Your recipes are yours.
No legal fog. Here’s exactly what Instacook collects, why, and what we’d never do with it.
This Privacy Policy explains how CALBUDDY TECHNOLOGIES LTD (“Instacook,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, and shares information when you use the Instacook mobile application (the “App”) and related services. By using the App, you agree to the practices described here.
Who we are
Instacook is an iOS application that helps you plan meals, discover recipes, and generate personalized cooking and shopping suggestions, including features powered by artificial intelligence. The App is offered on a subscription basis.
Data controller: CALBUDDY TECHNOLOGIES LTD, Khavatselet St. Matan, Israel
Privacy contact: support@instacook.app
Information we collect
Information you provide
- Identifier: Instacook does not require you to create an account or give us your name or email. Instead, you are identified by an anonymous user ID linked to your Apple App Store account and managed by our subscription provider, RevenueCat. We do not receive your Apple ID, name, or email through this.
- Profile & preferences: information you enter to personalize meal plans, such as gender, cooking habits and skill level, dietary preferences or restrictions, cuisines, and goals. Some dietary information (e.g. allergies or health-related restrictions, if you provide them) may be considered sensitive data and is treated accordingly. See Section 6.
- Photos & camera: if you use the in-app camera, the photos you capture (e.g. of recipes or ingredients) so the App can read or save them for you. Camera access is used only when you choose to take a photo.
- User content: recipes you save, meal plans, shopping lists, ratings, and notes.
- Support communications: information you send us when you contact support.
Information collected automatically
- Usage & device data: app interactions, screens viewed, features used, session length, crash and error logs, device model, OS version, language, and a randomized device/installation identifier (collected via PostHog and Sentry).
- Subscription data: your subscription status, purchase history, and entitlements (processed via Apple and RevenueCat; we do not receive your full payment card details).
Information from third parties
- Apple App Store & RevenueCat: purchase and subscription receipts, your anonymous user ID, and subscription status. Payments are handled entirely by Apple; we never see your card number.
We do not collect your name, email address, or other directly identifying contact information. The data we hold is pseudonymous, tied to a random ID rather than to you personally.
How we use your information
| Purpose | Examples |
|---|---|
| Provide the service | Generate meal plans and recipes, save your preferences, sync your data across sessions |
| Personalization | Tailor suggestions to your dietary needs, allergies, and goals |
| AI features | Send your prompts and relevant preferences to our AI providers to generate recipes and meal ideas (see Section 4) |
| Subscriptions & billing | Manage your subscription, entitlements, renewals, and refunds |
| Improve the App | Understand usage, fix crashes, develop new features |
| Communicate | Respond to support, send service and transactional messages |
| Security & legal | Prevent fraud and abuse, comply with legal obligations |
AI-generated features
To generate recipes, meal plans, and cooking suggestions, the App sends your relevant inputs (such as your prompt and dietary preferences) to Google’s Gemini API. Where the App analyzes social media cooking videos you provide, it uses Scrape Creators to retrieve and process the relevant video content. These providers process the data only to return a result to us and, under their applicable API terms, do not use data submitted through their paid APIs to train their models. We do not use AI to make legally significant automated decisions about you. AI-generated content may not always be accurate, so always check recipes against your own allergies and dietary needs.
How we share information
We do not sell your personal information. We share it only with service providers who process it on our behalf, under contract, for the purposes above:
| Provider | Purpose | Data involved |
|---|---|---|
| Apple (App Store) | Payments, subscriptions | Purchase receipts |
| RevenueCat | Subscription management & entitlements | Anonymized user ID, subscription status |
| Supabase | Cloud database & backend | Profile, preferences, user content, photos |
| PostHog | Product analytics | Usage & device data |
| Sentry | Crash & error reporting | Crash logs, device & diagnostic data |
| Google (Gemini API) | Recipe & meal generation | Prompts & relevant preferences |
| Scrape Creators | Social media cooking-video analysis | Video links/content you submit |
We may also disclose information if required by law, to enforce our terms, to protect rights and safety, or in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.
Sensitive & health-related data
Information such as allergies and health-related dietary restrictions may be considered sensitive. We collect it only to personalize your meal planning, only with the data you choose to provide, and we do not use it for advertising or share it for any unrelated purpose. You can edit or delete this information at any time in the App.
Legal bases (EEA / UK users)
If you are in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, we process your data under the following legal bases under the GDPR/UK GDPR:
- Performance of a contract: to provide the App and your subscription.
- Consent: for sensitive data (e.g. allergy/health preferences) and any optional analytics where required. You may withdraw consent at any time.
- Legitimate interests: to secure, maintain, and improve the App, where not overridden by your rights.
- Legal obligation: to comply with applicable law.
Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, or port your data; to object to or restrict processing; and to withdraw consent. To exercise any of these, contact us at support@instacook.app. Because your data is tied to an anonymous ID, we may ask you for information that helps us locate it (for example, your subscription receipt). You can also clear your preferences in the App or uninstall it as described in Section 9.
California (CCPA/CPRA)
California residents have the right to know what personal information we collect, to request deletion, to correct inaccurate information, and to opt out of “sale” or “sharing” of personal information. We do not sell or share your personal information as those terms are defined under California law. We will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights.
EEA / UK
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.
Data retention & deletion
Because we do not collect your name or email, the data we hold is pseudonymous, linked only to an anonymous ID, not to you as an identified person. We keep your data for as long as you use Instacook, so that your preferences, saved recipes, and meal plans remain available to you. We do not delete active users’ data on any fixed schedule.
How to delete your data
You can initiate the permanent deletion of your data at any time through two methods:
- In-app (recommended): go to the App’s Settings menu and select “Delete Data & Profile” (or “Wipe My Data”). This immediately deletes your preferences and history from our backend servers (Supabase).
- By email: request deletion by emailing us at support@instacook.app, and we will complete it within 30 days. Because your data is tied to an anonymous ID, we may ask you to provide your anonymous user ID (found in the App’s settings) or a subscription receipt so we can locate your records.
Important notes on deletion
- Subscriptions: deleting your data or uninstalling the App does not cancel or refund any active subscription. All subscriptions and payments are managed entirely by Apple through your Apple App Store account. You must cancel your subscription through your iOS device settings.
- Exceptions: we may retain limited records where required to comply with legal, tax, or accounting obligations, and we may keep aggregated or fully anonymized data that no longer identifies any device or user. Subscription and purchase records are retained by Apple and RevenueCat under their own respective privacy policies.
Data security
We use technical and organizational measures, including encryption in transit, access controls, and reputable cloud infrastructure, to protect your information. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.
International transfers
Your information may be processed in countries other than your own, including the United States, where our service providers operate. Where required, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses for such transfers.
Children’s privacy
The App is not directed to children under 13 (or the minimum age required in your country), and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child has provided us information, contact us and we will delete it.
Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will post the updated version here with a new “Last updated” date and, where appropriate, notify you in the App.