Privacy Policy
BiteBuddy is made by BiteBuddy LLC (“we”, “us”). This policy explains what information the BiteBuddy app handles, where it goes, and the choices you have.
The short version
- There are no accounts. You never sign up or log in, and we don’t know who you are.
- Most of your information never leaves your phone. Your splits, the people in them, your contacts and your payment details are stored only on your device.
- Some information is sent off your phone to make features work. When you scan a receipt or use a voice command, the receipt or command is sent to our server, which uses an AI service (Anthropic) to read it. Our server does not store it.
- We collect anonymous usage statistics (for example, “a receipt was scanned”). They are not linked to your name, phone number, IP address or location.
- We never sell your information, and we don’t show ads.
Information that stays on your device
The following is stored only on your phone. We cannot see it.
- Your splits: restaurant names, the items and prices on each receipt, tax and tip, the names of the people in each split, and who has paid.
- Receipt photos you take or choose, kept with the split they belong to.
- Your contacts. With your permission, BiteBuddy reads names, phone numbers, contact photos and favorites from your address book. It uses them to suggest people to add to a split, to let you pin people you split with often, and to let you use a contact photo as your avatar. Your address book is never uploaded.
- People you pin, including their names and phone numbers.
- Your payment details: the Venmo username and Zelle details you enter so the people you split with know how to pay you.
- Your avatar and app settings, including whether AI scanning is turned on.
This information is deleted when you delete a split, or when you uninstall the app.
Information that leaves your device, and why
1. Scanning a receipt
BiteBuddy reads receipts in one of two ways:
- AI scanning (on by default). A smaller copy of your receipt photo is sent to our server, which passes it to Anthropic’s AI to read the items and prices.
- Standard scanning. Your phone reads the text of the receipt itself. Only that receipt text is sent to our server and Anthropic, to organize it into items and prices. The photo stays on your phone.
You can switch AI scanning off in your Profile, which switches you to standard scanning. You can also skip scanning entirely and enter items by hand, in which case nothing is sent.
Receipts sometimes carry other printed details, such as the restaurant’s address, your server’s name, or the last four digits of the card you paid with. Anything printed on the receipt is included in what is sent.
2. Voice commands
When you use a voice command to assign items (“Sam and I shared the fries”):
- Your phone’s built-in speech recognition turns your voice into text. Depending on your device and settings, Apple (on iPhone) or Google (on Android) may process your voice to do this, under their own privacy policies. BiteBuddy itself never sends or stores your voice.
- The resulting text of your command is sent to our server and Anthropic, along with the names of the people in the split and the items and prices on the receipt, so the AI can work out who had what.
3. Anonymous usage statistics
To understand which features people use and fix what isn’t working, the app sends short usage events, such as “scan started” or “payment text sent”. Each event carries a random identifier created when the app was installed. It is not linked to your name, phone number or contacts.
These events include only basic facts, such as a count of photos or whether a Venmo username was set. They never include receipt contents, names, amounts or phone numbers. We tell our analytics provider not to record your IP address and not to estimate your location.
4. Things you choose to send
Some features hand information to another app at your request:
- Texting a payment request opens your phone’s Messages app with a message you can edit before sending.
- Sharing a group receipt opens your phone’s share sheet with an image of the split.
- Venmo links open Venmo with the amount and a note filled in.
- Saving an image adds it to your photo library.
Once you send something through another app, that app’s privacy policy applies.
Who we work with
We use three service providers to run BiteBuddy. They handle information only to provide their service to us, not for their own purposes:
| Provider | What it does | What it receives |
|---|---|---|
| Vercel | Hosts our server | Scan and voice requests as they pass through |
| Anthropic | Reads receipts and voice commands with AI | Receipt photos or text, voice command text, and the names and items in a split |
| PostHog | Stores anonymous usage statistics | Usage events and the random install identifier |
Anthropic does not use the content we send to train its AI models, and deletes it after a limited retention period set out in its commercial terms.
We do not sell your information, share it with advertisers, or use it to show you ads.
How long information is kept
- On our server: nothing. Receipts and voice commands pass through to Anthropic and are not saved. Like any web host, Vercel may keep basic technical records of each request, such as its time and the IP address it came from, for a short period.
- At Anthropic: only as long as its commercial terms allow, as described above.
- Usage statistics: up to 1 year.
- On your device: until you delete it or uninstall the app.
Permissions the app asks for
| Permission | Why | If you say no |
|---|---|---|
| Camera | To photograph receipts | You can choose photos from your library or enter items by hand |
| Photos | To choose receipt photos, and to save images you create | You can take new photos instead |
| Contacts | To suggest people, pin favorites, and use a contact photo as your avatar | You can type names in yourself |
| Microphone and speech recognition | For voice commands | You can assign items by tapping |
You can change these at any time in your phone’s Settings.
Your choices
- Turn AI scanning off in your Profile, so only receipt text (not photos) is sent.
- Don’t use voice commands, so nothing you say is sent.
- Enter items by hand, so no receipt data is sent at all.
- Delete a split to remove it from your phone, or uninstall the app to remove everything.
Because we don’t have accounts and don’t store receipt or voice content, we hold no information that identifies you. Usage statistics are tied only to a random install identifier, which a fresh install replaces.
Children
BiteBuddy is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect information from them.
Security
All information sent from the app travels over encrypted connections (HTTPS).
Changes to this policy
If we change how BiteBuddy handles information, we will update this policy and the effective date above. For significant changes, we will also let you know in the app or on the store listing.
Contact
Questions about this policy or your information: bitebuddyllc@gmail.com
BiteBuddy LLC