Privacy Policy

Last updated: January 11, 2026

At ReciBuddy, your privacy is our top priority. We've designed our app with privacy-first principles, ensuring your personal recipe data stays private and secure. This Privacy Policy explains our minimal data practices and how we protect your information.

1. Our Privacy-First Approach

Everything stays on your device. ReciBuddy stores all your recipes, preferences, and personal data locally on your iOS device using Apple's secure SwiftData framework. We don't collect, store, or have access to your personal recipe data.

2. What Information We Don't Collect

Unlike many apps, ReciBuddy does NOT collect:

• Usage analytics - We don't track how you use the app
• Personal identifiers - No account creation or user profiles
• Device information - We don't collect device details or identifiers
• Location data - We never access your location
• Contact information - No email addresses, phone numbers, or contacts
• Behavioral tracking - No cookies, tracking pixels, or user behavior monitoring

3. AI Features and OpenAI Processing

3.1 How AI Features Work

ReciBuddy uses artificial intelligence to:

• Generate new recipes from your text descriptions
• Extract recipe information from images and web content
• Calculate nutritional information
• Enhance and modify existing recipes
• Convert unstructured recipe content into organized formats

3.2 OpenAI Data Processing

When you use AI features, your recipe content is securely transmitted to OpenAI's servers for processing. Here's what happens:

• Temporary processing only - Your data is processed and immediately returned to your device
• No storage by us - We never store your recipe content on our servers
• No training data - Your personal recipes are not used to train AI models
• Encrypted transmission - All data is encrypted during transfer
• OpenAI's policies apply - Processing is subject to OpenAI's data usage policies

You have complete control - AI features only activate when you specifically request them, and you can use the app without any AI features if you prefer.

4. Data Storage and Security

4.1 Local-Only Storage

All your recipe data is stored exclusively on your device using Apple's SwiftData framework. This means:

• Your recipes never leave your device except for AI processing
• No cloud storage or remote databases
• Complete data ownership - you control all your information
• Automatic iOS security protections apply

4.2 Data Deletion

Since all data is stored locally:

• Delete the app to remove all your data
• Clear individual recipes anytime within the app
• No need to request data deletion from us - you're in complete control

5. No Data Sharing

We do not share, sell, rent, or trade your personal information with anyone. The only data transmission occurs when you specifically use AI features, and this data goes directly to OpenAI for processing and is immediately returned to your device.

5.1 Legal Requirements

Since we don't collect or store your personal data, there's nothing for us to disclose even if legally required. Your data remains private on your device.

6. Your Complete Control

Since all your data is stored locally on your device, you have complete control:

• View all your data - Everything is accessible within the app
• Edit or delete recipes - Modify or remove content anytime
• Export your recipes - Share or backup your recipes as needed
• Complete deletion - Delete the app to remove all data instantly
• No data requests needed - You don't need to ask us for access to your own data

7. Children's Privacy (COPPA Compliance)

ReciBuddy is designed for general audiences and is not specifically intended for children under 13. Since we don't collect any personal information, there's no risk to children's privacy. However, we include this section to comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and App Store requirements:

• No data collection - We don't collect information from users of any age
• Local storage only - All data remains on the user's device
• Parental supervision - Parents should supervise any AI feature usage by children
• Safe by design - Our privacy-first approach protects all users, including children

8. International Usage

ReciBuddy can be used worldwide. Since all data is stored locally on your device, there are no international data transfers of your personal information. The only exception is when you choose to use AI features, which temporarily send recipe content to OpenAI's servers for processing.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our practices or for legal reasons. Since we don't collect your contact information, we'll notify you of significant changes through the App Store update notes. The "Last updated" date at the top shows when this policy was last modified.

10. Your Rights Under Privacy Laws

Various privacy laws (like GDPR, CCPA) give you rights over your personal data. The good news? Since we don't collect or store your personal data, these rights are automatically protected:

• Right to access - Your data is always accessible to you on your device
• Right to deletion - Delete the app to remove all your data
• Right to portability - Export your recipes anytime
• Right to correct - Edit your recipes directly in the app
• No sale of data - We don't collect data to sell in the first place