Last updated: August 16, 2026
BestByMe is a food expiry and shopping tracker. This policy explains what data the app handles and how.
Your pantry items, shopping list entries, and master list items are stored on your device in a SQLite database. No account is required, and uninstalling the app permanently deletes all local data.
Two features send some of this data off your device: AI Scanning and Household Sync. Both are described below, and both are optional.
These features work by sending what you capture to OpenAI, which provides the artificial intelligence that reads it. Requests pass through our own server (pantry-vision-worker.dantonoli.workers.dev, hosted on Cloudflare) and are forwarded to OpenAI's API.
| Feature | What is sent to OpenAI |
|---|---|
| Receipt scan | A compressed photograph of the receipt |
| Fridge scan | A compressed photograph of your fridge |
| Voice scan | A short audio recording of your voice |
| Recipe suggestions | The names of the pantry items you asked for recipes about |
A random device identifier accompanies each request, solely to enforce free-tier usage quotas. No name, email address, or other personally identifying information is attached.
Retention. We do not store your images or audio on our own server; they are forwarded and discarded. OpenAI states that data submitted through its API is not used to train its models, and is retained for up to 30 days to monitor for misuse before being deleted. See OpenAI's API data usage policies and privacy policy.
Your choice. BestByMe asks for your permission before the first time it sends anything to OpenAI, and no capture is transmitted unless you agree. You can withdraw that permission at any time under Settings → Privacy → AI scanning. With it switched off, scanning and recipe suggestions are unavailable; everything else in the app continues to work.
Household Sync is off unless you turn it on. When you create or join a household, your pantry items — names, quantities, locations, dates and notes — are copied to our server on Cloudflare so that the other devices in your household can see the same pantry. Items added by anyone in the household are copied to your device in the same way.
Your household is identified by a random code and by the random device identifiers of its members. No name or email address is involved. Leaving the household from Settings → Household stops your device from syncing further.
Household data is not sent to OpenAI.
When you scan a barcode, BestByMe queries the Open Food Facts public API with only the barcode number to retrieve product information. No personal data is included, and nothing is sent to OpenAI. See their privacy policy for details.
Premium subscriptions are processed via RevenueCat. RevenueCat receives purchase transaction data necessary to validate and manage your subscription. See their privacy policy for details.
Expiry notifications are generated entirely on your device and never transmitted anywhere.
Camera access is used for barcode scanning, receipt scanning, and fridge scanning. Microphone access is used for voice scanning. Nothing captured is stored or shared beyond the AI processing described above, and granting camera or microphone access does not by itself permit anything to be sent to OpenAI — that is a separate permission you give in the app.
| Recipient | What they receive | When |
|---|---|---|
| OpenAI | Photographs, audio, pantry item names | Only when you use AI scanning or recipes, and only after you agree |
| Cloudflare | Hosts our server; data passes through it, and household items are stored there | AI scanning and Household Sync |
| Open Food Facts | A barcode number | Barcode scanning |
| RevenueCat | Purchase transaction data | Buying or restoring Premium |
| Apple / Google | Payment processing | Buying Premium |
None. BestByMe contains no analytics SDKs, no advertising networks, and no tracking.
BestByMe does not knowingly collect information from anyone, including children.
If this policy is updated, the new version will appear at this URL with an updated date.
Questions, or a request to delete data held for your household? Email support (at) dantonoli.com