Security & Privacy
How your money is protected, how payments are approved, and what other people can — and can't — see.
Approving payments
Phone biometrics — the default
When your phone has Face ID or a fingerprint set up for Arcle, that's how you approve. The approval is tied to that exact payment — that recipient, that amount, that fee — so it can't be replayed or reused for a different one.
Arcle PIN — the fallback
Your 4-digit PIN works everywhere biometrics can't — WhatsApp, a device without biometrics set up. It's checked on our servers, never stored readably, and five wrong attempts lock PIN approvals for 15 minutes, however fast someone tries. Never share it — Arcle staff will never ask for it.
Exactly one, every time
Every payment that leaves your account needs one approval: your biometrics or your PIN. Nothing moves on a chat message alone, and an approval can't be used twice.
Where your money is
Your digital-dollar wallet is held securely by Arcle and signed only after you approve. Because it doesn't live on your phone, there's no seed phrase to lose and a lost phone doesn't mean lost money — sign in on a new device with your email code and PIN (see Your Accounts).
Savings, ajo, pools and held order payments sit in Arcle's ledger and only ever leave along the rules you agreed to — back to you, to the person whose turn it is, or to the shop that delivered.
Your business is yours
What another user can learn about you
Your name, when they're paying you — so they know it's the right person. That's all.
Your balance, income, spending, who you pay, your orders, your email, phone, account number and wallet address are never shown to another user — not by the app, not by the chat, not by WhatsApp, however the question is asked. Ask Arcle about someone else's money and it will decline rather than guess.
- Paying @ada never reveals her account number or wallet — you only see what you typed in yourself.
- Looking people up is limited per account per hour, so nobody can trawl the directory.
- In a group ajo you see counts — “3 of 4 paid” — never who paid or missed.
Built-in checks
- Confirmation before everything — the amount, recipient and fee, every time.
- Scam warnings — Arcle looks for signs of fraud or pressure in a request and warns you before you confirm.
- No invented recipients — Arcle won't pay a name or handle you never mentioned.
- Bank details are never guessed — sending to a bank account always needs you to name the bank.
- Claim links need a code sent to the recipient's email, so a forwarded link alone can't be cashed.
- No double payments — if a request is sent twice after a dropped connection, you get the first result, not a second payment.
WhatsApp and AI apps
On WhatsApp you approve with your PIN in a private PIN box where available; delete the message if you ever type it. Linking a number needs a code from your account, not just the phone. AI apps you connect can read your account but can never move money — they prepare, you approve in Arcle.
If your phone is lost
- Sign in on another device and change your PIN in Settings → Security
- Disconnect WhatsApp and any AI connections from Settings → Security
- Your wallet and balances are unaffected — they were never on the phone
Ready to get started?
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