Privacy Policy

🔒 Our Commitment

Mealio is built on a Local-First principle: your recipes, meal plans, and preferences are stored exclusively on your device and are never uploaded to our servers. We believe your kitchen data is your business.

This Privacy Policy explains what information is collected, how it is used, and what controls you have — in plain language, without legalese.

📱 Data Stored on Your Device

The following data is stored only on your device using Apple's CoreData framework and is never sent to our servers:

• Generated recipes — title, ingredients, step-by-step instructions, personalisation tags
• Meal calendar entries — date, meal slot (breakfast/lunch/dinner), linked recipe
• User preferences — dietary restrictions, equipment preferences, disclaimer acceptance state
• App settings — language preference, UI customisations

You can delete all locally stored data at any time via Settings → Clear All Local Data within the app.

🤖 AI Processing with Google Gemini

Mealio uses Google Gemini API (Gemini 2.5 Flash) to power its AI features. When you use any AI feature, the following data is sent to Google's servers for processing:

• Text you type — your recipe requests, dietary notes, and Copilot questions
• Photos you share — fridge/ingredient photos (for recipe generation) and cooking photos (for the visual Copilot)
• Recipe context — current recipe title and step, sent alongside Copilot questions for accurate answers

Photos are compressed (long edge ≤ 2048px, JPEG quality 0.8) before transmission and are processed entirely in-memory — they are never written to our servers or stored by us. Google processes this data according to the Google Privacy Policy and Gemini API Terms.

📷 Camera & Photo Library

Mealio requests access to your camera and/or photo library only when you explicitly initiate a photo-based feature (e.g., snap ingredients or visual Copilot).

• Photos are used solely for the AI request you initiate.
• Photos are not stored on our servers or shared with any third party beyond the Gemini API call.
• You can revoke camera/photo access at any time in iOS Settings → Mealio.

🎤 Microphone Access

The voice input feature in Copilot uses Apple's on-device Speech Recognition. Voice audio is processed locally by iOS and, when Speech Recognition requires a network connection, is sent to Apple's servers under Apple's privacy policy. Mealio itself does not record or store audio.

📊 Analytics & Crash Reporting

Mealio does not use any third-party analytics SDKs (e.g., Firebase Analytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude) in the current version.

If you have opted into Apple's optional Share iPhone & Watch Analytics in iOS Settings, Apple may share anonymised crash reports and usage data with us through App Store Connect. This data is aggregated and cannot identify you personally.

💳 Purchases

If Mealio offers in-app subscriptions or purchases, all payment processing is handled entirely by Apple's App Store via StoreKit. Mealio never receives or stores your payment card information.

👶 Children's Privacy

Mealio is not directed at children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has used the AI features unsupervised, please contact us and we will assist in removing any locally stored data.

🔄 Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy as the app evolves. Material changes will be communicated via an in-app notice or an updated "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Continued use of Mealio after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

🌍 International Users

Mealio is developed and distributed from the United States. If you are located outside the US, note that AI requests are processed by Google through its global infrastructure. By using AI features, you consent to this processing in accordance with Google's terms.