Data Used to Track You section on Ello Messenger's label.

  2. Q2Apple tests every app to confirm its privacy label is accurate.
    Right.
    Not quite.

    Labels are self-reported by developers. Apple can reject or remove apps that misrepresent practices, but it does not audit each label.

  3. Q3Ello Messenger collects Location.
    Right.
    Not quite.

    True: Location appears on its label.

  4. Q4Data “Not Linked to You” is never sent off your iPhone.
    Right.
    Not quite.

    It is collected and sent; the developer says it is de-identified rather than tied to your account or device.

  5. Q5Tapping “Ask App Not to Track” can stop an app from working.
    Right.
    Not quite.

    Apple's rules require apps to work the same whether or not you allow tracking.

Questions people ask

Ello Messenger privacy FAQ

Is Ello Messenger safe to use?
Based on its App Store privacy label, ello Messenger collects 6 data types tied to your identity but declares no tracking. Whether that is acceptable depends on what you will store in it. The label is developer-reported, not an independent security test.
Does Ello Messenger track you?
No. Ello Messenger's label has no Data Used to Track You section.
What data does Ello Messenger collect?
Location, user content, search history, contact info, purchases and usage data. Of these, location, user content, search history, contact info, purchases and usage data are linked to your identity.
Who makes Ello Messenger?
Ello Messenger Corporation, according to the App Store. It was first released in November 2023 and the current version is 2.3.1.
Can I lock Ello Messenger with Face ID?
On iOS 18 or later, touch and hold Ello Messenger's icon and choose Require Face ID (or Touch ID / Passcode). This is an iPhone feature and works for most downloaded apps, whether or not the app has its own lock.
How does Ello Messenger compare with other secure messengers?
Across 172 secure messengers with labels in our snapshot, 14% declare tracking and 29% say they collect no data. Ello Messenger lists 6 data types against an average of 2.8.
Is the message content end-to-end encrypted by default, including backups?
The privacy label cannot answer that. Look for it in Ello Messenger's privacy policy or support pages, linked from the App Store listing. Check whether contact upload is optional, whether backups are encrypted too, and whether disappearing messages exist.
How do I delete my data from Ello Messenger?
Apps that let you create an account must also let you start account deletion from inside the app (an App Store rule since June 2022). Deleting the app from your iPhone alone does not delete data already sent to the developer.
Facts on this page come from Ello Messenger on the App Store, as reported by the developer. Checked 2026-11-01. How we collect data · Report a correction