MealGenie

Privacy Policy

Last updated: 14 July 2026

This Privacy Policy explains what information MealGenie ("MealGenie", "the app", "we", "us" or "our") collects, how we use it, who we share it with and the choices you have. MealGenie is a cross-platform (iOS and Android) meal-recommendation app operated by an independent solo developer. By using the app you agree to the practices described here.

1. Information we collect

We aim to collect only what the genie needs to recommend meals for you. We do not sell your personal information, and we do not collect more than is described here.

Account information

  • Name and email address — provided when you sign in with Google or Apple. We receive your basic profile (name and email) from those providers. We never see or store your password, and we do not collect your phone number.

Profile & food preferences

  • Where you live and where you grew up — entered as free-text (for example a city and country) so the genie can balance local grocery reality with your comfort food, plus how long you have lived in your current place.
  • Household composition — such as bachelor, couple, family with kids or joint family, so meals are portioned correctly.
  • Dietary restrictions, allergies and disliked ingredients — used for recommendations and the allergen safety check.
  • Tastes and constraints — liked cuisines, spice tolerance, cooking skill, time available, health goals and kitchen equipment (for example air fryer, pressure cooker or grill).

Photos and generated images

  • Kitchen photos — if you use "cook with what you have", the photo you take is uploaded so it can be analysed to suggest meals from what you already have.
  • Uploaded and AI-generated dish images — photos you add of what you cooked, and the AI-generated dish photos shown with recipes.

Usage & device information

  • Usage and behavioural analytics — for example which dishes you viewed, what you saved, meal intents you chose and cook outcomes, so we can improve recommendations and the app.
  • Device push token — an identifier used to deliver notifications to your device.
  • Referral data — if you arrive through a referral or invite (including Family Circle invites), we record that association.

Family Circle information

  • If you use Family Circle, you may add family members by email address, send them "should I make this?" questions, share what you cooked, and create shareable vote links that anyone with the link can answer. Please only add people who are happy to be added.

2. How we use your information

We use the information above to:

  • Generate personalized full-meal recommendations, recipes and dish images for you;
  • Run the deterministic allergen safety check and tailor portions to your household;
  • Analyse kitchen photos so the genie can suggest meals from what you already have;
  • Sync your profile, saved recipes and preferences across your devices;
  • Power Family Circle features such as questions, cooked-meal sharing and vote links;
  • Send notifications you have enabled (such as the Daily Special or a reply to a question);
  • Understand how the app is used so we can fix problems and improve the experience;
  • Provide support, prevent abuse and keep the service secure.

We rely on your consent and on the performance of our service to you as the basis for this processing. You can withdraw consent for optional processing (such as notifications) at any time.

3. AI processing & Gemini

Where your content goes

To generate recommendations, recipes and images, your text preferences and your kitchen photos are sent to Google's Gemini API. This is a core part of how the genie works — without sending this information, we cannot generate a meal for you.

The content sent to Google to fulfil your request may include your food preferences, location text, household details, dietary and allergy information, the meal intent you selected and any kitchen photo you provided. Google processes this content to return generated text and images to the app.

Google's handling of this data is governed by Google's applicable API terms and privacy commitments for the Gemini API. We encourage you to review Google's terms to understand how they process content submitted to their AI services. We do not use your content to train our own models, and we ask you not to submit information you would not want processed by a third-party AI service.

AI-generated content may be imperfect

Recipes, nutrition estimates, ingredient substitutions and dish images are AI-generated and can be inaccurate. The allergen safety check is a best-effort aid, not a guarantee. Always read product labels yourself, especially for allergies and dietary or medical needs. See our Terms of Service for the full disclaimer.

4. Third parties & sub-processors

We share data only with the service providers we need to run the app. We do not sell your personal information and we do not share it for third-party advertising. The providers below process data on our behalf so that the app can function.

ProviderWhat it handlesWhy
Google — Gemini AI Your text preferences and kitchen photos Processes your input to generate meal recommendations, recipes and dish images.
Google — Firebase Authentication, database, hosting and storage Signs you in, stores your profile, saved recipes and uploaded/generated images, and syncs across devices.
Google — Cloud Messaging (FCM) Android push notifications Delivers notifications to Android devices.
Google — Analytics for Firebase Anonymised app-usage events and a random app-instance identifier Tells us which features are used and where people get stuck, so we can improve the app. Not linked to your name or email, not used for advertising.
Apple Sign in with Apple & APNs push Authenticates Apple sign-in and delivers notifications to iOS devices.
Expo Push notification delivery Routes notifications to the correct device push service.

Each provider processes data under its own terms and privacy policy. We may also disclose information if required to do so by law, or to protect the rights, safety and security of our users or the service.

5. Data retention

We keep your information for as long as your account is active and the genie needs it to serve you. Specifically:

  • Profile and preferences are retained while your account exists so recommendations stay personalized.
  • Generation history — the meal recommendations, recipes and dish images the genie creates for you (and the requests that produced them, including kitchen photos you submit) are stored with your account. This powers features like your history and instant recipe re-opening, and helps us improve the genie. It is deleted when you delete your account.
  • Saved recipes, cooked photos and Family Circle data are retained until you delete them or delete your account.

When you delete your account we remove your associated personal data as described in Deleting your data, except for limited records we are required to keep for legal, security or accounting reasons.

6. Your rights & choices

You have control over your information. Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:

  • Access the personal data we hold about you;
  • Correct inaccurate information — most profile and preference data can be edited directly in the app;
  • Delete your account and associated data (see below);
  • Opt out of notifications at any time in your device or app settings.

To exercise any of these rights, edit your details in the app or contact us at alamtabrez@gmail.com. We will respond within a reasonable time.

7. Deleting your data

You can request full deletion of your account and personal data at any time. The simplest way is to email alamtabrez@gmail.com from your account email with the subject "Delete my account", or use any in-app deletion option if available.

For the exact steps, what is removed and how long it takes, see our dedicated Account & data deletion page.

8. Children's privacy

MealGenie is a household cooking tool intended for adults; it is not directed to children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children under 13. Any dietary information about a child (for example a child's allergy in a family household) is entered by a parent or adult account holder in order to keep meals safe for the family.

If you believe a child has provided us with personal information directly, please contact us and we will delete it.

9. Data security

We use reputable infrastructure providers (including Google Firebase) and rely on their encryption in transit and at rest, access controls and authentication. Sign-in is handled by Google and Apple, so we never handle your password. While no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, we take reasonable measures to protect your information and limit access to what is necessary to operate the app.

10. International data transfers

Our service providers (including Google, Apple and Expo) may process and store data on servers located in countries other than where you live, including the United States. Where information is transferred internationally, it is protected under the terms and safeguards offered by those providers. By using the app, you understand that your information may be processed in these locations.

11. The MealGenie website

This website (mydishgenie.com) is a simple marketing and legal site, and no account is required to browse it. We use Google Analytics 4 to understand aggregate visitor behaviour — for example page views, how far people scroll, and which links and app-download buttons they click — so we can improve the site. Google Analytics sets first-party cookies and processes limited data (including your IP address and a randomised identifier) on our behalf as a data processor; Google's use of this data is governed by its own terms. We do not run advertising or ad-network cookies, we do not sell your information, and we do not use this data to target ads. You can opt out using your browser's cookie controls or Google's Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. The site also loads web fonts (Google Fonts) and icon styles from a content delivery network, which may receive your IP address as a normal part of serving those files.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time as the app evolves. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date above and, where appropriate, notify you in the app. Your continued use of MealGenie after an update means you accept the revised policy.

13. Contact us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or your data, please reach out:

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