Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 3, 2026

the-barbers.com ("the barbers," "we," "us") builds an app that turns a description of the haircut you want into a precise, barber-ready cut sheet, and helps you find a barbershop nearby. This policy explains what we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have. We've written it to match how the app actually works.

Anonymous by default

You don't create an account with a name, email, or password. On first launch the app generates an anonymous session and stores a token securely on your device (Android Keystore / iOS Keychain). That token identifies your saved haircuts to our servers but is not tied to your real-world identity.

What we process

• Haircut details — the styles, options, and notes you enter. These are sent to our servers to generate your cut sheets and are saved to your account.
• Photos — reference photos you add to a haircut are stored only on your device. They are not uploaded to our servers.
• Location — only used when you tap "Use my location" to find nearby barbers. We read your location once for that search; we do not track you in the background. You can instead type a city or ZIP code and skip location entirely.
• Barber searches — the area you search (city/ZIP or coordinates) and the resulting shop listings. Recent searches may be cached briefly to speed up repeat lookups.

How we use it

To generate your cut sheets, find barbershops near a requested area, and operate, secure, and improve the app. We do not show ads and do not use third-party advertising or analytics trackers. We do use our own first-party, privacy-respecting analytics — counting page views and button clicks with a random identifier stored in your browser — to understand overall usage of our website. This information stays with us, contains no personal details, and is never shared with third parties or used to track you across other sites.

AI processing & sharing

We do not sell your data. To generate your cut sheets, the text you provide is sent to OpenRouter, which routes it to a third-party AI model (currently DeepSeek) to produce the result. To find barbershops, your search area is processed by Anthropic (Claude) using web search to identify publicly listed shops. We share data with these AI service providers only as needed to run these features, and our choice of model may change over time.

Security

All traffic between the app and our servers is encrypted in transit (HTTPS). Your session token is held in your device's secure storage.

Data retention & your choices

Your saved haircuts and cut sheets remain until you delete them in the app or ask us to remove your data. Photos live on your device and are removed when you delete them or uninstall the app. To request deletion of server-side data, contact us at the address below.

Children

The app is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect their personal information.

Changes

We may update this policy as the app evolves. Material changes will be reflected by the "Last updated" date above.

Contact

Questions or data requests: rustybarber@gmail.com.