Privacy Policy
The short version
- We don't ask for your name, email or location, and there is no account.
- Your questionnaire answers and the face-shape estimate stay on your iPhone.
- Your photo leaves your phone only when you create a paid AI preview and have agreed to it. It goes through our server to Google's Gemini API, which creates the image.
- Google does not use your photo to train its AI. It keeps a copy for up to 55 days only to detect misuse.
- We delete your photo from our servers within 1 hour and the preview within 24 hours.
- No ads, no tracking, and we never sell data.
1. Who we are
Cutwise AI (the iPhone app and cutwiseai.com) is made and run by an independent developer (“we”, “us”), who is responsible for your personal data. The developer's name is shown as the seller on the app's App Store page. Contact: privacy@cutwiseai.com.
2. What we process and why
Questionnaire answers
Your age check, hair type and style preferences. They are used on your iPhone only to recommend haircuts and colours, and are never sent to us. Only the ID of a style you choose to preview (for example “buzz-cut”) is sent.
Your selfie, for recommendations
The app checks the photo and estimates your face shape on your iPhone, using face-detection software (Google ML Kit) that runs on the device. The face measurements are used straight away and then discarded. They are never stored or sent anywhere. The photo stays in the app's private storage on your phone until you delete it or tap Delete my data.
Your photo, when you create an AI preview
Only after you have bought credits, chosen a style and ticked the consent box. Before upload, the app shrinks the photo to at most 1024 pixels and removes all hidden information, including location. It is sent over an encrypted connection to our server and then to Google's Gemini API to create the image you asked for. Legal basis: your explicit consent, including consent to processing in the USA. You can withdraw it at any time in Settings; the app will ask again before your next preview.
The preview image
Sent to your phone and kept in the app. Our server copy is deleted once your phone has downloaded it, and never kept longer than 24 hours. It is saved to your Photos only if you tap Save.
Device ID, credit balance and credit history
The app creates a random ID and stores it in your iPhone's keychain, so we can keep your credit balance and restore it. It is not linked to your name, email or Apple ID. Legal basis: our contract with you.
Purchase records
When you buy credits, Apple gives us a transaction ID, the product, the date and later any refund. We use these to add your credits, stop the same purchase being counted twice and handle refunds. We do not receive your name, email or payment details. Legal basis: our contract with you, and our legal duty to keep accounting records.
App integrity check
The app uses Apple's App Attest to prove to our server that requests come from the genuine app on a real iPhone. This gives us a security key for your installation, not personal information about you. Legal basis: our legitimate interest in preventing fraud and abuse.
Anonymous usage events
Simple events such as “results screen viewed” or “preview failed”, with the app version, a random install ID and the day. They never include photos, answers or IP addresses. We use them to find where the app is confusing. Legal basis: our legitimate interest in improving the app.
Technical data
Like any online service, our hosting provider processes your IP address and basic connection details to deliver the service and block attacks. We do not store IP addresses in our database.
Support emails
If you email us, we receive your email address and your message, and use them only to reply.
3. Who receives data
- Google LLC (USA), Gemini API: creates AI previews from your photo. Google acts as our data processor under its data processing terms. Under Google's terms for paid services, Google does not use your photo or the preview to train or improve its products. Google keeps the request, your photo and the generated image for 55 days, only to detect and prevent misuse of its service. If content is flagged, authorised Google staff may review it. Google adds an invisible SynthID watermark that identifies the image as AI-generated.
- Google, ML Kit (runs on your phone): face detection happens on your iPhone and your photo is not sent. ML Kit may send Google basic technical diagnostics such as the device model, iOS version, app version, speed and error codes.
- Cloudflare, Inc. (USA, global network): hosts our server, database, temporary file storage and this website.
- Apple: processes your payments, App Attest checks and App Store downloads under Apple's own privacy policy.
- Our email provider: receives support and privacy emails.
- Apple, on our website: the App Store badge on cutwiseai.com is loaded from Apple's servers, so Apple receives your IP address when you view the page. The website has no cookies and no analytics.
- Authorities, only if the law requires it.
We never sell your data, show ads or track you across other apps and websites.
4. Transfers to other countries
Google and Cloudflare process data in the USA and other countries, which may not be where you live. For preview photos, we rely on your explicit consent, given in the app before your first preview. We also rely on our providers' data processing terms, which include contractual safeguards for international transfers.
5. How long we keep data
| Data | Kept for |
|---|---|
| Questionnaire answers and photos on your phone | Until you delete them, tap Delete my data or delete the app |
| Face measurements | Never stored; discarded on your phone right after analysis |
| Your photo on our servers | Until the preview is finished; never longer than 1 hour |
| The preview on our servers | Until your phone downloads it; never longer than 24 hours |
| Copies at Google (Gemini API) | 55 days, for misuse detection only, then deleted by Google |
| Device ID, balance and credit history | Until you tap Delete my data (so your credits never expire) |
| Purchase records (transaction IDs) | 10 years, for accounting |
| Anonymous usage events | 13 months, then only overall totals |
| Support emails | 2 years after the conversation ends |
Deleting the app removes the data on your phone. Your random device ID stays in the iPhone keychain, so your credits come back if you reinstall. To erase everything, including on our servers, use Settings → Delete my data. Any credits you still have are lost, and the app warns you first.
6. Your rights
You can ask to see, correct, delete or get a copy of your data, to restrict or object to processing, and to withdraw consent at any time. Withdrawing consent doesn't affect previews already made. The quickest way to delete is Settings → Delete my data, which works immediately. You can also email privacy@cutwiseai.com. Because we don't know who you are, we may ask for the device ID shown in the app's Settings so we can find your data. We reply within 30 days.
You can also complain to the data protection authority in your country.
7. Face data and biometric laws
We do not collect biometric identifiers and never use your face to identify you. Face detection runs only on your iPhone to estimate face shape, and its measurements are never stored or sent. When you create a preview, Google processes your photo to edit your hair, not to recognise you. We permanently delete photos and previews on the schedule in section 5: within 1 hour and 24 hours of the preview, well before the 3-year maximum some laws allow. We ask for your written consent (the tick-box) before any photo leaves your phone.
8. Other things you should know
Adults only. Cutwise AI is for people aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly process data of anyone under 18. If you believe a child has used the app, email us and we will delete the data.
Automated suggestions. Recommendations are made automatically from your answers and photo. They are style ideas only and have no legal or similarly significant effect on you.
Security. Encrypted connections, private links that expire within minutes, automatic deletion, no permanent photo storage on our side, and no personal fields in our database. If a data breach puts you at risk, we will tell you in the app and notify the responsible data protection authority within 72 hours.
US state privacy laws. We do not sell or share personal information for targeted advertising. You can use the rights in section 6 wherever you live.
Changes. If we change this policy, we will post the new version here and tell you in the app before it applies to you. The date at the top shows the latest version.