Privacy Policy

Last updated 6 October 2026

Whatco ("we") respects your privacy. This policy explains what the Whatco app and its server collect, why, and the choices you have.

What we collect

• Anonymous identifiers. A random device identifier created by the app, and a random anonymous account identifier stored in your device's Keychain. They are not linked to your name. We use them to keep your free and purchased researches, to count how many devices open a company, to improve the catalog and to protect the service from abuse.
• Purchases. When you buy Whatco Plus or a research pack, Apple processes the payment. We receive Apple's signed transaction record (product, transaction identifiers, dates, price and currency, purchase environment) to add the researches to your balance and to keep your subscription status. We never see your card or Apple ID details.
• Usage of your balance. Researches granted, used and returned, comparisons opened each month, and which companies you research, so that limits and purchases work correctly.
• Notifications (optional). If you allow notifications, we store the device's push token to tell you when a research is ready and, with Whatco Plus, when a company in your favorites publishes results.
• Account (optional). If you sign in with Apple or Google, we store the provider's user identifier, your name and email address as provided by Apple or Google (with Apple you may choose a private relay address), and the time of sign-in.
• Your history and favorites. Companies you open and save, so they are available on all your devices when you are signed in.
• Photos you choose to scan. A photo you take or pick is sent to our server to identify the company or brand. It is processed by our AI provider (OpenAI) for that purpose only and is not stored by us after the result is returned.
• Website (whatco.app). If you accept analytics cookies, Google Analytics measures visits and which parts of the demo are used; if you decline, no analytics cookies are set. Without cookies we count anonymous demo interactions (such as which company was opened) under a random per-visit identifier. If you sign in on the website with Apple or Google, we keep a strictly necessary sign-in cookie (HttpOnly) for up to 180 days and use the same account as in the app: your name and email as provided by Apple or Google, and the companies you open while signed in. Signing out removes the cookie; deleting your account in the app removes the account.
• Research requests. Company names you ask us to research, the time and the result, so that the resulting company profile can be shared with all users.

What we do not do

• We do not sell personal data or use it for advertising.
• We do not track you across other apps or websites.
• We do not access your contacts, location or other photos.

Processors

Railway (hosting and database), OpenAI (photo recognition and company research, only for requests you make), Apple and Google (sign-in), Cloudflare (encrypted database backups), Google (website analytics, only with your consent). They process data on our behalf under their terms.

Retention and deletion

You can delete your account at any time in the app: Settings → Account → Delete account. This removes your account, history and favorites; Sign in with Apple authorization is revoked. Records of purchases and research usage are kept without any link to you, as required for accounting. Deleting your account does not cancel an App Store subscription: cancel it in your Apple ID settings. Backups containing deleted data expire within 30 days. Company profiles are public information and are not personal data.

Children

Whatco is not directed to children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect their data.

Contact

Questions or requests: team@whatco.app. We will update this page when the practices change.