Buglet

Privacy Policy

Effective 15 October 2026 · Applies to the Buglet iOS app and this website

The short version

  • No account, no sign-in, no ads, no tracking. No analytics, advertising or tracking SDKs, and we never ask to track you. The app sends only anonymous counts (like "the plans screen was opened"), never linked to you.
  • Your Bugdex is yours. Photos, results, notes and your map of finds are stored on your device and, if you're signed in to iCloud, sync between your devices through your own iCloud. We never see it.
  • Photos you scan are sent to identify the bug, then discarded by us. Our server passes each photo to Google's Gemini AI and doesn't keep it.
  • Your location never leaves your phone. The finds map is optional and on-device only.
  • We don't sell or share your data, and your photos are not used by us or Google to train AI models.

1. Who we are

Buglet is published by Little Finders Club ("we", "us"). We are responsible for the data described in this policy. You can reach us at support@littlefindersclub.com.

2. What happens when you scan a bug

  1. Buglet resizes your photo and sends it over an encrypted (HTTPS) connection to our server, which runs on Cloudflare Workers.
  2. Our server forwards the photo to Google (the paid Gemini API). If one Gemini model is unavailable we retry with another Gemini model; your photo never goes to any other AI company.
  3. The identification comes back to your phone and is saved in your on-device Bugdex.

Before your first scan, the app asks your permission to send photos to our server and to Google. If you say no, nothing is sent. Please point the camera at bugs, not at people.

3. Data that leaves your device

WhatWhyWho receives itHow long it's kept
The photo you scan To identify the bug in it. Our server (Cloudflare), then Google. Our server doesn't store it. Google may keep it briefly to detect and prevent abuse (see section 6), then deletes it.
Your onboarding answers, language and the current month (for example "Is this bug safe?", "Young scientist, 8 to 12", "en_US", "October") So the answer fits your interests, level, language and season. Same as the photo, in the same request. Same as the photo.
A random install ID Basic abuse protection and the free-scan limit. It's a random code made when the app is installed: not your Apple ID, advertising ID or any hardware ID. Our server only, never Google. Only a daily scan count, deleted automatically 48 hours after your last scan. Deleting the app resets the ID.
Apple's signed proof of your subscription So subscribers can scan, with a fair limit of 40 scans a day. It contains a transaction number and your plan, never your name, email or payment details. Our server only, never Google. A daily scan count under the transaction number, deleted 48 hours after your last scan.
The identification result (text only, never the photo) So scanning the exact same photo again gives the same answer instantly. Our server's cache (Cloudflare). Up to 30 days, under a one-way fingerprint (hash) of the photo. The photo can't be recovered from it.
Your IP address and basic connection data Any internet request reveals these; they're needed to deliver the response and protect the server. Cloudflare. We don't forward them to Google. We don't store them (request logging is off). Cloudflare may process them briefly for security.
Anonymous app counts: that the app was installed, the plans screen was opened, a trial or subscription started, or purchases were restored, with the app's name, the plan's name and a test-version label; and, if you answer it, where you heard about the app (for example "TikTok") To count how many people see the plans and subscribe, so we can keep the app worth paying for. Our server (Cloudflare). Never your device ID, IP address, name, photos or answers: none of these is stored with a count. Up to 13 months.
Subscription updates from Apple: when a subscription starts, renews, is cancelled, expires or is refunded, with Apple's anonymous transaction number, the plan, its price, the dates and, if you told us, where you heard about the app (a label shared by everyone who gave that answer) So a refunded subscription stops working, and so we know how many subscribers stay. Apple sends these to us directly; they don't come from your phone and don't include your name or Apple ID. Apple, then our server (Cloudflare). Up to 3 years (accounting).

That is everything the app sends. We don't collect your name, email, phone number, contacts, location, browsing history or advertising identifier.

4. Data that stays on your device

  • Your Bugdex: photos of your finds, their results, quiz answers, notes, favourites, badges and Nib's evolution. Stored in the app on your iPhone and never sent to us. Like most app data, they may be included in your own iPhone backups, which you and Apple control.
  • iCloud sync: if you're signed in to iCloud, your Bugdex also syncs between your own devices through your private iCloud database (Apple's CloudKit). That copy lives in your iCloud account and is protected by Apple; we can't see or access it. It's never shared with anyone else. To keep your Bugdex on one device only, turn off Back up finds to iCloud in the app's Settings; that never deletes the finds on your phone.
  • Your finds map (optional): if you choose "Pin my finds", the app asks iOS for your location when you save a find and stores the place on your phone. Your location is never sent to us or to Google. You can turn this off in the app's Settings or in iPhone Settings › Privacy › Location Services.
  • Your onboarding answers and settings.
  • The trial reminder: one local notification, created on your phone, two days before a free trial ends. We don't use push servers.

Deleting Buglet deletes your Bugdex from that device. If iCloud sync was on, a copy stays in your iCloud until you delete it (iPhone Settings › [your name] › iCloud › Manage Storage). We can't recover your Bugdex for you, because we never had a copy.

5. Children and families

Buglet is made for families to explore together, and many children use it alongside a parent. We built it to collect as little as possible: there are no accounts, names, chat, social features or ads, and nothing about you or your child is stored on our server. The only things sent are listed in section 3, and only after a grown-up allows it on the consent screen. We recommend that a parent or guardian sets up the app, makes any purchase, and gives that consent. Purchases are protected by Apple's Ask to Buy and Screen Time if you use them.

Photos should show bugs, not people. If you believe a photo of a person or any personal information about a child reached us (for example in a support email), contact us and we'll delete it.

6. Our service providers

  • Google LLC (the Gemini API, on a paid plan) processes scan photos to produce identifications. Under the Gemini API terms for paid services, Google doesn't use prompts or responses to improve its products, and logs them for a limited period only to detect and prevent abuse and to comply with law. See the Gemini API Additional Terms of Service and Google's Privacy Policy.
  • Cloudflare, Inc. hosts our server and this website. See Cloudflare's Privacy Policy.
  • Apple processes subscriptions and payments. We receive no payment details or personal information from Apple: only the anonymous subscription updates described in section 3. See Apple's Privacy Policy.

These providers may process data in the United States and other countries. Where the law requires it, transfers rely on the providers' standard safeguards, such as the EU Standard Contractual Clauses.

7. What we don't do

  • No accounts, logins or profiles.
  • No ads, and no advertising or analytics SDKs.
  • No tracking across other companies' apps and websites, and no use of the advertising identifier.
  • No selling or "sharing" of personal information, as US state privacy laws define those terms.
  • No storing of scan photos on our server, and no using them to train AI.
  • No sending of your location anywhere.

8. Legal bases (EEA, UK and Switzerland)

Where laws such as the GDPR apply, we process the data in section 3 to provide the service you asked for (contract), with your consent for sending photos to Google (which you can withdraw at any time in the app's Settings), and for our legitimate interest in keeping the service secure and fair (rate limiting).

9. Your choices and rights

  • Don't want a photo analysed? Don't scan it. Nothing leaves your device until you take or choose a photo.
  • Withdraw consent for AI processing at any time in the app's Settings.
  • Location: turn off "Pin my finds" in the app's Settings.
  • Notifications: iPhone Settings › Notifications › Buglet.
  • Delete your data: delete finds in the app, or delete the app.
  • Access, correction, deletion, objection and portability: depending on where you live, you may have these rights. Because we keep no scan photos and have no accounts, we usually hold nothing that can be tied to you. Email us and we'll respond within the time the law requires. You may also complain to your local data protection authority.

10. Security

Everything the app sends travels over HTTPS. Our server holds no scan photos, and the AI keys stay on the server, never in the app.

11. This website

No cookies, analytics or third-party scripts. Cloudflare processes basic request data (like your IP address) to deliver pages and protect against attacks.

12. Changes

If we change how Buglet handles data, we'll update this page and the date above, and tell you in the app before significant changes apply.

13. Contact

Questions or requests: support@littlefindersclub.com
Little Finders Club