1. Information We Collect
- Account info: email, name, profile picture
- Content: recipes, posts, Bites (short-form cooking videos), and comments you create
- Photos/images: images submitted for recipe import (processed in real-time, not stored)
- Videos: cooking videos you upload as Bites, stored on Firebase Storage
- Organization: private tags you create for categorizing recipes (visible only to you)
- Cooking activity: recipes you like, rate, cook, and save; Bites you watch, like, and bookmark — used to build your taste profile for personalized AI recommendations
- Usage: app interactions, search queries
- Device: device type, OS version (for bug fixes)
- Camera/gallery: accessed only when you use photo-based recipe import or Bite creation
2. How We Use Your Data
- Provide app functionality
- Show personalized content (followed users' posts)
- Send notifications you've enabled
- Improve the app experience
- Respond to support requests
3. Data Sharing
- Profile info is visible to other users (based on privacy settings)
- Recipe import photos are sent to Google Gemini AI for processing
- We don't sell your data to third parties
- We may share anonymized analytics
- Legal requirements may require disclosure
4. Data Storage
- Data is stored securely on Firebase (Google Cloud)
- Images and cooking videos are stored on Firebase Storage
- We retain data while your account is active
- Data is encrypted in transit
5. Your Rights
- Access your data via profile/settings
- Delete your account and data
- Export your recipes
- Control notification preferences
- Manage privacy settings (public/private account)
6. Data Deletion
In-App Deletion (Recommended):
- Open the Cooking Together app
- Go to Profile → Settings → Delete Account
- Confirm by entering your password (or re-authenticating with Google, Apple, or Facebook)
- Your account is deleted immediately
Email Request:
If you cannot access the app, email us at cooking.together.team@gmail.com with the subject “Data Deletion Request” and the email address associated with your account. We will process the request within 30 days.
What Gets Deleted:
- Your profile and personal information (name, email, profile picture, bio)
- Your recipes, posts, comments, ratings, and stories
- Your messages and conversations
- Your followers, following, and bookmark relationships
- Your media uploaded to our servers (images, videos)
- Your subscription and notification preferences
Timeline: In-app deletions are processed immediately. Email-based requests are processed within 30 days. Some anonymized analytics may be retained.
7. Cookies & Tracking
- We use Firebase Analytics for app improvement
- We use Google AdMob (mobile) and Google AdSense (web) to display ads; these services may use cookies and device identifiers for ad personalization
- Premium subscribers do not see ads
- Analytics can be disabled in settings
8. Children's Privacy
- App is not intended for users under 13
- We don't knowingly collect data from children
- Contact us if you believe a child has provided data
9. Security
- Data encrypted in transit and at rest
- Regular security reviews
- Secure authentication through Firebase (email, Google, Apple, Facebook)
- Password protection for email accounts
10. International Data Transfers
Your data may be processed in countries where Google Cloud (Firebase) operates. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place.
11. Changes
We'll notify you of significant privacy changes through the app or email.
12. AI and Third-Party Services
- Recipe import (URL, text, photo) uses Google Gemini AI
- Photos submitted for import are processed in real-time and not stored by our servers
- Nutrition analysis, recipe scaling, and ingredient alternatives use AI-powered estimation
- Cook AI features (AI recipe search, recipe Q&A, recipe modifications) send your recipe data and queries to Google Gemini AI for real-time processing
- Your cooking activity (likes, ratings, cook history, saved recipes) is used to build a taste profile that personalizes AI recommendations
- Taste profile data is sent to Google Gemini AI when you use Cook AI features; it is not shared with other users or third parties
- AI conversation history is automatically deleted after 7 days; daily usage counters are deleted after 30 days
- All AI-related data is deleted when you delete your account
- Camera and photo library permissions are used only for recipe photo import or Bite creation
- AI data processing is performed by Google Gemini under Google's data processing terms, which prohibit using your data for AI model training
13. AI Chef Accounts
Cooking Together includes AI Chef accounts — fictional cooking personas that publish AI-generated recipes, posts, stories, and images.
How AI Chef content is generated:
- Text content (recipes, posts, stories) is generated by Google Gemini using a persona prompt that does NOT include any individual user's data, taste profile, recipes, or activity.
- Images are generated by Google Imagen using a prompt derived from the recipe/post text plus the chef's general culinary style. No user photos or content are used as inputs.
- Each generated draft is reviewed by our team before publication.
What AI Chef accounts do NOT do with your data:
- AI Chefs do NOT read, ingest, or learn from your recipes, posts, comments, likes, taste profile, or any other content you create.
- Your interactions with AI Chef content (follows, likes, comments, bookmarks) are stored alongside your normal interactions and do not feed back into how AI Chef content is generated for you or others.
- AI Chefs are not personalized per user — every user sees the same chef-authored content.
Identification & transparency:
- AI Chef accounts display an "AI Chef" badge next to their name throughout the app — in feeds, profiles, comments, search, and notifications — in app version 1.6.9 and later.
- Older app versions (pre-1.6.9) may not display the badge; the disclosure in this Privacy Policy and the Terms of Service is the canonical identification mechanism in those versions. Update to the latest version for the in-UI badge.
Storage & deletion:
- AI Chef accounts are persistent system accounts. Their content remains live in the feed until removed by our team.
- If you delete your account, your interactions with AI Chef content (likes, comments, etc.) are deleted along with your other data; the AI Chef accounts themselves are not affected.
14. Subscription and Billing Data
- Purchase tokens (Android) and transaction IDs (iOS) are sent to our server for subscription validation
- Subscription status (active/expired) is stored in your user profile
- We do not store credit card numbers or payment details — all payments are handled by Google Play or the App Store
- Subscription data is used solely to manage your premium feature access
Cooking Together