We collect data to deliver the app experience — recipes, grocery lists, meal planning — and to save your information so it syncs across your devices. If you use social features, your cooking activity is visible to your followers. We may send push and email notifications about activity from people you follow or your followers; you can opt out anytime. We do not sell your data.
1. Introduction
This Privacy Policy describes how Chefer ("we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, and shares information when you use the Chefer mobile app and related services. This policy applies to users in the United States and may also apply to users in the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, and other regions where Chefer is available.
If you have questions about this policy, contact us at [email protected].
2. Information We Collect
2.1 Account Information
When you create an account or sign in:
- Name and email (from Sign in with Apple or Google, on first sign-in only; optional)
- Account identifier (internal ID used to associate your data with your account)
- Phone number (if you use phone sign-in)
- Push subscription ID — stored when you enable push notifications, to deliver notifications to your device
- Profile email — optional; stored encrypted; added from sign-in or Edit Profile
2.2 User Content
To provide the app's features, we collect:
- Recipes (name, ingredients, metadata, and URLs to recipe sources)
- Recipe photos and images (when you upload photos for recipe extraction or storage)
- Profile photo (when you set a profile picture; visible to other users in social contexts)
- Grocery items and meal plans
- Cooking activity (when you mark a recipe as cooked, the recipe name and timestamp are recorded)
2.3 Social Data
If you use social features, we collect:
- Follower and following relationships — the connections you form with other users
- Content reports — if you report content in your feed, we collect the report and associated content identifier
- Block relationships — if you block another user, we record that relationship to enforce the block
- Interactions with other users' content — such as adding a compliment to someone's cooking activity
- Contacts information — if you choose, you may allow access to your contacts to find people you know on Chefer
2.4 Device Information
We collect a device identifier to sync your data across devices and resolve conflicts. We may also collect your device platform (iOS or Android).
2.5 Automatically Collected
Our servers may log request metadata (such as IP address) for security and debugging.
2.6 Analytics and Crash Reporting
We use Google Firebase to collect app analytics and crash reports. This may include information such as how often you use the app, which features you use, performance data, and crash logs. Firebase may assign a device-level identifier for this purpose. This data helps us improve the app and fix bugs. You can learn more about how Firebase handles data at firebase.google.com/support/privacy. To opt out of Firebase Analytics on iOS, you can limit ad tracking in your device settings under Privacy & Security > Tracking.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use your information to:
- Provide recipe, grocery, and meal planning features
- Sync your data across your devices
- Extract recipe text from photos using an AI service provider (OpenAI)
- Parse and categorize ingredients
- Authenticate your account and protect it from abuse
- Power social features — showing your cooking activity to your followers and showing their activity to you
- Send push and email notifications about activity from people you follow or your followers (compliments, new recipes)
- Screen user-generated content for objectionable material before it is published
- Review content reports and enforce blocks submitted by users
- Analyze app usage and fix crashes (via Firebase Analytics)
- Comply with legal obligations
3.1 Legal Basis for Processing (EEA and UK Users)
If you are in the European Economic Area or United Kingdom, we process your data under the following legal bases:
- Contract — Account data, recipes, grocery lists, meal plans, device identifiers, photos (including profile photo), cooking activity, and social data (followers, following, blocks) are processed because they are necessary to provide the service you signed up for.
- Legitimate interests — Security logs, IP address data, content moderation screening, and report processing are processed to protect the app and its users from abuse. Analytics and crash reporting data are processed to improve app performance and fix bugs. In each case, we have assessed that our interests do not override your privacy rights.
- Consent — Promotional communications and push/email notifications are sent with your prior consent; you may withdraw at any time.
- Legal obligation — We may process data where required to comply with applicable law.
4. Social Features and Content Visibility
When you use social features, your cooking activity is visible to users who follow you. Recipe metadata (name, source) and when it was marked as cooked is shared in their feed, with a link to the original recipe website. Your cooking activity is not visible to users who do not follow you, and is not visible to users you have blocked. By default, first/last names and a profile photo are visible to other users via profile search. This can be changed in the Edit Profile screen.
You can block another user at any time from their profile page. Blocking prevents the blocked user from seeing your profile or cooking activity, and removes their content from your feed.
Social features are only available to users with an account. Guest users do not have a follower feed, their activity is not shared with others, and they are not visible to other users in profile search.
5. How We Share Your Information
We do not sell your data. We do not share your data with third parties for their advertising or tracking.
We work with the following service providers who process data on our behalf:
- Google Firebase — handles sign-in (phone, Apple, Google), app analytics, and crash reporting. Firebase Privacy
- Amazon Web Services (AWS) — stores your recipes, groceries, images, and social data in the cloud. AWS Privacy
- OpenAI — extracts recipe text from photos, categorizes ingredients, and moderates content. We send only images and ingredient text, not personal identifiers like your name or email. OpenAI's API data usage policies apply; OpenAI does not use API-submitted data to train its models by default. OpenAI API Data Usage
- OneSignal — delivers push and email notifications. Receives your push subscription ID and, if provided, your email. OneSignal Privacy
We may disclose your information if required by law or a court order.
6. Content Moderation
User-generated content submitted to the social feed is automatically screened in real time for objectionable material before it is published. If you report content using the Report button in the feed, the report is sent to Chefer support and will be reviewed within 24 hours. We retain reports and associated content as needed to investigate and take action.
7. Data Retention
We retain your data while your account is active. When you delete your account, we remove your data within 30 days. Backup copies are fully purged within 30 days after that.
8. Your Rights and Choices
- Account deletion. You can delete your account at any time from Profile > Delete Account in the app. This permanently removes your recipes, groceries, meal plans, photos, cooking activity, social connections, profile, and authentication record.
- Access and export. To request a copy of your data, contact us at [email protected].
- Correction. You can edit your recipes and grocery items directly in the app.
- Blocking. You can block any user from their profile page to prevent them from seeing your content and to remove their content from your feed.
- Opt-out of promotional communications. If we send promotional communications, you may opt out at any time.
- Opt-out of notifications. Disable push in device settings or Profile > Notifications. Unsubscribe from emails via the link in each email or in the app.
- Analytics opt-out. To limit Firebase Analytics data collection, go to your device's Privacy & Security settings and disable app tracking, or contact us and we will assist you.
- Restriction. You can ask us to pause processing of your data — for example, while you dispute its accuracy — without deleting it. Contact us at [email protected] to make this request.
- Data portability. You can request a copy of your data in a machine-readable format (JSON). Contact us at [email protected] and we will prepare an export for you.
9. Data Security
We use HTTPS for all communications. Your data is stored with encryption at rest. Account access is protected by authentication tokens, and we use industry-standard measures to keep your data isolated to your account.
10. Children
Chefer is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are in the European Economic Area, you must be at least 16 years old to use Chefer. If you believe we have collected personal information from a child under the applicable age limit, please contact us and we will delete it.
11. AI and Machine Learning
Chefer uses artificial intelligence to extract recipe text from recipe photos and to parse and categorize ingredients and groceries. When you use these features, we send your recipe images and ingredient text to OpenAI for processing. We do not send personal identifiers (such as your name or email) to OpenAI. Per OpenAI's API usage policies, data submitted via the API is not used to train OpenAI's models by default. Processing is necessary for these features to work; you can avoid it by not using photo-based recipe extraction. You can review OpenAI's data practices at openai.com/policies/api-data-usage-policies.
12. Permissions
Chefer may request:
- Camera — to take photos of recipes
- Photo Library — to select recipe photos and save images
- Contacts — to help you find friends who are already on Chefer, via the Find Friends feature. Contact access occurs only when you tap "Connect Contacts." We use your contacts solely to match phone numbers or email addresses against existing Chefer accounts; we do not store your contact list. Follow requests are sent individually — you tap "Follow" on each person separately, and there is no bulk-follow option.
- Push Notifications — to send updates on followers' activity. We store a push subscription ID linked to your account. Disable anytime in device settings or Profile > Notifications.
- Email (optional) — stored encrypted for profile and for email notifications. Remove in Edit Profile anytime.
We use these only for the stated purposes.
13. International Data
Your data is processed in the United States. Our service providers may also process data in other locations. Transfers of personal data outside the EEA or UK are made under appropriate safeguards, including Standard Contractual Clauses where applicable. If you are in the European Economic Area or United Kingdom, you may have additional rights under applicable law, including the right to access, correct, delete, restrict, or port your data, and to file a complaint with your country's data protection regulator. Contact us at [email protected] to exercise these rights.
14. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top reflects the most recent changes. Your continued use of Chefer after changes take effect means you accept the updated policy.
15. Contact Us
For privacy questions or to exercise your rights, contact us at [email protected].