Sift — Privacy Policy
Effective date: February 11, 2026
Overview
Sift ("the App") is developed by Shagun Srivastava ("we," "us," or "our"). This privacy policy explains what information Sift collects, how we use it, and your choices regarding your data.
We designed Sift to minimize data collection. Most of your data stays on your device and is never sent to us.
Information stored on your device
The following data is stored locally on your device and is not transmitted to any server:
- Your dietary preferences, goals, and calorie targets.
- Dietary restrictions and allergy settings you configure in the app.
- Scan history, saved dishes, and favorited menu items.
- Any personalization settings (macro focus, scoring preferences).
This data is stored using on-device storage and is deleted when you uninstall the app or clear its data.
Information processed remotely
Menu Scanning Process
OCR (Text Recognition):
All optical character recognition happens entirely on your device using Apple's Vision framework. Menu photos never leave your device during text extraction. No images are uploaded to any server for OCR processing.
Menu Analysis & Ranking:
- Primary method: Nutrition analysis is processed on-device using Apple Intelligence (available on iOS 18.2+) or local heuristic algorithms
- Fallback method: If on-device analysis is unavailable, the extracted TEXT (not the image) may be sent to third-party AI services for nutrition parsing
- Default: The app is configured to prioritize on-device processing
- Privacy: No personally identifiable information is attached to any requests
Restaurant Search:
When you search for chain restaurants, your search query is sent to our menu database. Search queries are anonymous and not linked to your identity.
Data Transmitted
The following data may be transmitted during normal app use:
- Menu TEXT extracted from photos (only if using fallback parsing mode)
- Restaurant search queries (anonymous)
- Anonymous crash reports (if crashes occur)
- Anonymous usage analytics (feature usage counts only)
The following data is NEVER transmitted:
- Menu photographs or images
- Your dietary preferences or restrictions
- Your scan history
- Any personally identifiable information
Third-party services
Sift may use third-party services for OCR processing, nutrition estimation, or analytics. These services process data on our behalf and are subject to their own privacy policies. We select providers that commit to not retaining or using your data beyond the scope of the service they provide.
No account required
Sift does not require you to create an account, sign in, or provide any personal information to use the app.
Children's privacy
Sift is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.
Your rights
Because Sift stores your data on your device and does not maintain user accounts or profiles, you have full control over your data. You can delete all app data at any time by uninstalling the app or clearing its storage in your device settings.
If you have questions about data that may have been processed by our servers, you can contact us at the address below.
Changes to this policy
We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date. Continued use of the app after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.
Contact
If you have questions or concerns about this privacy policy, contact us at: