App privacy & permissions

Private preview · 4 October 2026

Best Friend Says is being built to process speech, camera images, conversations and memory locally, without silently collecting them or sending them through a vendor cloud service. Public downloads are not open yet. The private builds still need backup, third-party component and camera checks before that full privacy promise can be confirmed.

What stays on your phone

The app's conversation design uses on-device speech recognition, a local language model and a prepared voice rendered on the phone. Android uses offline Vosk recognition. iPhone requires supported on-device English recognition and offers typed input when it is unavailable.

Pet profiles, photos, household details, conversations, reminders and approved memories use local app storage. Private history is separate from the intended public Pack session. Further storage and diagnostics fixes remain uninstalled. Older saved data and legacy recovery copies may still be included in device backups; backup coverage needs verification.

Listening is your choice

Spoken input needs microphone permission and an active listening mode. Hands-free use is an explicit choice; check the listening indicator and use Stop or turn listening off when finished. Background and locked-screen operation still need qualification on supported phones.

Use the app's profile controls to save facts deliberately. The voice-based memory flow is being completed so you can hear the proposed fact and confirm it before saving. A reply saying “I will remember” is not proof that a fact was saved.

What you choose to share

Saving to Photos or Files, recording a clip and sharing to a social app are actions you choose. Review the selected content before exporting. Your photo library, device backups and the service you share to follow their own settings and privacy practices. Removing a photo from the app does not remove the original from your photo library.

Pack Chat through sound

Pack Chat is being developed for independent phones to hear the other pets aloud, with no inter-app LAN or Bluetooth data. Each phone may still play its own pet's voice through its own Bluetooth speaker.

The intended flow starts when an owner enables Pack. The first pet declares itself alpha and invites the others aloud. Already-listening phones offer their owners Join or Decline. Accepted pets introduce themselves and take part through audible speech, using public pet identity and temporary heard dialogue rather than private history, reminders or memory. Anyone nearby can hear or record what is said. The old network prototype is paused; the sound-only version has not been qualified for release.

Camera privacy

The camera design uses a direct local connection to supported hardware and local processing of selected images. A camera's local Wi-Fi connection is separate from phone-to-phone Pack Chat. A vendor cloud relay is not part of the intended app design.

Camera integration is still in development. The prototype's vendor setup app has been observed contacting a relay service; a local video demonstration does not prove the hardware, firmware or vendor service is fully private. Supported setup and complete privacy checks are required before a camera bundle is released.

Browser profile and removal

The website photo stays in this tab and is not uploaded. Remember saves profile text in this browser, without the photo or app sync. Export saves text. Clear removes the profile, photo and saved browser copy when browser storage is accessible. The profile editor has no microphone access or analytics; the hosting provider may retain ordinary access logs.

In the app, profile edits, reminder cancellation and conversation clearing have different scopes. Check the relevant saved entry. For private-preview help, use your tester contact or unclematt@bttlabs.fun. Final retention, deletion and store privacy disclosures remain pending. Keep personal photos, full conversations and camera credentials out of an initial support report.

Private-preview guide · Existing purchase and founder agreements unchanged.