Privacy Policy

Effective: September 25, 2026

This Privacy Policy applies to the Hearth app for mobile devices, together with any related services and websites operated by Bob Dudziak (collectively, the "Application"). Bob Dudziak is referred to below as the "Service Provider."

This policy explains what information the Application collects, how it is used, who can see it, and the choices you have. By using the Application, you agree to this policy.

Information we collect

Information you give us

Your email address and password when you create an account. Passwords are stored in a protected form, and the Service Provider cannot read them.
Your display name, and optionally a bio and a profile photo.
Recipes you add, including text, ingredients, steps, tags, folders, photos and video links.
Private notes you write on recipes. These are visible only to you.
Records of recipes you have cooked, including ratings, difficulty, time, notes and photos.
Comments, likes, follows and messages, including recipes and folders you share in messages.
Shopping lists and their items, including lists you share with other people.
Reports you send about other users' content, and the users you block.

Information created as you use the Application

Your settings, such as Viewable Profile, activity and messaging options.
A history of recipes you have viewed, which is visible only to you.
Diagnostic records that are written when some features run slowly, such as photo import. These contain your display name, the feature involved and how long it took.

Technical information Our hosting providers keep standard server records, which can include your IP address, device type and the time of your requests. We use them to keep the service running and secure. The Application does not include advertising or analytics tracking tools.

Access to your device The Application asks for permission before using your camera, photo library, microphone and notifications. You can turn these off in your device settings. Each is used only for the feature that needs it. Your camera and photo library are used to add photos. Your microphone is used for voice controls in Cook Mode, and notifications are used for kitchen timer alerts.

How we use your information

To create and run your account and provide the features of the Application.
To show your content to the people you have chosen to share it with.
To read recipe photos, identify dishes and find similar recipes.
To keep the community safe, including reviewing reports and enforcing the Terms and Community Guidelines.
To fix problems and improve the Application.
To send you important notices about your account or these policies.

The Service Provider does not sell your personal information, and does not use it for advertising.

Who can see your information

Public profile: if Viewable Profile is on, your display name, bio, profile photo, follower counts, cooking statistics and public recipes and folders can be seen by other users and can be found through search.
Followers: people who follow you can see your activity in their feed if you have chosen to show your activity to others. This can include recipes you add and recipes you cook, with any note or photo you attach.
Messages: only the people in a conversation can see it.
Comments and likes: visible to people who can see the item they are attached to.
Public links: anyone with a link you create can view that recipe without an account. It shows the recipe, its photo and notes, and your display name. Turning off Viewable Profile disables all your links.
Community averages: your cook ratings, difficulty and time are combined into anonymous averages shown on a recipe. Other users do not see who gave them.
Blocking: when you block someone or they block you, you can no longer see each other's content.

Messages are protected in transit but are not end-to-end encrypted. The Service Provider can access stored messages when needed to investigate a report or to meet a legal obligation.

Services that receive your information

The Service Provider uses trusted companies to run the Application. They process information on the Service Provider's behalf and only as needed to provide their service.

Supabase provides the database, login and file storage. Your data is stored in the United States (US East).
Google Gemini is an AI service used to read recipe photos, identify dishes and answer open-ended questions you ask by voice in Cook Mode. When you use these features, the photo or text you provide is sent to Google for processing. For a voice question, this is the text of your question together with the title, ingredients and steps of the recipe you are cooking. The Service Provider uses Google's paid API service, under terms that Google states do not allow it to use your content to train its models.
Spoonacular receives the web address of a recipe when you import from a link, and the ingredient lines of a recipe when nutrition is estimated.

These requests are sent through the Service Provider's own server, so Google and Spoonacular do not receive your device's IP address or your account details. The server records how often each account uses these features, in order to limit misuse.

Vercel hosts the website that displays public recipe links.
YouTube (Google) provides embedded videos when a recipe includes a YouTube link. YouTube may collect information about your viewing according to its own privacy policy. The Application uses the privacy-enhanced version of the player where possible.
Apple and Google distribute the Application and provide the speech recognition and notification services on your device. Voice audio for Cook Mode is handled by the speech service on your device, which may be provided by Apple or Google under their own privacy policies. The Service Provider does not receive or store your voice audio. Only the text of what was recognized is used by the Application.

The Service Provider may also disclose information when required by law, such as in response to a subpoena, or when it believes in good faith that disclosure is needed to protect the rights or safety of the Service Provider, its users or others, or to investigate fraud or abuse.

AI features

Some features use artificial intelligence, for example to turn a photo of a recipe into text, to suggest what a dish might be, and to answer an open-ended question you ask by voice while cooking. The photo or text you provide is sent to the AI service to produce a result. Results can be wrong or incomplete. Please do not upload photos that show other people's private information. AI results are not used to make decisions about your account.

Your choices and rights

Settings: you can control who can see your profile, whether your activity is shown, and whether you can send and receive messages, from My Profile.
Edit or delete content: you can edit or delete your recipes, comments and other content at any time.
Delete your account: you can delete your account from within the Application.
Access, correction and copies: to ask for a copy of your data, or to correct it, email support@hearthbound.download.

California residents: you have the right to know what personal information is collected, to request deletion of it, and not to be treated differently for exercising these rights. The Service Provider does not sell or share personal information as defined by California law. To use these rights, email support@hearthbound.download or use the in-app deletion.

How long we keep information

Your information is kept while your account is active, with one exception. Diagnostic records, which are written when some features run slowly, are deleted automatically after 30 days. When you delete your account, your personal information is deleted within 30 days. This includes your profile, recipes, photos, notes, cook records, messages you sent, comments, follows, shopping lists, settings and diagnostic records. Your public links stop working.

Some information is handled differently.

Edited copies of your recipes that other users have made belong to those users and stay in their accounts, without a link back to you. A photo that one of those copies uses stays with the copy. Recipes that other users have only saved, and not copied, will no longer appear for them.
If you have been reported, or you reported someone, the Service Provider may keep the report and a copy of the reported content for as long as needed for safety, dispute resolution or legal reasons. Your identity is removed from these records where possible.
Backups are overwritten on their normal schedule.
Information may be kept longer where the law requires it.

Where your information is stored

Your information is stored and processed in the United States. If you use the Application from another country, you understand that your information will be transferred to and processed in the United States, where privacy laws may differ from those where you live.

Children

The Application is not intended for anyone under 13 years of age, and the Service Provider does not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has provided information to the Application, contact support@hearthbound.download and the Service Provider will delete it.

Security

The Service Provider uses reasonable technical and organizational safeguards to protect your information, including encrypted connections and access controls on the database. No system can be completely secure, so the Service Provider cannot guarantee absolute security. You are responsible for keeping your password and your device secure.

If a data breach affects your personal information, the Service Provider will notify you as required by applicable law.

Changes to this policy

The Service Provider may update this policy from time to time. Updated versions will be posted on this page with a new effective date. If a change is significant, you will be notified in the Application. Earlier versions are available on request at support@hearthbound.download.

Contact us

If you have questions about privacy or want to use your rights, contact the Service Provider at support@hearthbound.download.