Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

DecodeFood is a food label translation and ingredient analysis application for Android. The app is developed and maintained independently. For questions about this Privacy Policy, contact us at hello@decodefood.app.

2. Data We Collect

DecodeFood is designed to function without requiring a user account. We do not collect names, email addresses, or phone numbers.

2.1 Dietary Profile (Sensitive Health Data)

Information you provide about your diet mode, allergies, intolerances, and custom ingredient flags is classified as sensitive health data. This information is stored locally on your device only. It is never transmitted to our servers, never uploaded to any third-party service, and never used for advertising or profiling purposes.

2.2 Camera Data

Your camera is used solely to capture images of ingredient labels for real-time on-device analysis. Images are processed in your device's temporary memory and are not stored, saved, or uploaded to any server. Camera access is requested at runtime and can be revoked at any time in your device settings.

2.3 Barcode Lookup

When you scan a product barcode, the barcode number is sent to the Open Food Facts API (a non-profit, open-source database) to retrieve ingredient information. If Open Food Facts does not have a match, the barcode number is then sent to the USDA Branded Foods API (a public database maintained by the U.S. Department of Agriculture) as a fallback. The barcode number itself does not contain any personally identifiable information. No user profile data is included in either request.

2.4 In-App Usage Analytics

DecodeFood uses Firebase Analytics (provided by Google) to collect anonymous, non-identifiable usage statistics within the app. This data helps us understand how the app is used so we can improve it.

What is collected: Anonymous event data such as feature interactions (e.g., "scan started," "paywall viewed"), app open counts, and session duration. Events are tagged with an anonymous device identifier — not your name, email, or any personal information.

What is never collected: Your dietary profile, your allergen or intolerance data, your custom flags, your scan history, or any ingredient data you enter into the app.

Where it is stored: Anonymous analytics data is stored on Google's servers in accordance with Google's Privacy Policy (policies.google.com/privacy).

Your control: You can reset your anonymous analytics identifier at any time in the app under Settings → Dietary Profile → Privacy & Data → Reset Analytics ID. This permanently unlinks all past usage events from your device and assigns a new anonymous identifier going forward.

2.5 Website Analytics

The DecodeFood website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous page visit and navigation data. This is separate from in-app analytics. You can opt out using the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.

3. How Data Is Stored and Retained

Your dietary profile preferences are saved in a local file on your smartphone using Android's standard secure storage mechanisms. Data retention is entirely under your control:

• Your profile remains on your device until you modify it in the app or uninstall the app.
• Because we do not store your data on any server, we cannot recover your profile if the app is deleted.
• You have the right to delete your data at any time by clearing the app's data in your Android device settings, or by uninstalling the app.
• Anonymous analytics data transmitted to Firebase Analytics is retained by Google for up to 14 months by default, after which it is automatically deleted from Google's servers. You can reset your anonymous analytics ID at any time within the app, which immediately dissociates all past events from your device.

4. Third-Party Services

DecodeFood uses the following third-party services:

• Open Food Facts — an open-source, non-profit food product database. Barcode numbers are sent to this service during barcode scans. No personal data is included. Open Food Facts has its own Privacy Policy available at world.openfoodfacts.org/privacy.
• USDA Branded Foods API — a public database maintained by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Barcode numbers are sent to this service only when Open Food Facts returns no result. No personal data is included. This service is operated by the U.S. federal government under api.data.gov.
• Google Play Billing — used to process in-app subscription purchases (DecodeFood Premium). Payment information is handled entirely by Google Play and is subject to Google's Privacy Policy. DecodeFood does not receive, store, or process payment card details directly.

We do not use advertising networks, social login SDKs, or any other third-party service that collects personal data.

5. Advertising

DecodeFood contains no advertisements and does not use advertising networks or data brokers.

Android Advertising ID (AdID): DecodeFood does not use the Android Advertising ID for advertising or analytics purposes. On devices running Android 13 (API 33) or higher, the app does not request or access the Advertising ID. No AdID data is collected, stored, or shared with any third party.

5.1 No Sale of Data

DecodeFood does not sell, rent, lease, or trade personal information to any third party, ever. This applies to both in-app data and website data.

6. Children's Privacy

DecodeFood does not knowingly collect personal data from children under the age of 13. The app does not include any features directed at children. If you believe a child has provided personal information through the app, please contact us at hello@decodefood.app.

7. Your Rights

Because all data is stored locally on your device, you have full control at all times. You may:

• Access your profile data at any time within the app's Dietary Profile screen
• Modify or delete any profile data within the app
• Delete all app data by clearing storage in Android Settings → Apps → DecodeFood → Storage → Clear Data
• Manage your data directly within the app under Settings → Dietary Profile → Privacy & Data — reset your analytics ID, clear your scan history, or delete all app data with a single action.
• Request deletion by uninstalling the app (all local data is removed)

For any questions about your rights or this policy, contact us at hello@decodefood.app.

8. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the Effective Date at the top of this page and notify users through an in-app notice or Play Store update description. Your continued use of the app after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

9. Contact

Questions about this Privacy Policy? Contact us:

Email: hello@decodefood.app
App: DecodeFood
Website: decodefood.app