Privacy Policy

Overview

Julep helps you scan cocktail menus and get drink recommendations. We collect and process only the information needed to read menus, make picks, operate the service, and improve reliability.

Information Julep Processes

When you scan or import a menu photo, Julep sends that image to Julep's cloud scan service so the menu can be read and ranked. The scan may include visible menu text, drink names, ingredients, and other information that appears in the photo. Please photograph only the menu and avoid including people or personal information.

Julep may also use your in-app taste preferences and scan state to produce recommendations. The app does not require an account.

Julep collects limited product analytics and diagnostic events such as app opens, scan starts, scan outcomes, paywall views, subscription attempts, and optional feedback about whether a recommendation matched your taste. These events use a random anonymous install identifier and are not tied to your name or email.

During beta testing, if a scan fails, you may choose to send a failed-scan diagnostic package. That package can include compressed copies of the menu photos from that failed scan, scan timing, app version, anonymous install/session identifiers, and the failure category so Julep can debug reliability issues.

Camera and Photo Library

Julep asks for camera access so you can scan a menu. Julep asks for photo library access only when you choose to import a menu photo. Julep does not browse your photo library in the background.

Location and Place Suggestions

If you mark that you ordered a drink, Julep may ask for your location once to suggest the bar or restaurant where the order happened. This is used only for that ordered-drink place suggestion, not for scan ranking, background tracking, or advertising. The selected place name may be saved in your local drink history and included in limited product analytics. Precise coordinates are not stored in product analytics.

Cloud Processing

Menu scans are processed through Julep's server-side scan service. In the current photo reader, menu images are sent to OpenAI to identify printed cocktail names and ingredients. The app then uses those results with your taste preferences to rank drinks. Older app versions and the legacy reading path may send menu images to Google Cloud Vision to extract text instead. Menu text, taste-profile context, and candidate drink information may also be sent to OpenAI to prepare recommendation explanations. Hosting and database providers process limited operational, analytics, and diagnostic data needed to run the service. Provider keys and scan-service secrets are not included in the iOS app.

Cloud providers may retain submitted content for security, abuse prevention, or legal compliance. OpenAI's API abuse-monitoring logs may include submitted images and other content and are normally retained for up to 30 days, with exceptions described in its API data controls. Julep disables stored responses for the photo reader; this does not mean the provider has zero data retention.

Storage and Logs

Julep may keep operational logs such as request timing, status, and error information to monitor reliability and abuse. Local app data, such as your preferences and recent scan state, may be stored on your device.

Raw product analytics events are kept for up to 180 days and may be rolled up into aggregate daily counts. Julep does not store raw menu photos, full recommendation text, names, emails, or precise location in product analytics events.

Failed-scan diagnostic packages are separate from normal product analytics and are sent only when you choose to submit them from the failed scan screen. Raw analytics events and submitted diagnostic packages are retained for up to 180 days. Selected pseudonymous scan, recommendation, order, and rating records may be retained longer for product reporting; they do not contain menu photos, an email address, or an account identity.

Sharing

Julep does not sell personal information and does not use menu scans or analytics events for cross-app or cross-site tracking. Julep shares scan and analytics data only with service providers needed to operate and improve the app, including cloud hosting, database, image-reading, optical character recognition, and recommendation-copy providers.

Your Choices

You can decline camera, photo-library, or location access in iOS Settings. You can choose not to submit a failed-scan diagnostic package. Local Julep data can be removed by deleting the app. Because Julep has no account system, anonymous analytics may not always be identifiable as belonging to a particular person.

For a deletion request involving a diagnostic package you chose to submit, contact support with the approximate date, time, app build, and device used so the package can be located when possible.

Children

Julep is not intended for children. The app is designed for adults evaluating cocktail menus.

Changes

We may update this policy as Julep changes. If we make material changes, we will update the effective date above.

Contact

For privacy questions, email alsobrooks@gmail.com or visit the Support page.