Legal

Privacy Policy

Effective: May 15, 2026 · Operator: Truemium OÜ

Vitola ("we", "us", "the app") is a cigar identification, logging, and community journal published by Truemium OÜ. This policy explains what we collect, why, and how to control it. Plain language — no fine print games.

1. What we collect

Anonymous device identifier

On first launch, Vitola generates a random UUID stored on your device. We use this as your account ID so your library and tasting notes persist across launches without requiring sign-up. This identifier is not tied to your real-world identity.

Apple Sign In / Google Sign In (optional)

If you link an account, we store the provider, the subject identifier returned by Apple/Google, and the email address you authorize. We do not receive your password. Linking lets you restore your library on a new device.

Profile information

Optional fields you provide: display name, salutation, your onboarding answers (experience level, smoking frequency, humidor type, favorite origins), and a reviewer name shown on public reviews.

Photos

When you tap "Detect", we send the photo of the cigar's band/wrapper to OpenAI's vision API to identify the cigar. When you save a tasting note with the "Include this photo" toggle ON, the photo is stored on our private AWS S3 bucket and associated with your session. Photos in public tasting notes are visible to other users browsing that cigar's community reviews; photos in private sessions are visible only to you.

Subscription state (RevenueCat)

If you subscribe, RevenueCat receives your Apple receipt and returns your subscription status (active, expired, billing issue, cancelled). We store the active state, product ID, started/expires dates, and auto-renew flag against your anonymous user ID. We never see your Apple ID, payment method, or credit card.

Tasting sessions (Letterboxd model)

Every smoke you log is stored as a "tasting session". Each session can be private (visible only to you) or public — public sessions become community reviews shown on that cigar's detail page. You control the toggle. The session contains: star rating, selected flavor tags, prose notes, optional photo, and the timestamp.

Diagnostics

If a crash or unhandled error occurs, anonymized diagnostic info (device model, OS version, stack trace) may be sent to our error tracker. No content of your sessions or photos is included in these reports.

2. What we do NOT collect

  • Your contacts, calendar, location, or microphone
  • Tracking identifiers across other apps or websites
  • Your real name, birthday, or government ID
  • Your Apple ID password, credit card, or payment details

3. AI training opt-out

In Settings → Privacy → Improve AI detection, you can opt out of having your detect photos used to refine our identification pipeline. When you turn this OFF:

  • Photos attached to your public tasting notes remain stored (they're displayed on the cigar's community review feed).
  • Photos that were uploaded only for detection telemetry are scheduled for deletion within 7 days by an automated cron job (cigars:cleanup-detect-photos).
  • Existing photos already used to enrich our catalog are retained in anonymized aggregate (no identifying metadata).

You can toggle the setting freely. Each change applies immediately.

4. Community content and moderation

Tasting notes you mark public are visible on the corresponding cigar's detail page. You can edit or delete any session at any time from your Mine tab. Other users can report a public review (5 reasons) and block you, which hides their content from your feed and yours from theirs. Reported content enters a moderation queue reviewed by Vitola staff under our UGC moderation policy. Repeated violations result in account suspension under our Terms of Service.

5. Data sharing

We share data only with these service providers, each bound by their own privacy commitments:

  • OpenAI — receives detection photos for AI identification. Photos sent for detection are not retained by OpenAI per their API data policy.
  • AWS S3 — stores your tasting note photos under a private, tenant-locked bucket prefix.
  • RevenueCat — manages subscription receipt validation and renewal state for App Store purchases.
  • Apple — handles your subscription billing, receipts, and refunds per the App Store rules.

We do not sell your data. We do not share it with advertising networks. We never have.

6. Account deletion

You can delete your account from Settings → Sign in → Delete account. We follow Apple's 5.1.1(v) guideline. Deletion triggers a 30-day reversal window during which signing in restores the account. After 30 days, your sessions, photos, profile, and any public reviews are permanently deleted. Aggregate data (e.g., cigar catalog ratings derived from many users) remains anonymized.

7. Children

Vitola is rated 17+ on the App Store because cigars are tobacco products. The app is not intended for users under 17 and we do not knowingly collect data from them. If you believe a child has used Vitola, contact [email protected] and we will delete the account.

8. Your rights

Under GDPR, CCPA, and similar regimes you may request: a copy of your data, correction of inaccuracies, deletion, or restriction of processing. Email [email protected] — we respond within 30 days. For GDPR concerns you can also contact a supervisory authority in your country.

9. Changes

If we materially change this policy we will surface a notice in-app before the change takes effect. The effective date at the top of this page reflects the latest revision. Prior versions are available on request.

10. Contact

Truemium OÜ, Tallinn, Estonia.
Email: [email protected]