Privacy

Finding a passage

Anthropic and Voyage AI are part of Beacon’s passage-finding algorithm. Anthropic helps understand what you describe, choose a passage, and write the explanation. Voyage AI helps match your words with passages in Beacon’s Scripture catalog.

Before your first Find, Beacon asks your permission to send your situation through Beacon’s server to these services. Any first name you provide is also sent to Anthropic so the explanation can refer to that person.

Beacon’s server does not save your situation, the first name sent with it, or the explanation. The explanation is returned to the app and saved on your phone: in your Library if you keep it, and among recent finds for 30 days.

Voyage AI is configured for zero-day retention, so it does not retain these requests or use them for model training. Anthropic normally deletes API inputs and responses within 30 days. It may retain them longer for safety enforcement or legal requirements. These services may process information outside your country.

You can withdraw your Find permission in Settings → Privacy by choosing Ask me again before my next Find. This stops future Finds until you give permission again. It does not delete information already retained by a provider.

Scripture and explanations

Every passage comes from the World English Bible and is shown exactly as published. AI helps select the passage and write a separate explanation. It does not write or rewrite Scripture.

The explanation is for you. It is saved on your phone and is not included in a card you send. Your original situation is not included in the card either.

Your Library and people

Passages you find, send, and open are saved in your Library on your phone until you remove them. Saved explanations, favorites, people, and settings are also stored on your phone.

Naming someone or choosing a contact is optional. When you choose a contact, Beacon stores their name, their phone numbers so you can pick one for Messages, and a reference to that contact on your phone. Beacon does not upload your address book or send the selected phone number to its server or AI providers.

A first name provided with Find is sent to Anthropic as described above. Names you include on a shared card are hosted with that card.

Beacon has no accounts or cloud Library. Your device’s backup settings may include Beacon’s local data.

Days you remember and people you pray for

Remembered days are stored on your phone, including the person, date, kind of day or label, repeat choices, and reminder choices.

Beacon also stores the people you add, whether each is in daily prayer, when you added them, and when you last prayed for them. These prayer records and remembered days are not uploaded.

If you use Find for someone or a remembered day, the text shown in the Find field is sent for processing when you give permission and tap Find. You can review and change it first.

Reminders

Beacon schedules reminders on your phone. They are local notifications, rather than messages sent by Beacon’s server.

Reminders may show a person’s first name and the name you gave their day on your screen. What appears on your Lock Screen depends on your notification settings.

You can change reminders in Beacon and control notification permission and previews in your phone’s Settings.

Cards you share

Sharing a card uploads its passage, the names shown on it, any note or photo you add, and a picture of the card for link previews. Beacon hosts the card using Vercel storage in the United States.

Anyone with the link can open the card without installing Beacon. They can also forward the link or keep a copy.

The link expires after 30 days. A daily cleanup deletes the hosted card and its associated files.

Removing a passage from your Library does not end its shared link.

Beacon does not track whether someone opens or reads your card and does not send read receipts. Routine hosting records are described below.

Deleting a hosted card cannot remove copies someone has already saved or forwarded.

Photos

When you add a photo to a card, Beacon uploads a processed copy with the camera’s location and time metadata removed. Your original photo is not changed.

The uploaded copy is deleted with the hosted card. So you can reframe the photo later, Beacon also keeps a processed copy of the whole photo, with the same metadata removed, on your phone with the card. It is not uploaded, and it is removed with the passage or by Delete everything.

Save image adds a picture Beacon made to your Photos when you ask, with your permission to add photos. Beacon never reads your photo library.

Speaking and listening

Speak converts your voice into text using your phone’s speech recognition when available. If your device or language requires server processing, Apple processes the speech under its privacy policy. Beacon indicates when Apple is processing it. The microphone is used while Speak is active, until you stop it.

The resulting text appears in the Find field. It is sent to Beacon’s passage-finding services only when you submit Find with permission.

Recorded Scripture readings use OpenAI to generate audio and word timings from catalog Scripture. Your situation, personal explanation, and card notes are not sent to OpenAI for this purpose. When a recording is unavailable, Beacon uses your phone’s reading voice.

Opening a shared card

Beacon does not create a record identifying who opened a card or whether they read it.

Choosing Save in this browser on the website saves a copy in that browser. There is no account or cloud Library for that copy. Clearing browser data may remove it, and its hosted photo may stop loading after the original link expires.

You can remove a received card from your Library. This removes your saved copy, but does not end the sender’s shared link.

Technical records

Vercel, Beacon’s hosting provider, keeps routine request records, such as the requested address, time, and browser type, for up to one day. Hosting and AI providers may also receive technical information, such as IP addresses, while processing requests.

Beacon does not use these records to track individual card recipients. Beacon has no advertising trackers or app usage analytics and does not sell personal data.

Your choices and deletion

You can:

• Remove saved passages from your Library.
• Use Delete everything in Settings to clear Beacon’s local data.
• Withdraw Find permission in Settings → Privacy.
• Change microphone, speech recognition, and notification permissions in your phone’s Settings.

Deleting local app data does not delete hosted cards. They are deleted when their links expire.

These actions cannot remove copies kept by recipients or records retained by service providers under their policies.

Contact and support

Beacon is made and run by Nicholas Borden. For questions, feedback, or privacy requests, email support@beaconverse.app.

If you contact support, your email address, message, and any attachments are used to respond to your request. Please include only the information needed to explain the issue.

Children

Beacon is not directed to children under 13.

Policy changes

This page will show a new effective date when the policy changes. If a change introduces new sharing of information through Find, Beacon will request permission before that sharing begins.