Privacy policy

Last updated September 26, 2026.

Who we are

Beacon Messenger is a Shopify app operated by Beacon Wave Studio (“we”). This policy explains what information the app handles when a merchant installs it on a Shopify store, when shoppers use the chat button on a storefront, and when the app sends WhatsApp messages on the merchant's behalf.

Information we store

Store data. When you install the app we store your store's myshopify domain, the Shopify access token the app needs to work, your store name, time zone and current subscription plan.

WhatsApp Business credentials. To send messages we store the WhatsApp Business Account ID, phone number ID, access token and app secret you provide. The access token and app secret are encrypted at rest with a key that is not stored in the database. We also cache the list of message templates approved on your account.

Chat button settings. Agent names, roles, WhatsApp numbers, avatar URLs, business hours and greeting text are stored in our database and mirrored to an app-owned metafield in your Shopify store so your theme can render the button.

Message log. For every automated message we keep the recipient phone number, customer name, order number or checkout reference, the template used, the values filled into it, WhatsApp's message ID and delivery status, any error returned, and — for cash-on-delivery confirmations — the customer's reply (“confirm” or “cancel”). Pending messages are held in a queue with the order details needed to fill the template until they are sent or cancelled. We do not store payment details.

Server logs. Our servers keep standard request logs (timestamps, paths, response codes) for up to 30 days to diagnose problems.

Information we do not collect

The storefront chat button is rendered by Shopify from your theme using settings stored in your store. It does not load scripts from our servers, set cookies, or send analytics or shopper data to us. Tapping an agent opens WhatsApp directly between the shopper and that agent; we never see those conversations.

How we use it

Only to provide the app: authenticating with Shopify, sending the messages you configure through Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform, showing you delivery status, enforcing plan limits and responding to support requests. We do not sell or share data with third parties, and we do not use it for advertising. Message content and recipient numbers are transmitted to Meta Platforms, Inc. to deliver messages, subject to Meta's WhatsApp Business terms.

Where it lives

Our database runs on servers hosted by Hetzner in the European Union. Chat button settings are also stored in Shopify.

Retention and deletion

When you uninstall the app we delete the access token, WhatsApp credentials, chat settings, message log, queue and store record immediately. We honour Shopify's customer data request and erasure webhooks: on a customer erasure request we remove the phone number, name and merge values from that customer's message log entries; on a shop erasure request we delete everything about the store. Message log entries are otherwise kept for 12 months so you can review delivery history.

We also keep an access log of when personal data is viewed or changed in the app (which store, which Shopify user, what was viewed), retained for 12 months. How we protect this data is described on the security page.

Your rights

You can ask us to export or erase any information we hold about your store by emailing hello@beaconwavestudio.com. Shoppers should contact the store they bought from, which can raise the request with us through Shopify.

Changes

We will update this page when the policy changes and note the date at the top.