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Sight Buddy

Legal information hosted by Drophouse Ltd

Suomeksi

Terms of Use

Last updated: 22 September 2026

1. Introduction

1.1 These Terms of Use (“Terms”) govern your download, installation, and use of the Sight Buddy mobile application (“App”).

1.2 The App is provided by Drophouse Ltd (company number 17182597), whose registered office is at 5 Brayford Square, London E1 0SG, United Kingdom (“we”, “us”, “our”).

1.3 By tapping Accept in the App, or by downloading, installing, or continuing to use the App, you agree to these Terms. You also confirm that you have read our Privacy Policy at:

https://www.drophouse.uk/products/sightbuddy/privacypolicy/

1.4 Privacy. Our Privacy Policy explains how personal data is handled. For all matters relating to personal data and privacy, the Privacy Policy prevails if there is any inconsistency with these Terms.

1.5 If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not use the App.

2. Who may use the App

2.1 The App is an accessibility aid for people with low or no vision. It is intended for adults and older teenagers who can understand these Terms.

2.2 You must be at least 13 years old to use the App. The App is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has used the App and provided data, contact us at contact@drophouse.uk.

2.3 If you are under 18, you should use the App only with permission from a parent or guardian who accepts these Terms on your behalf.

2.4 If you use the App on behalf of an organisation, you confirm that you have authority to bind that organisation, and “you” includes that organisation.

3. No accounts

3.1 The App has no accounts and no sign-up. We do not require your name, your email address, or any other identifier, and we operate no server that holds data about you.

3.2 You are responsible for ensuring that your use of the App complies with applicable laws and with any rules that apply where you use your device (for example at work, at school, or in public spaces).

4. What the App does

4.1 Sight Buddy helps with vision-related tasks using your device's camera and microphone. Depending on your settings, features may include:

4.2 On-device processing. Apart from requests sent to OpenAI (section 5) and your phone's own speech recogniser (see the Privacy Policy), the App runs entirely on your device. Camera images and microphone audio are processed in memory on your device. Your settings, saved chats and record of accepting these Terms are stored in your device's private storage.

4.3 Model downloads. The App can download optional open-source models: voice models (about 154 MB) from GitHub and an on-device AI model, Google's Gemma (about 2.6 GB), from Hugging Face (see 4.4). Downloads happen only when you choose them and are never automatic. Until voice models are present, the App uses your phone's own speech recogniser. The voice models recognise English speech only, so they are offered only when you use the App in English.

4.4 On-device AI (Gemma). The App can run its AI features entirely on your device with Google's Gemma model, an optional download (about 2.6 GB) from Hugging Face. When you use the App in English, Gemma together with the voice models does on your device everything the App's OpenAI features do: it describes images and answers questions about them, answers questions about text you have scanned, helps Find objects understand what you asked for, recognises speech, and names saved chats. Once the models are downloaded, no API key and no internet connection are needed, and nothing is sent to us, to Google, or to anyone else. Gemma is recommended for phones with enough memory when you use the App in English. It can be downloaded in any language from Advanced settings and then answers in the App's language, but it recognises speech in English only. If you have also saved an OpenAI API key, the App uses OpenAI while Use API is on and your phone is online, and Gemma otherwise. Gemma is licensed under the Apache License 2.0. Its answers are generated automatically and can be wrong (see section 6).

4.5 We may change, improve, or withdraw features over time. We will try to give reasonable notice where practicable for material changes.

5. AI features and your own OpenAI API key

5.1 The App's AI features are optional. They run either on your device, with the optional downloaded AI model (see 4.4), or through OpenAI, with your own API key added in Settings. We do not supply an API key, and we do not operate any AI service.

5.2 OpenAI is used only when you have saved a key, the Use API switch is on, and your phone is online. The request is then sent directly from your device to OpenAI using your key. It does not pass through any server of ours, and we neither receive nor store its content.

5.3 Your responsibility for your OpenAI account. You are solely responsible for:

5.4 Your use of OpenAI's services is a matter between you and OpenAI, and is governed by OpenAI's own terms and privacy policy. We are not a party to that relationship, and we are not responsible for OpenAI's services, availability, pricing, output, or decisions about your account.

5.5 What is sent. Only what you ask for is sent, at the moment you ask for it: in Image chat, the captured photo and your question; in Text chat, the text extracted from the capture and your question; in Find objects, the phrase you spoke, and only when the App cannot match it on your device; and, if you enable optional voice transcription, the audio you record with the Ask button. Do not point the camera at information you do not wish to send to OpenAI.

5.6 You can remove your key, or turn Use API off, at any time in Settings, which stops all requests to OpenAI. With no key saved, nothing is sent to OpenAI; the on-device AI model, if downloaded, keeps working.

5.7 We do not charge you for AI features, and we apply no usage quotas or daily limits. Any limits you encounter come from OpenAI and your own account.

5.8 Availability by country. OpenAI's services are not available everywhere. Where OpenAI does not operate, or does not permit an account or API access in your location, features that depend on OpenAI will not work; the on-device features, including the optional on-device AI model, are unaffected. Checking whether OpenAI is available to you, and complying with any restrictions that apply where you are, is your responsibility.

6. Important safety and accuracy disclaimers

Please read this section carefully.

6.1 An assistive aid, not a substitute for careful judgement. Sight Buddy is an accessibility and assistive tool. It supports your own judgement; it does not replace it. You must not rely on it in safety-critical situations.

6.2 Not a medical device. The App is not a medical device and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or condition.

6.3 Errors and limitations. Object detection, text recognition, colour and light readings, speech recognition, and AI-generated answers (from OpenAI or the on-device model) can be wrong, incomplete, delayed, or unavailable — for example in poor light, in motion, when an object is obscured, or when offline. AI answers are generated automatically and must not be relied on without independent verification where it matters.

6.4 No sole reliance for safety-critical use. Do not rely on the App as your only way to detect hazards, navigate dangerous environments, read safety-critical labels (such as medicines, chemicals, contracts, payments, or road signs), or make decisions that could cause injury, death, property damage, or legal or financial harm.

6.5 Not professional advice. The App does not provide medical, legal, financial, or mobility-training advice. Seek qualified professionals where appropriate.

6.6 Not an emergency service. The App does not contact emergency services. In an emergency, use your local emergency number or service.

6.7 Your responsibility. You remain responsible for your own conduct, for complying with the law when using the camera or microphone, and for not recording or processing other people's personal data without a lawful basis and, where required, their consent.

7. Open source and licence

7.1 Sight Buddy is free software and is open source. Its source code is published under the MIT licence at github.com/DrophouseLtd/SightBuddy.

7.2 The MIT licence governs your rights in the source code, and it prevails over anything in these Terms that would otherwise restrict what that licence permits. Under it you may use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and sell copies of the software, subject to the conditions stated in the licence itself (including retaining the copyright and permission notice).

7.3 Provided “as is”. As the MIT licence states, the software is provided “as is”, without warranty of any kind, express or implied. See also sections 13 and 14.

7.4 Third-party components. The App includes third-party components that remain subject to their own licences, including the speech-recognition, object-detection and on-device AI models and the runtimes that execute them. Those licences are listed in the App under Settings → Privacy → Open-source licences and in the source repository, and nothing here grants you rights beyond them.

7.5 Name and branding. The MIT licence covers the source code. It does not grant you rights in the “Sight Buddy” or “Drophouse” names, logos, or branding, which remain ours.

7.6 Your use of the App as distributed through Google Play also remains subject to the applicable app-store terms.

8. Acceptable use

You agree not to:

8.1 use the App unlawfully, or in a way that infringes the rights of others;

8.2 use the App to process special-category or sensitive personal data about other people visible in camera or microphone input, unless you have a lawful basis and, where required, explicit consent;

8.3 misrepresent the App's output as human professional advice, or as guaranteed to be accurate;

8.4 use the AI features in breach of OpenAI's usage policies, including to generate illegal, harmful, harassing, hateful, sexually exploitative, or violence-promoting content;

8.5 attempt unauthorised access to any third-party infrastructure used by the App.

Because we operate no server and hold no account for you, we have no technical means of suspending your access, and we do not attempt to. Your use of OpenAI remains subject to OpenAI's own enforcement of its terms against your account.

9. Third-party services

9.1 The App relies on the following third parties:

9.2 Your use may also be subject to those providers' own terms and policies. We do not authorise them to use your data for their own marketing, as stated in our Privacy Policy.

9.3 Open-source components are licensed under their respective licences; notices are available in the App (Settings → Privacy → Open-source licences) and in the source repository.

10. Availability, updates, and changes

10.1 We aim to keep the App working, but we do not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free operation. Device issues, operating-system changes, or third-party outages may cause interruptions.

10.2 We may deliver updates through the app store. Some updates may be required for security or for continued use.

10.3 We may update these Terms from time to time. We will post the current version on our website and update the “Last updated” date. Continued use after changes take effect means you accept the updated Terms, unless applicable law requires a different approach for material changes to consumers.

11. Charges

11.1 The App is free of charge. There is no subscription, no in-app purchase, and no paid tier.

11.2 The only costs associated with AI features are those billed to you by OpenAI under your own account, as described in section 5. We receive no part of them.

12. Consumer rights

12.1 If you are a consumer (an individual using the App for purposes wholly or mainly outside your trade, business, craft, or profession), nothing in these Terms affects your non-excludable statutory rights, including under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, UK or EU consumer law, and the mandatory consumer-protection law of your country of residence, in each case where applicable.

12.2 For free digital content, some statutory remedies may be limited; your rights depend on your circumstances and on applicable law.

12.3 The App is available internationally. Wherever you use it, these Terms apply alongside — and never override — any mandatory consumer rights the law of your own country gives you.

13. No warranty

13.1 The App is provided “as is” and “as available”, without warranty of any kind, whether express or implied, including any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy, or non-infringement.

13.2 We do not warrant that the App will be accurate, uninterrupted, error-free, or suitable for any particular purpose, including any safety-critical purpose.

13.3 Sections 13.1 and 13.2 apply so far as the law allows, and do not affect the statutory rights described in section 12 or the liability we cannot exclude under section 14.1.

14. Limitation of liability

14.1 Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law, including liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, or for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation.

14.2 Subject to section 14.1, we shall not be liable for:

arising from or in connection with your use of the App.

14.3 Subject to section 14.1, our total aggregate liability to you for all claims arising in any 12-month period in connection with the App shall not exceed £100. The App is provided free of charge, and we receive no payment from you for it.

14.4 Subject to section 14.1, you use the App at your own risk in relation to navigation, hazard detection, and reliance on recognised text or AI answers.

15. Indemnity

15.1 If you are not a consumer, or where otherwise enforceable, you agree to indemnify Drophouse Ltd against reasonable losses, claims, and expenses arising from your breach of these Terms or your unlawful use of the App, except to the extent caused by our own breach or negligence.

16. Termination

16.1 You may stop using the App at any time by uninstalling it and disabling its permissions in your device settings. Uninstalling removes your settings, saved chats, downloaded models and stored API key from your device.

16.2 We may stop providing or distributing the App, or discontinue features, for legal or security reasons or otherwise, with reasonable notice where practicable. Because the source code is published under the MIT licence, others remain free to use and build on it.

16.3 Provisions that by their nature should survive — including intellectual property, disclaimers, limitation of liability, governing law, and the privacy cross-references — survive termination.

17. Governing law and disputes

17.1 These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales.

17.2 The courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction, subject to any mandatory rights you have as a consumer to bring proceedings in your country of residence.

17.3 Please contact us first at contact@drophouse.uk so that we can try to resolve any concern informally.

18. Data protection summary

This section summarises key points. The Privacy Policy is the full statement and prevails for privacy matters.

18.1. No accounts, no servers of ours

Sight Buddy has no backend operated by Drophouse Ltd. We do not collect, store, or receive your images, audio, text, or usage data.

18.2. On-device processing

Object detection, printed-text reading, colour and light detection, and the optional on-device AI model all run on your device. Speech recognition runs on your device with the downloaded models; otherwise your phone's own recogniser is used, which may process audio online, or OpenAI if you turn on its transcription.

18.3. AI features

AI features run on your device with the optional downloaded model, or through OpenAI with your own API key when Use API is on. Your key is stored encrypted on your device only, using the Android Keystore, and is never sent to us. Requests to OpenAI go directly from your device, billed to your account and governed by OpenAI's terms.

18.4. Crash reports

Anonymous crash diagnostics are sent to Firebase Crashlytics so that we can fix faults, and are retained per Google's retention period (typically 90 days). You can turn this off in Settings → Privacy → “Send crash reports”.

18.5. No advertising or analytics

There are no advertisements, no advertising ID, no analytics, and no behavioural tracking.

18.6. Your rights

You have rights under UK and EU GDPR, including access, rectification, erasure, restriction, objection, and portability, and the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office in the UK or your national data protection authority in the EU. To exercise them, contact contact@drophouse.uk. Because we hold no account or identifier for you, we may be unable to locate data about a specific individual.

18.7. Saved chats

Chats you save (Memories) stay on your phone and are not included in Google cloud backup. You can delete them at any time in Memories.

19. General

19.1 Entire agreement: These Terms and the Privacy Policy constitute the entire agreement between you and us regarding the App, except for the MIT licence, which governs the source code, and any separate written agreement we expressly enter into with you.

19.2 Severability: If any provision is invalid, the remainder remains in force.

19.3 No waiver: A failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver of it.

19.4 Assignment: We may assign our rights and obligations; you may not assign without our consent.

19.5 Third-party rights: No person other than you and Drophouse Ltd has rights under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 to enforce these Terms.

19.6 Contact:

Drophouse Ltd

5 Brayford Square, London E1 0SG, United Kingdom

Company number: 17182597

Email: contact@drophouse.uk