Boris for iPhone
Privacy policy
Last updated 4 November 2026
The short version. Boris has no account, no ads, no tracking and no analytics, and there is no Boris server. The app talks to two services only, ElevenLabs and Anthropic, with keys you give it. Nothing goes to either until you say yes.
What Boris sends, and to whom
The first time you use a part of Boris that needs one of these services, it asks first ("Before Boris listens"). Until you allow it, nothing is sent.
- ElevenLabs, speech-to-text. When you hold the button to speak, a recording of your voice goes to ElevenLabs, which turns it into text so Boris can check what you said.
- ElevenLabs, text-to-speech. When Boris makes a new mistake card, it sends the card's text to ElevenLabs to voice it.
- Anthropic's Claude. In Talk, and when Boris checks your drills and islands, what you said or typed goes to Claude, along with your mistake cards and, in Talk, the conversation so far.
Each goes over HTTPS with your own ElevenLabs or Anthropic key, and only when you use that part of the app. Checking a key or your remaining credit sends only the key. Boris sends nothing to me, the developer, and nothing to anyone else.
What stays on your iPhone
- Your keys are kept in the iPhone Keychain on this device only: never synced to iCloud Keychain and never in a backup. You can remove them in Settings.
- Your voice takes (your clean takes, island rehearsals and any recording waiting to be checked) stay on the phone. They are locked while the phone is locked and left out of iPhone and iCloud backups.
- Your progress and settings (cards, reviews, lessons) stay on the phone and are never sent anywhere by Boris. Like most app data, they are included in your own iPhone or iCloud backup, which Apple keeps for you.
- A short list of recent failed calls (which service, which part of the app, when, and the error it gave) stays in the app so you can see why something didn't work.
What ElevenLabs and Anthropic keep
Because each request uses your own key, ElevenLabs and Anthropic handle it under the terms of your account with them and their privacy policies: ElevenLabs and Anthropic.
Not yet confirmed: whether, and for how long, either service keeps the audio and text Boris sends through their APIs. Until that is confirmed, Boris's App Store privacy label lists Audio Data and Other User Content as collected, used only to make the app work, and not used for tracking.
Your choices
- Turn off Send to ElevenLabs and Claude in Settings at any time, and Boris stops sending. Talk and the voice checks wait until you turn it back on.
- Remove your keys in Settings. Do this before deleting the app, because iOS can keep Keychain items after an app is deleted.
- Delete the app to remove everything else it stored on your phone.
- To see or delete what ElevenLabs or Anthropic hold, use your account with them or contact them directly.
Changes and contact
If what Boris sends ever changes, this page changes first, with a new date at the top. Questions: boris@alexthenomad.com.