This Privacy Policy explains how the ToolFlip app (“ToolFlip,” “the app,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), operated by John Santia under SanMan, handles information when you use the app. By using ToolFlip, you agree to the practices described here.
No account, on-device by default. ToolFlip does not require you to create an account, and your scan history and photos stay on your device. The only data that leaves your phone during normal use is the single photo you submit for each identification, which is sent to our AI vision service to produce a result; if you choose to use the Where to Buy feature, your location, which is sent to Apple Maps to find nearby stores; and — only if you tap Share on a shopping list — that list’s contents, which are published to a private web link you control (see section 3b).
ToolFlip identifies tools and building materials from photos and provides related informational results. Results are automated estimates for informational purposes only and may be inaccurate; verify anything important yourself before relying on it.
When you use ToolFlip, the following is stored locally on your device:
Because this data stays on your device, deleting a scan in the app or uninstalling ToolFlip removes it, unless a system backup you control (such as an iCloud device backup managed by Apple) restores the app’s data.
To identify a tool or building material — or, if you use it, to import a photographed paper list into a shopping list — ToolFlip transmits the one photo for that scan over an encrypted connection to an AI vision model — Google Gemini, with fallback models from Google and Anthropic (Claude) — accessed through Vercel AI Gateway, along with the standard technical information any internet request carries. We do not attach your name, email address, contacts, precise location, or an advertising identifier to that request — the app does not collect those in the first place.
The photo is used to generate the identification result returned to your device. We do not build a profile of you from submitted photos, and we do not sell them. To avoid sending sensitive content, frame your photos so they show the tool — not people, documents, or other personal information.
ToolFlip asks for camera permission to take scan photos and, if you use it, photo library access to pick existing photos or to save images. Saving to your photo library is add-only: the app can add images you choose to save but does not read or scan your existing camera roll. Both permissions are optional and controlled in iOS Settings, though scanning requires a photo from one of these sources.
If you use the Where to Buy feature to find nearby stores and suppliers that carry a scanned material, ToolFlip asks for when-in-use location permission and uses your location to search Apple Maps for relevant places (such as hardware stores and building-supply yards). Your coordinates are processed by Apple’s Maps service to return those results, under Apple’s privacy policy.
Location is requested only when you open Where to Buy — never at launch, never in the background — and scanning works fully without it. If you decline the permission, you can search by entering a city or postal code instead. We do not store your location, build a location history, or use your location for advertising, and we do not operate a server that receives it.
Shopping lists stay on your device unless you choose to share one. If you tap Share on a list, ToolFlip uploads a read-only snapshot of that list — its title, item names, specifications, quantities, units, notes, and estimated prices — to our list-sharing backend (hosted on Cloudflare) and gives you a short private link. Anyone who has the link can view that snapshot in a browser, so don’t put anything in a list you wouldn’t want a link-holder to see. Shared pages are marked so search engines are asked not to index them, and they contain no name, email, location, or other account information — only what is in the list itself.
The snapshot updates only when you re-share it from the app, and you can revoke a shared link at any time from the list’s share screen, which removes the page. Only your device holds the secret needed to update or revoke a shared list.
ToolFlip does not:
If you purchase a subscription or other paid upgrade in ToolFlip, payment is processed entirely by Apple through your Apple account. We use RevenueCat, a subscription-status service, to know whether a purchase is active so the app can unlock features; it receives an anonymous app-user ID and entitlement status only. We never receive or store your payment card details — Apple handles payment. Subscriptions renew and are cancelled through your Apple account settings, and are governed by Apple’s standard Licensed Application End User License Agreement.
We share data only with the providers needed to run the app:
Apple may also collect standard crash and device analytics according to your iOS settings and Apple’s policies; that data is controlled by Apple, not by a ToolFlip backend. If we later add optional analytics or crash reporting of our own, we will update this policy first.
Your scan history and shopping lists are retained on your device until you delete them or uninstall the app. Photos submitted for identification are processed to produce a result and are not kept by us in a ToolFlip user database — we do not operate one. If you share a shopping list, its published snapshot is retained on the sharing backend until you revoke the link from the app; uninstalling the app without revoking leaves the snapshot published but permanently freezes it, since only your device held the secret needed to change it.
Data on your device is protected by your device’s security (passcode, biometrics, iOS sandboxing). Photos sent for identification are transmitted over encrypted connections. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure; protect your device and backups accordingly.
You can:
Depending on where you live (for example Canada / PIPEDA, EEA/UK GDPR, California CCPA/CPRA), you may have additional rights. Because ToolFlip has no accounts and stores your data on your device, most access and deletion actions are performed by you directly in the app. We will honor verified legal requests as required by applicable law.
ToolFlip is a general-audience app and is not directed to children under 13 (or the equivalent minimum age in your jurisdiction). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under that age; the app has no account system.
The app is operated from Ontario, Canada. Service providers we use, including Apple and our image-identification provider, may process data in other countries under their own policies and appropriate safeguards.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will revise the “Last updated” date above and, where appropriate, provide notice in the app or on this page. Continued use after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
For privacy questions, contact:
John Santia — ToolFlip / SanMan
support@sanman.app
Ontario, Canada