Privacy policy

Summary

Bean is a coffee journal. You add the bags you buy, by photographing the label or typing the details, then rate them and log your brews. Your journal stays on your device, and we collect as little data as we can. If you choose to share your shots, a copy of their numbers helps the coach for everyone.

What data we process

Account data: when you sign in with Apple, we receive an account ID and, if you choose to share them, your name and email address (which may be an Apple private relay address). We also record whether you have bean+.

Journal data: the coffees you add, their label photos, your ratings, notes, tags, brews and shots, and your kit.

How data is stored

Your journal data is stored on your device. It is not uploaded to our servers, apart from shots you choose to share (see Shared shots).

“Add it to the catalogue” currently adds a coffee to a catalogue kept on your device only.

Your account data (account ID, name, email and bean+ status) is stored with our backend provider, Supabase. To delete it, go to You › Delete account: your account data is deleted from Supabase straight away, and the journal on your device is erased. Signing out instead keeps your journal on the device. Deleting the app also erases the journal on your device.

Rest reminders are scheduled as notifications on your device.

Shared shots

bean asks whether you want to share your shots. If you say yes, a copy of each espresso shot goes to our backend: dose, yield, time, grind setting, grinder model, how it tasted, which coffee it was (roaster and name) and the week you brewed it. Never your notes, photos, ratings, name or email.

Shared shots are stored under a random contributor ID rather than your account. They are only ever used as totals: the coach shows what people landed on for a coffee once five or more people have shared shots of it, so no one can see your shots.

We do this because it makes the coach better for everyone (our legitimate interest), and the data is low risk. You can object at any time: turn off You › Share my shots and everything you’ve shared is deleted. Deleting your account deletes it too. Until you answer, nothing is shared.

Camera permission

Bean uses the camera to photograph a coffee bag’s label when you add a coffee. The live view stays on your device and is never recorded.

When you take a photo, or choose one from your library, text recognition runs on your device to fill in the coffee’s details. If it can’t recognise the roaster or read the coffee name, a smaller copy of the label photo is sent through our server to OpenAI, only to read those two names.

A small copy of the photo is saved with that coffee in your journal on your device.

Services we use

Sign in with Apple, to create your account.

Supabase, which stores your account and any shots you share, and runs the label-reading step described above.

OpenAI, which reads the roaster or coffee name from a smaller copy of the label photo when on-device text recognition can’t.

Data sharing

We do not sell your personal data.

The only parts of your journal that leave your device are that label photo, sent through our server to OpenAI to read the roaster or coffee name, and shots you choose to share, which other people only ever see as totals from five or more people.

This website

thebeanapp.com sets no cookies, runs no analytics and loads nothing from other sites.

Children

Bean is not directed to children under 13.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy over time. The updated date above reflects the latest revision.

Contact

Privacy questions: info@thebeanapp.com