FlipCue Privacy Policy

Last updated: 1 October 2026

The short version

FlipCue has no accounts, no logins and no advertising identifiers. Photos you scan are sent to our server to identify the item and look up comparable listings, and are not stored. Your scan history stays on your phone.

What we handle

Photos you scan. When you scan an item, the app shrinks the photo on your device and sends it to our server. The server passes it to an AI provider to identify the item, uses the resulting description to search for comparable sales and listings, and returns the result. The photo itself is not saved. We cache the result — the item description and price range — against a hash of the image so that scanning the same item again is instant. The hash cannot be turned back into your photo.

If the item has a barcode, the app reads it on your device and we skip the photo upload entirely; only the barcode number is sent.

Shelf photos. If you use Shelf scan (Pro), one photo of many items - a shelf of books, a crate of records - is handled exactly like a single photo: sent to our server and the AI provider to read the titles, not stored, and each item found is priced and saved to the history on your phone.

A random device identifier. The app generates a random ID on first launch and sends it with each scan so we can apply the daily scan limit and stop abuse. It is not your device's identifier, is not shared with anyone, and is not linked to you. Deleting the app discards it.

A subscription token. If you subscribe, Apple gives the app an anonymous token (appAccountToken). We send it with scans so the right usage limit is applied. It does not identify you and we cannot use it to contact you. While a Premium Weekly trial is running, the app also tells our server so with each sold-price check (the X-FlipCue-Trial header), so the trial's daily limit on those checks is applied; this is information about your purchase state, not an identifier.

Your purchase history, through RevenueCat. We use RevenueCat to process subscriptions alongside Apple. RevenueCat receives the record of your FlipCue purchases from the App Store (which plan, when it started, whether it is a free trial, renewals, cancellations and refunds) under a random, anonymous ID that the app creates on first launch. We never give RevenueCat your name, email, Apple ID or any other detail that identifies you, so this record is not linked to your identity, and it is not used for tracking or advertising. We use it to know whether a subscription is active and to see, in total, how many people start trials, subscribe and cancel. The app also sends that same anonymous ID with scans, so our server can ask RevenueCat whether the subscription is active instead of taking the app's word for it. When RevenueCat is in use, the app passes Apple's Search Ads attribution token to RevenueCat once per install, so we can see which Apple Search Ads campaigns lead to subscriptions. That token comes from Apple, carries no advertising identifier and is not tracking; the app never asks for permission to track you, because it does not track you.

Anonymous usage counts. The app counts a few screens and actions, such as "paywall shown", "onboarding skipped" or "scan completed", and sends them to our server in small batches. Each one carries only the event name, an optional category (like which screen), the app version and the date. No identifier of any kind goes with them (not the random device ID above, and not the subscription token), and the server does not keep individual events or IP addresses for them: it only adds one to a daily total, such as "412 scans completed on 3 October in version 1.3.0". We use these totals to see where people get stuck or give up, so we can improve the app. They are not used for advertising and cannot be traced back to you.

Your scan history. Stored on your phone only. We never receive it. It is removed when you delete a scan, clear your history in Settings, or delete the app. The CSV export is generated on your device and only goes wherever you choose to send it.

What we do not do

• We do not create accounts or ask for your name, email or address.
• We do not use advertising identifiers, run ads, or track you across apps.
• We do not sell or share personal information.
• We do not know your location. Marketplace searches are not location-based.
• We do not store your photos.

Who else is involved

• An AI provider (Anthropic) receives the scanned photo to identify the item. They process it to return a result and do not use it to train models.
• eBay receives text search terms derived from the identification, or the barcode number when the item has one — never your photo — through eBay's official listing API.
• Barcode lookup services receive only the barcode number when a scan has one: our server sends it to a product database (UPCitemdb) to find the product's name, and if that finds nothing and the barcode is not a book's ISBN, also to Discogs, a music database, to see whether it is a record, CD or cassette. Nothing else about you or your scan goes to either, and results from Discogs are labelled "Data provided by Discogs".
• A sold-price data service, which returns recent sale prices for comparable items, receives only the same text search terms — never your photo, your device identifier or anything else about you.
• RevenueCat processes your purchase history (see above) under an anonymous ID, to manage subscriptions and count trials and renewals. It never receives your photos, your scan history or anything that identifies you.
• Apple handles all payments. We never see your payment details.

Children

FlipCue is not directed at children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect information from them.

Your choices

Because we hold no account and no personal data tied to you, there is nothing for us to look up, export or delete on request. To remove everything the app holds, clear your history in Settings or delete the app. You can revoke camera and photo access at any time in iOS Settings; the app still works with photos you pick manually.

Changes

If this policy changes materially we will update the date above and note it in the app's release notes.

Contact

support@flipcue.app