Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 8, 2026

1. Introduction

Bitcut ("we," "our," or "us") is an iOS video editing application available on iPhone and iPad. We are committed to protecting your privacy and being transparent about how we handle your data.

This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and your rights regarding that information. By using Bitcut, you agree to the practices described in this policy.

Bitcut is designed with a privacy-first architecture: video editing happens entirely on your device. We only process data on our servers when you explicitly use AI-powered features or opt in to cloud publishing.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Device Identifier

When you first open Bitcut, we generate a unique device identifier. This identifier is used to:

  • Associate your subscription status with your device
  • Track AI processing usage against your plan limits
  • Manage your cloud storage quota

We do not collect your name, email address, phone number, or any other personally identifiable information unless you choose to sign in with Apple (see Section 2.2).

2.2 Apple Sign In (Optional)

You may optionally sign in with your Apple ID. When you do, Apple provides us with:

  • A unique, app-scoped user identifier
  • Your name and email address (only if you choose to share them; Apple allows you to hide your email)

Apple Sign In is not required to use Bitcut. It is offered as an optional way to associate your account across devices.

2.3 Subscription and Payment Data

Bitcut offers subscription plans through Apple In-App Purchase. All payment processing is handled by Apple. We do not receive or store your credit card number, billing address, or other financial details. We receive only a confirmation of your subscription status, product identifier, and expiration date.

We store the following subscription-related data on our server:

  • Device identifier (user ID)
  • Subscription plan and status (active, expired, cancelled)
  • Expiration date
  • AI minutes quota and usage

2.4 Audio Data for AI Transcription

When you use AI-powered features (Generate Shorts, Clips Enhancement, Smart Add with AI), the audio track of your video is extracted on your device and sent to our server for transcription. Specifically:

  • Only the audio portion is uploaded — your video footage is never sent to our servers for AI processing
  • Audio is processed on our own server infrastructure
  • Transcription job data (audio files, intermediate results) is deleted from our server after processing is complete

2.5 Transcribed Text for AI Processing

After transcription, the resulting text may be processed by AI for:

  • Text correction and formatting
  • Intelligent video segmentation
  • Subtitle generation and translation
  • Social media description generation

Only the transcribed text is sent for processing — never your original audio or video.

2.6 Published Content (Cloud Publish)

If you choose to use the Cloud Publish feature, you may upload finished Short videos to our cloud storage at bitcut.app. We store:

  • The video files you upload
  • Project metadata (title, description, creation date)
  • A unique shareable link for each published project

Cloud publishing is entirely optional. You are never required to upload any content to our servers.

2.7 Information We Do Not Collect

Bitcut does not collect:

  • Location data
  • Contacts or address book information
  • Browsing history
  • Advertising identifiers (IDFA)
  • Behavioral data for advertising or cross-app tracking
  • Photos or videos from your library (beyond what you explicitly select for editing)
  • Biometric identifiers or facial recognition data
  • Face geometry, depth maps, or 3D face models

2.8 Face Data (On-Device Face Tracking)

Bitcut includes a face tracking feature that analyzes video frames to detect face positions for intelligent reframing (converting landscape 16:9 video to vertical 9:16 Shorts).

When face data is collected

Face detection runs only on videos you add to a project, and only in two cases:

  • when you open Face Tracking from a clip's menu in the editor;
  • automatically, once per project, when a Pro subscriber opens a vertical (9:16) project made from a single source video, so that the speaker stays in frame.

Bitcut never uses the front camera or the TrueDepth camera to scan your face.

What face data is collected

Bitcut uses Apple's Vision framework (VNDetectFaceRectanglesRequest) to detect face bounding boxes — rectangular coordinates indicating where faces appear in each video frame. The data collected consists solely of:

  • Face position coordinates (x, y, width, height) as normalized values (0–1) within each video frame
  • Detection confidence scores
  • Temporal data (which frames contain faces)
  • A generic label for each detected person ("Person 1", "Person 2") so you can choose whom the camera follows

Small face preview images shown in the Face Tracking panel are generated from your video while the panel is open and are not saved.

Bitcut does not collect, process, or store:

  • Biometric identifiers or facial recognition data
  • Face geometry, depth maps, or 3D face models
  • ARKit face tracking data
  • TrueDepth camera data
  • Any data that could identify a specific individual

How face data is used

Face position data is used exclusively to generate an automated camera path that keeps faces centered in the frame during video reframing. This enables smooth, professional-looking vertical video crops from horizontal source footage. The same face positions are used to locate the webcam area in screen recordings and game streams when you apply a stream layout. Face data is not used for identification, advertising, profiling, or training of any model, and it is not disclosed to anyone.

For some visual themes Bitcut also uses Apple's Vision person segmentation to separate a person from the background. This mask is computed on your device while the video is previewed or exported, is not saved, and is not sent anywhere.

Where face data is processed and stored

All face detection and tracking is performed entirely on your device using Apple's built-in Vision framework. Face data is never transmitted to our servers or any third party. The face position data is stored only within your video project file on your device and is deleted when you delete the project.

Data retention

Face tracking data exists only within your video project on your device. It is retained for as long as the project exists and is permanently deleted when you delete the project from the app. There is no server-side retention of face data.

Third-party sharing

Face data is never shared with any third party. It is not transmitted off your device under any circumstances. Usage analytics (Section 5.2) record only that face tracking was started, completed, failed, or cancelled, and how many faces were detected in the video; no face coordinates, images, or other face data are included.

If we ever change this practice, we will update this policy and ask for your consent before any face data leaves your device, and any third party receiving face data will be required by contract to provide the same or equal protection of that data as stated in this privacy policy.

Your control: revoking consent and deleting face data

  • Do not use the feature. Face detection never runs in landscape (16:9) projects, and it does not run automatically without a Pro subscription. In other projects you can simply not open Face Tracking.
  • Undo it. Right after face tracking runs, tap Undo in the editor to remove the face data from the clip.
  • Delete the clip or the project. Face data is stored only inside the project on your device; deleting the clip or the project permanently deletes its face data.
  • Delete the app. Deleting Bitcut removes all projects and all face data from your device.

Because face data never reaches our servers, there is nothing for us to delete on our side. If you have questions about face data, contact us at support@bitcut.app.

3. How We Process Your Data

3.1 On-Device Processing

The following operations are performed entirely on your iPhone or iPad, with no data sent to any server:

  • Video editing (trimming, splitting, reordering, transitions)
  • Beat detection and music synchronization
  • Face tracking and automatic reframing (16:9 to 9:16) — uses Apple Vision framework to detect face positions (bounding box coordinates only) for intelligent crop positioning; no biometric data is collected or stored (see Section 2.8)
  • Voice enhancement (noise gate, EQ, compression)
  • Speech detection (used to determine which clips contain speech before sending audio for transcription)
  • Subtitle rendering and animation
  • Video export and encoding

3.2 Server-Side Processing

The following operations require sending data to our server (bitcut.app):

  • AI Transcription: Audio is uploaded, transcribed, and the text result is returned to your device. Audio files are deleted after processing.
  • AI Text Processing: Transcribed text is processed for correction, segmentation, and formatting. Only text is transmitted — no audio or video.
  • Cloud Publish: Finished video files are uploaded to cloud storage when you explicitly choose to publish.
  • Subscription Management: Your device contacts our server to verify subscription status and track AI usage minutes.

3.3 Data Retention

  • Transcription jobs: Audio files and intermediate processing data are deleted from our server upon completion of the transcription job.
  • Published content: Stored until you delete it or your account is terminated.
  • Subscription data: Retained for the duration of your subscription and a reasonable period after expiration for account recovery purposes.
  • Device identifier: Retained as long as your account exists on our system.

4. Data Storage and Security

We take the security of your data seriously and implement the following measures:

  • All communication between the Bitcut app and our servers uses HTTPS (TLS encryption in transit)
  • Published content is stored in isolated directories per user on our server
  • Cloud storage is subject to per-plan limits (500 MB on the free plan, up to 50 GB on the Creator plan) to prevent abuse
  • Server access is restricted and protected by standard security practices (SSH key authentication, firewall rules)
  • We do not store passwords — authentication is device-based or via Apple Sign In tokens

Our servers are hosted in a secured data center. While we implement commercially reasonable security measures, no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

5. Third-Party Services

Bitcut integrates with the following third-party services:

5.1 Apple

  • App Store and In-App Purchase: Subscription payments are processed by Apple. Apple's privacy policy governs how they handle your payment information. See Apple's Privacy Policy.
  • Sign in with Apple: If you use this optional feature, Apple provides a scoped identifier to our app. See Apple's documentation on Sign in with Apple for details.
  • iOS Speech Framework: Used on-device for quick speech detection. This processing happens locally on your device and no audio is sent to Apple.

5.2 Usage Analytics and Crash Reporting

  • Google Firebase Analytics: records anonymous app usage events (for example, which screens are opened and which features are used) to help us improve the app. It is configured without the advertising identifier (IDFA). No video, audio, images, or face data are sent. See Firebase Privacy.
  • Sentry: collects crash reports (stack trace, app version, device model, OS version) so we can fix crashes. No video, audio, images, or face data are sent. See Sentry Privacy Policy.

Bitcut does not include advertising SDKs or tracking pixels. We do not serve ads, and we do not track you across apps or websites.

6. Your Rights

You have the following rights regarding your data:

6.1 Delete Published Content

You can delete any Shorts you have published to cloud storage at any time from within the app. Deletion is immediate and permanent — the video files are removed from our servers and the shareable links stop working.

6.2 Request Data Access

You may contact us at support@bitcut.app to request a copy of the data we hold about your device identifier, including subscription records and any published content metadata.

6.3 Request Account Deletion

You may request complete deletion of your account and all associated data by contacting us at support@bitcut.app. Upon receiving your request, we will:

  • Delete all published content from cloud storage
  • Remove your subscription records
  • Delete your device identifier from our database

Account deletion is typically completed within 30 days of your request.

6.4 Data Portability

Your video projects are stored locally on your device. You can export finished videos at any time using the app's built-in export function. No server access is required to export your work.

6.5 Opt Out of Server Processing

You can use Bitcut's full video editing capabilities without any server interaction. AI-powered features (transcription, subtitle generation, smart segmentation) and cloud publishing are opt-in. If you choose not to use these features, no data is sent to our servers beyond basic subscription status checks.

7. Children's Privacy

Bitcut is not directed at children under the age of 13 (or the applicable age of digital consent in your jurisdiction). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at support@bitcut.app and we will promptly delete such information.

8. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make material changes, we will:

  • Update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page
  • Notify users through the app when significant changes are made

We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Your continued use of Bitcut after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

9. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

We aim to respond to all privacy-related inquiries within 14 business days.