Privacy Policy
Useful Kit, LLC (“Useful Kit,” “we,” “us,” or “our”)
Effective date: October 11, 2026
Last updated: October 11, 2026
This Privacy Policy describes how Useful Kit collects, uses, stores, and shares information when you use our mobile applications, websites, and related services (together, the “Services”), including ProducePilot and any other apps we publish under Useful Kit.
By using the Services, you agree to this Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Services.
1. Who we are
Legal name: Useful Kit, LLC
Mailing address: not published at this time
Useful Kit builds practical apps for everyday life.
Contact: usefulkit@hotmail.com
Online: facebook.com/usefulkit.llc · YouTube @UsefulKit_LLC
If you are in the United States, our processing is generally governed by applicable U.S. federal and state privacy laws (including, where applicable, Florida law). If we later offer the Services in other regions (for example the EU/UK), we may update this Policy and add region-specific notices.
2. Scope
This Policy applies to:
- ProducePilot and future Useful Kit apps that link to this Policy
- Related websites, APIs, and cloud backends we operate for those apps
- Support communications you send us (for example email, the in-app Contact us form, or our website contact form)
It does not apply to third-party sites, stores, maps, ad networks, or APIs that we do not control (for example Google, OpenStreetMap, Open Food Facts, or app stores). Their privacy practices are governed by their own policies. Section 7 lists the third parties ProducePilot works with.
3. Information we collect
What we collect depends on which app you use and which features you use. We do not require you to create an account to use ProducePilot.
3.1 Information you provide
- Receipt photos you take or pick from your gallery, and the receipt details you review and choose to save
- Contact details and messages you send us (for example your name, email address, subject, and message)
- A ZIP code you type in to search near a location
3.2 Information collected automatically
Depending on the Service and your device permissions, this may include:
- Install and device information: an anonymous install ID (a random identifier created by the app when it is first opened), your phone’s model name (for example “BLU G35”), and the ProducePilot app version. This is sent with each receipt scan, each saved receipt, and each Contact us message (see Section 3.3.4)
- Location: your device’s location if you allow it, used to find nearby prices (see Section 3.3.3)
- Advertising data collected by Google AdMob in the free version, including device identifiers such as the advertising ID (see Section 5)
- Network and diagnostic data: when the app talks to our servers, our hosting provider processes your IP address and request details, and our servers keep diagnostic logs (see Section 9)
3.3 ProducePilot details
3.3.1 Reading receipts. When you scan or import a receipt:
- The app first checks the photo on your phone: whether it is too blurry, and whether it contains receipt-like text (using Google ML Kit on-device text recognition). If a check fails, the photo is not sent unless you choose to continue.
- The app then sends a compressed copy of the photo over HTTPS to our backend on Microsoft Azure. Our backend passes it to Azure AI services to read it: first an AI agent we configured in Azure AI Foundry, and, if that fails, Azure AI Document Intelligence as a fallback.
- We do not store receipt photos. Our backend holds the photo only in memory while the request is processed and does not save it to a database or file storage. The request to the AI agent is made with response storage turned off. Microsoft may keep request data briefly as described in its own service terms (for example, for service operation or abuse monitoring).
- A receipt photo can show more than prices, such as a cashier name, the last digits of a payment card, or a loyalty number. That information is part of the image Azure reads, but the app does not save it. Please do not photograph full card numbers, IDs, or unrelated documents.
- The reading results are sent back to your phone so you can review and edit them. Nothing is added to our price database until you tap Save.
3.3.2 Saving receipt prices. When you save a reviewed receipt, the app uploads the store name and address, the purchase date, the item names and prices (including weight, quantity, or unit when shown), receipt totals, and a content fingerprint used to detect duplicates. The photo itself is not uploaded, and the app does not send the location of the photo file on your phone. Each saved receipt and its prices are stored with your anonymous install ID, device model, and app version (Section 3.3.4). Saved prices go into a shared price database that other ProducePilot users can search. Other users see the store, date, items, and prices, but not the install ID, device model, or app version. Saved records are not linked to your name or email address.
3.3.3 Searching and location.
- Product searches are sent to our backend to find matching prices. A ZIP code may be included.
- If you allow location access, the app uses your device location on your phone to measure distance to stores. If your location is not near a ZIP code the app already knows, the app sends your coordinates to OpenStreetMap Nominatim to look up your ZIP code and city. ZIP codes you type and store addresses may also be looked up with Nominatim.
- Your search radius, ZIP, and location choices are saved on your device.
3.3.4 Install ID, device model, and app version.
What we collect. ProducePilot collects three pieces of install and device information:
- Anonymous install ID: a random code the app creates the first time it is opened. It is not derived from your phone’s hardware. Reinstalling the app or clearing its data creates a new ID.
- Device model: the manufacturer and model name of your phone (for example “BLU G35”). Many people own the same model, so it does not identify your phone by itself.
- App version: the version of ProducePilot you are using (for example “1.0.0”).
What we do not collect. For this purpose we do not collect hardware identifiers such as the IMEI, serial number, MAC address, or Android ID, and we do not collect your phone number, your name, or your advertising ID. (Google AdMob collects its own device data in the free version as described in Section 5; that is separate from the information described here.)
When it is collected.
- Each receipt scan: sent with the photo and stored with your daily and monthly scan counts and a scan log entry
- Each saved receipt: stored with the receipt and each of its price records
- Each Contact us message: added at the bottom of the email we receive (Section 3.3.6)
Why we collect it.
- To count scans and enforce the free, Pro, and Lifetime scan allowances
- To find and remove junk, fake, or abusive uploads, including all records from the same install
- To answer support requests and fix problems that affect specific phone models or app versions
- To find your data when you ask us to delete it
Who can see it. Only Useful Kit. The install ID, device model, and app version are never shown to other users and are not returned in search results or any other app screen. They are stored in our Azure database (Central US) and are not linked to your name, email address, or payment details, unless you choose to send us a Contact us message, which includes them together with the details you type.
How long we keep it. Scan counts and scan log entries are kept as long as needed to enforce scan allowances and prevent abuse. On saved receipts, this information is kept for as long as the receipt’s prices remain in the shared database. On Contact us messages, it is kept with the email (Section 9).
How to request deletion. Email usefulkit@hotmail.com with the subject “Privacy Request,” or use the in-app Contact us form, which includes your install ID automatically. We can then delete the scan records, saved receipts, and prices linked to that install ID. You can see your install ID in any Contact us message you send. The app also keeps its own scan counters on your device.
3.3.5 Purchases. Pro subscriptions and the Lifetime unlock are sold through Google Play Billing. Google processes your payment. We do not receive your card number or billing address. The app records which plan is active on your device.
3.3.6 Contact us form. The in-app Contact us form sends your name, your email address (optional), a subject, and your message (plain text, up to 1,000 characters) to our backend, together with your anonymous install ID, device model, and app version (Section 3.3.4). The form shows a note that this information is included. Our backend emails it to our support inbox using Azure Communication Services Email. If you include your email address, we use it to reply. Our backend uses your IP address briefly, in memory, to limit how many messages can be sent; it does not save it with the message.
3.3.7 App settings. Your language and theme choices, and your saved shopping route picks, are stored on your device.
3.4 Future Useful Kit apps
Newer apps may collect additional categories needed for their features (for example calendars, contacts, health-adjacent data, or cloud sync). When a new app collects meaningfully different data, we will:
- Link this Policy (or a short supplement) from that app, and
- Describe the new categories in an in-app notice or an update to this Policy
4. Where ProducePilot price data comes from
Prices shown in ProducePilot come from:
- Receipts saved by ProducePilot users (Section 3.3.2)
- A sample catalog bundled with the app, used when other sources have no results
- Open Prices, a community price dataset from Open Food Facts, which we previously imported into our database
- Initial (“seed”) receipt data. To get the shared database started, we added item prices read from images of grocery receipts that were publicly posted online (for example on Pinterest and other websites), and from receipts provided by Useful Kit.
For the seed receipts, we kept the store name and address, the purchase date, grocery item names and prices, receipt totals, and an internal reference to where the image came from (such as its web link or file name). We did not keep personal names, payment card numbers, or loyalty or membership IDs. The receipt images are not shown in the app, and the internal reference is not shown to users.
If you believe a receipt you posted, or a receipt about you, was used and you want its data removed, email usefulkit@hotmail.com with the subject “Price Data Removal.” Include the store, the date, or the image link if you have it, and we will remove the matching records.
Sample and test data. Some results may come from sample or test data we use to develop and demonstrate the app. These prices may not reflect current store prices.
5. Advertising
The free version of ProducePilot shows ads from Google AdMob, as native ads inside the receipt scan results and search results lists. Ads are not shown on the Pro or Lifetime plans.
To serve and measure ads, the Google Mobile Ads SDK collects information from your device, which can include your device’s advertising ID and other device identifiers, IP address, approximate location derived from it, and interactions with ads. Google uses this information as described in How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services.
The app currently requests standard AdMob ads, so the ads you see may be personalized based on your activity across apps and websites. The app does not currently show a separate ad consent form. If we offer the app in regions that require one (for example the EU or UK), we will add a consent message.
Your choices:
- On Android, you can delete or reset your advertising ID, or opt out of ads personalization, in your device settings (usually Settings › Privacy › Ads or Settings › Google › Ads, depending on your device).
- You can manage Google ad personalization at My Ad Center.
- Upgrading to Pro or Lifetime removes ads from the app.
6. How we use information
We use information to:
- Provide, operate, and improve the Services
- Read receipts and build the shared price database you search
- Enforce scan allowances for each plan
- Trace scans and saved receipts to an anonymous install so we can remove junk or abusive uploads and handle deletion requests
- Show ads in the free version
- Remember your settings, picks, and routes
- Secure the Services, prevent abuse, and debug problems
- Respond to support requests
- Comply with law and enforce our terms
We may use de-identified or aggregated data (for example overall product/price trends that cannot reasonably identify you) to improve catalogs, quality, and features.
7. How we share information
We share information only as described below.
7.1 Service providers
- Microsoft Azure: hosting, our API, our database, Azure AI Foundry and Azure AI Document Intelligence (receipt reading), Azure Communication Services Email (Contact us form), and diagnostic logging
- Google: Google Play (app distribution and billing), Google AdMob (ads), and Google ML Kit (on-device text recognition)
- FormSubmit (formsubmit.co), which forwards messages sent through the contact form on our website to our email
7.2 Third-party data sources and tools
Some features call third-party services directly from your device: OpenStreetMap Nominatim receives coordinates, ZIP codes, or store addresses for location lookups (Section 3.3.3), and mapping apps receive the stops you choose if you open directions. Review their policies for how they handle that traffic.
7.3 Other users
Prices and store details you save become part of the shared price database and can be seen by other users (Section 3.3.2). The install ID, device model, and app version stored with them are not shown to other users.
7.4 Legal and safety
We may disclose information if required by law, legal process, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of Useful Kit, our users, or others.
7.5 Business transfers
If we sell, merge, or reorganize the business, information may transfer as part of that transaction, subject to this Policy or a successor notice.
7.6 Sale and sharing of personal information
We do not sell personal information for money. However, in the free version of ProducePilot, Google AdMob collects device identifiers and may use them for personalized advertising (Section 5). Under some U.S. state privacy laws, such as California’s, this may be considered “sharing” for cross-context behavioral advertising, or a “sale.” You can opt out at any time using the choices in Section 5, or by emailing us (Section 10).
8. Data storage and security
- On-device data stays on your phone until you clear the app’s data or uninstall it (subject to your device backups).
- Our backend (API, price database, scan counters, diagnostic logs, and Document Intelligence) runs in Microsoft Azure’s Central US region.
- The Azure AI Foundry agent that reads receipts is hosted in Azure’s West US 3 region. It uses Microsoft’s “Global” deployment type, so Microsoft may process a request in another Azure region where the model is available.
- Azure Communication Services Email stores data in the United States.
- Our website is hosted on Azure Static Web Apps.
- We use HTTPS for API traffic and access controls on our backends. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure; we work to protect your information with reasonable administrative and technical measures.
9. Retention
We keep information only as long as needed for the purposes above:
- Receipt photos: not stored by our backend (Section 3.3.1)
- Local app data: until you delete it or uninstall
- Shared price records (from saved receipts and seed data): for as long as they are useful for price comparison, or until removed on request (Sections 4 and 10)
- Scan counters and scan log (install ID, device model, app version, time, and counts): as long as needed to enforce scan allowances and prevent abuse, or until deleted on request
- Install ID, device model, and app version on saved receipts: as long as the receipt’s prices stay in the shared database, or until deleted on request
- Diagnostic logs: up to 90 days. They can include request details such as search terms and ZIP codes.
- Support emails: for a reasonable period to handle your request and keep business records
We may retain limited logs or backups for security and continuity for a limited time.
10. Your choices and rights
Depending on your location and the app version, you may:
- Decline optional permissions (camera, photos, location); some features will not work without them
- Limit ad personalization or reset your advertising ID (Section 5)
- Delete or clear local app data on your device
- Ask us to remove price data from a receipt you posted or that concerns you (Section 4)
- Contact us to request access, correction, or deletion of personal information we hold about you in our cloud systems
- Ask us to delete the scan records, saved receipts, and prices linked to your install ID (Section 3.3.4)
- Stop using the Services at any time
Because saved receipts and scan records are linked only to an anonymous install ID, not to your name or email, we need your install ID (or details such as the store and date of a receipt) to find your data. The easiest way is to send a message from the in-app Contact us form, which includes your install ID, device model, and app version automatically. Receipts saved before the install ID was added to the app may not be linked to any install ID, so for those we will need the store and date.
If you are a California resident (or resident of another state with similar laws), you may have rights to know, delete, correct, and opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information. To exercise rights, email usefulkit@hotmail.com with the subject “Privacy Request” and enough detail for us to verify and find your data. We will not discriminate against you for exercising privacy rights.
11. Children
The Services are not directed to children under 13 (or the minimum age required in your jurisdiction). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us information, contact us and we will take appropriate steps to delete it.
12. International users
Our servers and vendors are located mainly in the United States. If you use the Services from another country, you understand your information may be processed in the U.S. (and, for AI receipt reading, possibly in other Azure regions as described in Section 8), which may have different data-protection rules than your country.
13. Changes to this Policy
We may update this Policy from time to time. We will change the “Last updated” date and, for material changes, provide additional notice in the app or on our site when appropriate. Continued use after an update means you accept the revised Policy.
14. Contact
Questions or privacy requests:
usefulkit@hotmail.com
Useful Kit, LLC
Mailing address: not published at this time
Appendix A — ProducePilot data map (summary)
| Category | Examples | Where it may live | Purpose |
| Receipt photos | Camera or gallery image | Your device. A compressed copy is sent over HTTPS to our Azure backend and Azure AI services to be read; not stored by our backend | Read receipt items and prices |
| On-device photo checks | Blur score, text found by ML Kit | Your device only | Avoid sending unusable photos |
| Saved receipt details | Store, address, date, items, prices, totals, duplicate fingerprint | Azure SQL database (Central US) via HTTPS API | Shared price search; duplicate detection |
| Seed receipt data | Store, address, date, item prices, totals, image source reference, from publicly posted receipts and receipts provided by Useful Kit | Azure SQL database (Central US) | Start the shared price database |
| Open Prices data | Community prices from Open Food Facts | Imported into Azure SQL database | Compare prices |
| Sample catalog and test data | Bundled sample prices; test entries | App package; Azure SQL database | Fallback results; development |
| Search requests | Product term, ZIP code | Sent to our Azure API; may appear in diagnostic logs (up to 90 days) | Find prices |
| Location | GPS coordinates, ZIP, radius | Your device; coordinates, ZIP codes, or store addresses may be sent to OpenStreetMap Nominatim | Nearby results and distances |
| Install and device information | Anonymous install ID, device model (e.g. “BLU G35”), app version. No IMEI, serial number, Android ID, or phone number | Your device; Azure SQL database (Central US), stored with scan counts, scan log, and each saved receipt and price record; included in Contact us emails. Not shown to other users or returned in search | Enforce scan allowances; remove junk or abusive uploads; support; deletion requests |
| Scan counts and scan log | Install ID, device model, app version, time, daily and monthly counts | Azure SQL database (Central US) | Enforce scan allowances; trace scans to an install |
| Plan and purchases | Active plan; Google Play purchase | Your device; Google Play | Pro and Lifetime features |
| Advertising data | Advertising ID, device identifiers, IP, ad interactions | Collected by Google AdMob (free version) | Serve, measure, and possibly personalize ads |
| Contact us messages | Name, optional email, subject, message, install ID, device model, app version | Sent through our Azure API and Azure Communication Services Email (United States) to our support inbox | Reply to you; find your data |
| App settings | Language, theme | Your device | Remember preferences |
| Route picks | Selected products and stores | Your device | Build shopping routes |
Appendix B — Future apps
When we release a new Useful Kit app, we may add a short “App notice” section here or in-app that lists any extra data types (for example accounts, push notifications, or cloud backups). Until then, Sections 1–14 apply by default to all Useful Kit Services that link to this Policy.