Privacy Policy

Rabbit Hole by TMS Recording · Last updated July 9, 2026

The short version: Rabbit Hole processes photos only when you capture one with the camera or explicitly choose one from your library. Photos are temporarily cached on your device for AI analysis, and your most recent captures are kept on-device so you can revisit them (see Section 5) — they never leave your device except for that analysis. We never sell your data, and we never use it for ads or cross-app tracking.

1. What Rabbit Hole Does

Rabbit Hole is a curiosity engine. You point your camera at something, capture a photo, and the app identifies interesting objects in the frame and surfaces surprising facts about them. The app uses artificial intelligence to analyze your photos and generate educational content.

2. Camera & Photo Library Access

Rabbit Hole requires camera access for live captures. It also offers an optional photo library picker if you choose to analyze an existing image.

Camera access is requested only once, via the standard iOS permission dialog.
Photo library access is requested only if you tap the photo picker. Rabbit Hole reads only the image you choose for analysis.
You can revoke camera access at any time in Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera.
You can revoke photo library access at any time in Settings → Privacy & Security → Photos.
The camera is only active while the app is in the foreground and paused when the app is backgrounded.

3. Photo Processing & Storage

When you capture a photo or choose one from your library:

The photo is temporarily cached on your device in the app's sandboxed cache directory.
A compressed version is sent to a secure AI service (Google Gemini) via our encrypted proxy for analysis.
The temporary analysis cache frame is deleted automatically when you leave the results screen or start a new scan.
On each app launch, any orphaned cache files from previous sessions are purged.
Separately from that analysis cache, a Recent Captures feature keeps up to 5 of your most recently analyzed photos on your device so you can revisit them. These stay on-device and are described in Section 5.

We never store your photos on our servers. Photos are transmitted for real-time AI analysis only. Our proxy server relays the request to the AI service and returns the result — it does not log, store, or retain the image data.

4. AI Analysis

Photo analysis is performed by Google's Gemini AI service. When a photo is analyzed:

A compressed version of the image (JPEG, ~1280px wide) is sent via HTTPS to our proxy server hosted on Vercel.
The proxy relays the image to Google's Gemini API using a server-side API key — the API key is never exposed in the app.
The AI returns structured text data (labels, facts, coordinates) — no images are returned or stored.
Google's use of data sent to Gemini is governed by Google's Gemini API Terms of Service.

5. Data We Collect

Rabbit Hole is designed to minimize data collection:

No accounts. We do not require or support user accounts, email addresses, or sign-in.
No advertising or cross-app tracking. We do not share data with advertising networks or use it to track you across apps or websites.
Minimal operational telemetry. To understand whether core flows are working, Rabbit Hole may send anonymous product interaction events such as first capture, bubble open, paywall view, restore tap, and share tap to our own backend. These events are not tied to an account and are used only for product analytics and reliability.
Crash reporting. Release builds may send crash diagnostics and related technical context to Sentry so we can fix stability problems faster.
No location data. We do not access or collect your location.
No contacts. We do not access your address book or contacts.

The only data stored locally on your device:

Usage count: A simple counter of how many captures you've made this month (stored in the app's document directory, never transmitted).
Onboarding and telemetry state: Small flags such as whether you have completed onboarding or already triggered a first-capture event.
Subscription status: Whether you have an active Rabbit Pass subscription (validated via Apple's StoreKit, never transmitted to our servers).
Rabbit Hole memory: Past dive nodes (labels, teasers, deep facts, optional follow-up prompts, and timestamps) stored on your device (up to 500 recent nodes / 180 days). A compact summary of recent exploration labels (e.g. "Coffee, Roman Coin, Oak Tree") is included in AI requests to personalize deep-dive and Ask responses — this is sent to our AI proxy under the same terms as your photo data (see Section 3) and is not stored on our servers beyond the scope of processing your request.
Recent captures: up to 5 of your most recently analyzed photos are stored on your device so you can revisit them. They never leave your device except for the AI analysis described above, are replaced as you take new photos, and are cleared when you delete the app.

6. Shared Rabbit Hole Links

When you share a rabbit hole, the app can create a web link that others can open. Depending on the share format:

Short links: A minimal reference (share ID) is stored on our server temporarily so the link can resolve to the shared content. This data includes the rabbit hole label, fact, thread, branches, and history you chose to share. It does not include photos or images.
Retention: Shared link payloads are automatically deleted after 90 days. They are not used for advertising, profiling, or any purpose other than link resolution.
No personal identifiers: Shared links are not tied to your identity, account, or device. We cannot determine who created a shared link.

7. In-App Purchases & Subscriptions

Rabbit Hole offers the following in-app purchases:

Hole Hopper (Tip): A one-time consumable tip (price shown in the App Store at purchase time) to support development.
Rabbit Pass (Subscription): A monthly auto-renewable subscription (price shown in the App Store at purchase time) that provides unlimited captures and full reader access.

Subscription details:

Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase.
The subscription automatically renews each month unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current billing period.
You can manage or cancel your subscription at any time in Settings → [Your Name] → Subscriptions.
All purchase transactions are handled entirely by Apple's App Store. We do not process, store, or have access to your payment information.

8. Third-Party Services

Rabbit Hole uses the following third-party services:

Google Gemini API — for AI-powered image analysis and content generation. See Google's Privacy Policy.
Vercel — for hosting our API proxy. See Vercel's Privacy Policy.
Expo Updates — for delivering over-the-air JavaScript updates. See Expo's Privacy Policy.
Sentry — for crash reporting and stability diagnostics. See Sentry's Privacy Policy.
Apple StoreKit — for processing in-app purchases and subscriptions.

9. Shared Rabbit Hole Links

When you choose to share a rabbit hole, the app can generate a link that contains the label, fact, thread, branches, and history you are sharing. If you use a short-link, that payload is stored on our server for 90 days so the recipient can open it. The payload is transmitted over HTTPS, stored with an anonymous ID, and automatically deleted after the retention period. We do not associate shared payloads with your identity or Apple ID.

10. Social Media Links

Rabbit Hole may display trending hashtag badges related to items identified in your photos. Tapping these badges opens the corresponding social media app (TikTok, Instagram, or X) or website. We do not share any data with these platforms — the links are informational only.

11. Children's Privacy

Rabbit Hole is rated 4+ and does not knowingly collect personal information from children. The app includes content safety filters to prevent the display of harmful or inappropriate AI-generated content.

12. Data Security

All communication between the app and our proxy server uses HTTPS/TLS encryption. The proxy server authenticates requests using an app-specific token to prevent unauthorized access. Photos are not logged or persisted on the server. Anonymous operational telemetry may be processed to keep core flows reliable.

13. Data Retention

Photos (analysis cache): The temporary frame used for analysis is deleted automatically when you leave the results screen. Orphaned files are purged on app launch.
Recent captures: up to 5 of your most recently analyzed photos are stored on your device so you can revisit them. They never leave your device except for the AI analysis described above, are replaced as you take new photos, and are cleared when you delete the app.
Shared links: Stored on our server for 90 days with an anonymous ID, then automatically deleted.
Usage data: Monthly capture count resets automatically at the start of each calendar month.
Subscription status: Validated in real-time via Apple StoreKit; no copies are stored on our servers.
Server logs: Anonymous operational logs (share creation events, rate-limit hits) are retained for up to 30 days for reliability monitoring.

14. Your Rights

Shared rabbit-hole links are stored with an anonymous ID and are not linked to your identity. Because they are anonymous, we cannot locate or delete a specific link on request. Links automatically expire after 90 days. Your local app data (usage count, saved holes) can be cleared by deleting and reinstalling the app.

15. Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Changes will be reflected on this page with an updated "Last updated" date. Continued use of the app after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

16. Contact

If you have questions about this privacy policy or Rabbit Hole's data practices, please contact us:

Email: support@tmsrecording.com

Developer: TMS Recording