Privacy Policy

Alfred the Wine Butler (“Alfred,” “we,” “us”) is a personal wine assistant. This policy explains what information the app collects, why, and how it is handled. We collect only what the app needs to work. We do not sell your data, and we do not share it with third parties for their own advertising.

Accounts and how you sign in

Alfred does not use passwords. During setup you provide your email address and confirm it by entering a one-time code we email you. Your email then serves as your sign-in credential: if you reinstall the app or switch devices, entering a fresh code sent to the same address restores your account — your cellar, visits, and preferences carry over.

You also provide your name and home city during setup. These are stored as part of your profile so Alfred can personalize recommendations and address you by name.

We send email only when the app needs to: one-time sign-in codes, and a single welcome note after setup describing Alfred’s features. We do not send marketing email.

Information we collect

Information you provide

• Profile details you enter during setup: name, email, date of birth (Alfred is for those 21 and over — we use it to verify age and, if you like, to mark the occasion), home city, and your wine taste preferences.
• Wine and dining information you create in the app: dining sessions, ratings, notes, and your home cellar inventory.

Photos you choose to take

• When you photograph a wine list or a bottle label, the image is sent to our processing service so the text and label can be read. The photo itself is not stored — only the wine information read from it (for example, wine names, producers, vintages) is saved to your records. Images are processed to extract that text and then discarded.

Location (only when you use nearby search)

• If you ask Alfred to find restaurants near you, the app uses your device location to search for nearby places. Your location is used only to perform that search and is not stored as a location history. You can decline the location permission and search by name instead.

Notifications

• If you enable notifications for cellar drinking-window reminders, we store a device push token so those reminders can be delivered. You can turn notifications off at any time in your device settings.

Usage analytics

• We use a product-analytics service to understand how the app is used and to improve it. We record app events such as completing onboarding, starting a session, accepting or changing a recommendation, and rating a meal. These events are associated with your anonymous account identifier. We do not collect advertising identifiers, and we do not sell this data.

How your information is used

• To provide wine recommendations, pairings, and value information.
• To personalize the experience (your name, taste preferences, and history).
• To maintain your home cellar and send drinking-window reminders you opt into.
• To operate, debug, and improve the app.
• In aggregated, de-identified form — data that does not and cannot identify you — to understand dining and wine trends and to develop insights for partners such as restaurants.

We do not sell your personal information. We do not share it with third parties for their own advertising or marketing.

Third parties that process data on our behalf

We use service providers only to run the app:

• Cloud database and hosting — to store your profile, wine, cellar, and session data securely, isolated to your own account.
• AI processing — to read wine-list and bottle-label photos and to generate recommendations and wine information. Photos are processed to extract text and are not retained.
• Product analytics — to measure app usage as described above.
• Maps / places — to find nearby restaurants when you use location search.

These providers process data only to deliver their part of the service and under their own security and privacy obligations.

Data security and retention

Your personal data is stored in a secured database with per-user access controls, so your records are accessible only to your account. We keep your information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the service.

Your choices

• Location: decline the permission and use name search instead.
• Notifications: turn off in device settings at any time.
• Camera: photos are optional; you can enter or search wines without them.
• Deletion: to request deletion of your data, contact us at the address above.

Children

Alfred is intended for adults of legal drinking age. It is not directed to children, and we do not knowingly collect information from children.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the app evolves. Material changes will be reflected here with a new effective date, and we will tell you about them — in the app or by email — before they take effect.

Contact

Questions or requests about your data: [email protected].