Frequently asked questions

How does FenceChat work?

FenceChat gives you a private email address and a FenceChat SMS number that you share with the difficult person instead of your real ones. When they send a message, FenceChat receives it first, passes it through an AI filter that strips out hostile and abusive content, and delivers the filtered version to your inbox and Dashboard.

Every message is archived with a timestamp: the original unfiltered version and the filtered version you received. You stay informed without being exposed to the worst of it.

Does the other person need to download an app or sign up?

No. FenceChat works entirely on your side. The sender just uses the address or number you give them. They install nothing and keep using ordinary email or text; the first time they message, they get a one-time notice that messages are processed by AI and stored. This is what makes FenceChat different from co-parenting apps like OurFamilyWizard or TalkingParents, which require both parties to sign up and cooperate.

Does the person contacting me know FenceChat is being used?

The first time they message, they receive a one-time notice that messages are processed by AI and stored by FenceChat. You can switch that notice off where telling them could put you at risk. Replies you send through FenceChat still end with a short “Sent via FenceChat using AI” line. They never see your real email address or mobile number, and they do not see what was removed from any message.

What happens when you block someone, and how is FenceChat different?

When you block someone, their calls and texts stop reaching you, but you lose everything they send, including information you may need about children, money or arrangements, and you have no record of it. They may also realise they have been blocked.

FenceChat works differently. Messages still arrive, but the hostile wording is filtered out before you see them, and every original is kept in your timestamped Archive. You are protected from the harm without losing the information or the record. Our guide to filtering versus blocking explains more.

Does FenceChat store my messages?

Yes. Every message received through your FenceChat address or number is stored in your Archive: both the original unfiltered version and the filtered version delivered to you. Your Archive is encrypted. Essential plan users retain 30 days of messages, Protected users 90 days, and Legal plan users 24 months.

How does the AI filtering work?

Each incoming message is processed by AI, which identifies content that is hostile, abusive, threatening, or coercive. That content is redacted from the version delivered to you, but preserved in the original archived copy. You can set how strongly the filter rewrites messages in your Dashboard. Your messages are used only to filter and deliver them, and are never used to train AI models.

What makes FenceChat’s filter better than a simple bad-words list?

FenceChat’s filter is grounded in years of published conflict research, including the Four Horsemen of relationship breakdown, DARVO, coercive control, and workplace incivility. It isn’t a keyword list, so it can catch sarcasm, guilt-tripping, and passive-aggressive language that a simple bad-words filter would miss entirely.

Can I fine-tune what FenceChat keeps or removes?

Yes. Beyond setting how strongly the filter works, you can guide it from your Archive. If something you needed was removed, highlight it in the original and choose Keep in future; if something hurtful slipped through, highlight it in the filtered version and choose Filter out. FenceChat then aims to keep or remove similar content in the messages you receive from then on. Your choices are private to your account and shape only your own filtering, never anyone else’s, and the removal of genuine threats and abuse is always on and cannot be switched off.

Can someone find out my real email or mobile number through FenceChat?

No. Your FenceChat address and number are the only contact details visible to the sender. Your real email and phone number are never revealed through any part of the relay process.

Where is my data stored?

Your account and message Archive are stored in a database whose primary location is in Australia (Sydney). Message content, your real email address and your mobile number are encrypted. Some of our providers, such as the AI that filters messages and the services that deliver email and texts, process information overseas. Our Privacy Policy lists them.

Can FenceChat staff read my messages?

No one at FenceChat reads your messages to run the service: filtering is automatic. Access to your data is limited to named administrators, every access is logged, and it only happens if you ask us to or the law requires it. Support staff can see your account details, but not what your messages say.

What is the difference between the Essential, Protected, and Legal plans?

Your free trial works the same way on either option. To pay yearly, choose annual billing in Plan & Billing once your trial has started.

Is there a free trial?

Yes. Every new account gets a FREE 30-day trial (45 days if you’re referred by a partner), and the clock starts from your first real filtered message rather than the moment you sign up, so you get the full trial to actually try FenceChat. A card is added at sign up but you are not charged until the trial ends. You choose which plan to trial at sign-up and can switch at any time. Switching plans during your trial carries your remaining trial days over. The trial does not reset.

What happens to my FenceChat email and SMS number if I cancel?

Cancelling takes effect at the end of your current billing period, and FenceChat works as normal until then. After that your account is paused. Email keeps being filtered and delivered for 14 days, then new emails are held in your Archive instead of delivered. Texts stop being delivered straight away and are held too. Held messages are kept for 90 days and messages already in your Archive stay readable and exportable for 12 months, and we remind you before anything is deleted. Your FenceChat email address remains yours and is never given to anyone else while your account exists. If you would rather remove everything immediately, you can delete your account from Settings, which erases it permanently.

Switching between plans keeps the same FenceChat contact details. Downgrading to Essential ends SMS filtering; your SMS contacts are kept for 30 days so SMS picks up where it left off if you upgrade again within that window.

Which countries is FenceChat available in?

FenceChat is currently available in Australia, with New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada launching soon. Email filtering is available in all live markets. SMS number availability depends on your country at sign-up. Pricing is displayed in your local currency.

Are attachments forwarded?

Yes, most are. Documents and PDFs are checked for macros, scripts and hidden code first, and images are forwarded as they are. Programs and compressed files such as .zip files are always removed because they can carry malware, and you are told when a file has been removed.

Can I change my FenceChat email address or number later?

Your FenceChat address and number stay the same for the life of your account, so the people who use them can always reach you. If someone having them puts your safety at risk, Support can set you up with a new number or help you move to a new address. Your real email address and mobile number, where your messages are delivered, can be changed at any time.

Can I get a refund?

Your rights under the Australian Consumer Law come first: if the service has a major failure, you can cancel and get a refund. Apart from those rights, fees are not refunded once a billing period has started. If you cancel, your plan keeps working until the end of the period you have paid for. Every plan starts with a free trial, so you can try FenceChat first.

I’m getting harassing emails from my ex. What can I do?

Blocking their address is simple, but determined senders just create a new one, and blocking destroys your evidence trail. A better approach: you give your ex a FenceChat address instead of your real one. Their emails arrive at FenceChat first, are processed by AI to remove hostile content, and the clean version reaches your inbox. The original is archived with a full timestamp, so the record is always there if you need it.

Is there an app that filters threatening or abusive messages?

Yes, that is exactly what FenceChat does. You share a FenceChat email address and SMS number with the person causing you concern. Their messages arrive at FenceChat, pass through an AI filter that removes hostile content, and the filtered version reaches your inbox and Dashboard. Your actual contact details are never revealed to the sender.

How do I get a second phone number without changing my real number?

You can use a second SIM, a second-number app, or a relay. On FenceChat’s Protected and Legal plans, you add the person to your FenceChat contacts and get a FenceChat number to share with them. They text that number instead of your real one, their texts are filtered and delivered to your inbox and Dashboard, and your real number is never shown to them.

Unlike a plain second number, FenceChat also filters what they send and keeps a record. It is for texts, not calls. Our guide on how to get a second phone number compares the options.

Why do I add a contact’s mobile number before they can text me?

Because it means only the people you choose can reach you by text. Unknown numbers, strangers, and spam never get through: your FenceChat number only accepts messages from contacts you’ve added. You add the person’s mobile number, FenceChat gives you your number to share with them, and from then on every text they send is filtered and archived.

What counts as an SMS send?

An SMS send is a text FenceChat sends on your behalf: a reply you send by SMS, or a filtered text forwarded to your own phone if you turn that option on. Receiving texts is always unlimited and free, and so is delivery to your inbox and Dashboard. If you use your monthly SMS sends, incoming texts keep arriving by email as normal. Your SMS sends reset each month on the same day of the month as your billing date, on both monthly and annual plans, and unused SMS sends don’t carry over. SMS sends to another FenceChat country count as two.

What should I do if someone is harassing or threatening me by text?

If you are in immediate danger, call 000. Do not delete the messages: they are evidence. Note the dates and times, and report threats or ongoing harassment to the police.

To stop their messages reaching you directly, give them your FenceChat number. FenceChat filters out the hostile content before it reaches you and keeps every original with a timestamp, a record that can support a police report or a protection order application.

Can I co-parent if the other parent is abusive and won’t use a co-parenting app?

Yes. Apps like OurFamilyWizard and TalkingParents require both parties to sign up and cooperate. FenceChat does not. You give the other parent a FenceChat address and number for child-related communication. Their messages arrive filtered, your real details stay private, and every exchange is archived automatically. One of the most common uses of FenceChat is exactly this situation.

What is an email relay service?

An email relay sits between you and the person contacting you. Instead of giving someone your real email address, you give them a FenceChat address. When they send a message, it arrives at FenceChat first. In FenceChat’s case, the AI filter processes it, removes hostile content, and forwards the clean version to your real inbox. Your actual email is never exposed, and every message is archived.