Account security and your data
Setting a password, protecting your phone number, what we collect, and how to close your account if you ever need to.
Your account, your control
Your KampalaSnap account is the key to your orders, your wallet, your reviews, your follows, and your conversations with sellers. This guide covers the basics of keeping it safe — and how to walk away cleanly if you ever want to.
Three ways to sign in
When you make a KampalaSnap account, you pick one of three sign-in methods:
- Phone + password — type your username + password each time.
- Sign in with Google — tap the Google button, no password needed.
- Sign in with Apple — tap the Apple button, no password needed.
You don't have to pick just one. You can have both a password AND Google/Apple linked to the same account.
If you signed up with Google or Apple only
You don't have a password set. Logging in is one tap on the Google / Apple button — no typing.
You can add a password later if you want one (useful if you ever lose access to the Google/Apple account):
- Tap your avatar → Settings → Security.
- Tap Set a password.
- Type a new password twice and confirm.
After that, you can sign in either way — Google/Apple OR username + password.
If you signed up with a password
Stick with it. You can later add Google or Apple to the same account (Settings → Security → Link Google / Link Apple) so you have a backup way to get in.
Why a strong password matters
If someone gets your password, they get:
- The ability to buy things on your account (and they might).
- Your saved addresses.
- Your follow list, blocked-users list, all your private settings.
What they can NOT do:
- Drain your wallet directly — withdrawals require Pesapal-verified identity, not just an app login.
- See your encrypted PII without going through Pesapal too.
But buying random things and getting them delivered to a stranger isn't fun. So pick a strong password:
- At least 8 characters. Longer is better.
- Mix letters, numbers, and a symbol. Words alone are crackable.
- Don't reuse a password you use for anything else (especially email or mobile money).
- Don't share it with anyone. Not your friend, not the seller, not KampalaSnap support — we'll never ask for it.
A passphrase is easier to remember than a password. Something like
PurpleGoatsFly42! is far harder to crack than Denis1234 and far
easier to remember.
Why we ask for your phone number
Your phone number is used for:
- Sending you the Delivery PIN when you buy something.
- Letting the seller message you on WhatsApp if they have a question about your order.
- Recovering your account if you forget your password.
- Two-step verification in some sensitive flows (changing your payout method).
We encrypt your phone number in our database. Even our own staff can't read it directly — it's decrypted on demand only when needed for an order. Nobody else can see it either; sellers see only a button that opens WhatsApp, never the raw digits, until you click "send."
What other data we collect
We collect only what we need to make the app work:
| What | Why we need it |
|---|---|
| Your username | So you have an identity in the app |
| Your phone number | Delivery PIN + recovery + WhatsApp chat |
| Your password (encrypted) | So you can log in |
| Your saved addresses | So checkout doesn't make you re-type each time |
| Your orders | So we can show you a history and resolve disputes |
| Your follows / likes / reviews | So we can build your feed |
| Your device push token | So we can send you notifications |
| Your IP address (briefly) | Anti-fraud, anti-spam |
We do NOT collect:
- Your contact list.
- Your photos (unless you specifically attach one to a dispute or review).
- Your location in the background (only when you tap "Find shops near me").
- Your messages on WhatsApp — those are between you and the seller, on WhatsApp's servers.
Read Privacy Policy for the legally-precise version.
Changing your password
- Tap your avatar → Settings → Security.
- Tap Change password.
- Type your current password, then your new password twice.
- Tap Save.
If you've forgotten your current password, see "Forgot your password" below.
Forgot your password
- On the sign-in screen, tap Forgot password?.
- Type your username.
- We send a 6-digit code to the phone number on your account, via WhatsApp (or SMS if your number isn't on WhatsApp).
- Type the code, then pick a new password.
- Sign in with the new password.
If you also lost access to your phone number, email support@kampalasnap.com with as much detail as you can about your account (username, approximate signup date, a recent order if you can remember it). We'll help, but the process is slower because we have to verify it's really you.
Changing your phone number
Possible, but treated as a serious change because it affects so much.
- Tap your avatar → Settings → Security → Change phone number.
- Type the new phone number.
- We send a code to the new number to confirm you own it.
- Type the code.
- We ALSO send a code to your old number to make sure you have that one too.
- Type both codes.
- The change is live.
Sellers messaging you on WhatsApp will start using the new number for any new orders. In-flight orders keep using the old number until they complete.
If you don't have access to the old number anymore (lost SIM, swapped phones), email support@kampalasnap.com and we'll help — but we'll ask for proof of identity.
How to delete your account
You can delete from two places:
In the app
- Avatar → Settings → Account → Delete account.
- Type your password (or tap Google/Apple to confirm).
- Confirm.
On the web (no app needed)
If you can't get into the app — say, you've already uninstalled — go to kampalasnap.com/account-deletion. You'll be asked for your email or phone, then we'll send you a confirmation link to click. The deletion happens after you click the link.
What deletion actually does
Right away:
- Your profile becomes invisible. Your username, avatar, bio — gone from public view.
- Your follow list, likes, comments — removed.
- New buyers can't see your reviews.
- New sellers can't message you on WhatsApp.
After 30 days (the grace window):
- Your encrypted PII (phone number, email, addresses) is fully scrubbed — even we can't recover it after this point.
- Your account is permanently inaccessible. The username is freed up for reuse.
Why the 30-day window? Two reasons:
- In case you change your mind. Within 30 days, you can sign in one more time with your old password and tap "Undo deletion" to restore the account.
- In case there are open disputes or in-flight orders. Those need to resolve cleanly before your data is purged.
After the 30 days, the data is gone forever. There's no backup we can restore from.
What we have to keep after deletion
Some financial records have to stay for the law — receipt of past purchases, dispute outcomes, tax records. These are kept in a way where your name is replaced with "anonymized_user_NNNN" so the record is preserved but you're no longer tied to it.
Read Account deletion for the legally-precise version.
Common questions
Someone is logged into my account on a phone that isn't mine.
Immediately:
- Change your password. This logs them out everywhere.
- Review your recent orders. If you see orders you didn't place, open disputes on each one (see Disputes and refunds).
- Email support@kampalasnap.com with the details. We can lock your account temporarily while you investigate.
Can I have multiple accounts?
Technically yes, but each one needs a different phone number. Most people only need one account. If you have a real reason for two (one for personal, one for a small business), that's fine — just don't use them to game the system (fake reviews of each other, dodging blocks, etc.). That would get both accounts suspended.
What about two-factor authentication (2FA)?
For your regular account login, we don't have 2FA today — the password (or Google/Apple) is what you have. The phone-number-based recovery flow is effectively 2FA for any password reset.
For sensitive flows (changing your payout method, large withdrawals), we DO send a code to your phone to confirm. So 2FA exists where it matters most.
Will my data ever be sold?
No. We don't sell your data to advertisers, data brokers, or anyone. The only people who see your data are:
- KampalaSnap staff who need to (for support, disputes, fraud).
- Sellers (only what they need — your shipping name, address, and WhatsApp number for the orders you place with them).
- Pesapal (for payments — they need your name and phone for the transaction).
That's it. Read Privacy Policy for the full list.