Privacy Policy

Last updated: May 2026

Fork & Sync (the "app") is a private recipe-sharing app for small circles of friends and family. This policy describes what data the app collects, where it lives, and what your rights are. Plain English, short version: we store the recipes you save and the connections you make so the app can do its job — and not much else.

What we collect

• Account info — email address and display name (provided at sign-up). If you sign in with Google, we also receive your Google account ID.
• Recipes you save — title, ingredients, steps, source URL, optional cover photo, and the tags / course / made-it history you attach.
• Photos you upload — cover photos for recipes you own, stored at recipe_photos/{your-uid}/{recipe-id}/cover.jpg in Firebase Storage.
• Photos you scan — when you scan a printed recipe, the image is sent to Google's Gemini API for OCR and is not stored on our side. Google's data retention policies apply to that transient call (see Gemini API Terms).
• Connections — when you follow a friend (or they follow you), we store the link so the app can show their recipes to you and vice versa.
• Push notification token — an Apple- or Google-issued device token (FCM) so we can deliver push notifications you've opted into.
• Comments + made-it records — text you post on recipes, dates you cooked them, and ratings you give.

What we don't collect

• No analytics SDKs, no tracking pixels, no advertising IDs.
• No location data.
• No third-party data brokers.
• No public profile — your name and recipes are only visible to the people you've explicitly shared with via your 6-character sharing code.

Where data lives

Fork & Sync runs entirely on Google Firebase. Specifically:

• Firestore — recipes, connections, meals, comments, made-it records.
• Firebase Authentication — your sign-in identity.
• Firebase Cloud Storage — recipe cover photos you upload.
• Firebase Cloud Messaging — push notification token, used only to deliver pushes.
• Firebase Cloud Functions — the recipe URL scraper and the photo-scan endpoint.
• Google Gemini API — transient photo data for OCR (only when you use the scan feature).

Data is stored on Google Cloud servers, primarily in the us-central1 region. Firebase security rules enforce that your recipes are readable only by you and the people you've shared your code with.

Sharing your data

We do not sell your data. We do not share your data with third-party advertisers. The only "sharing" that happens is the one you initiate: when someone follows you via your sharing code, your recipes become visible to them — and to no one else.

Subscriptions

If you subscribe to Fork & Sync Premium, we store a small entitlement record on your profile: the tier (monthly or annual), the current expiry date, and a flag indicating you're premium. This record is set by Apple's StoreKit at the time of purchase and refreshed each time you launch the app. We don't receive your payment-method information — Apple handles that directly and we never see it.

Push notifications

You can opt out of push notifications at any time from your device's settings. The app will continue to function normally; you just won't be notified when a friend adds a recipe, comments, or shares a meal.

Your rights

You can delete your account at any time by contacting us at chris@goodoswald.com. Account deletion removes your profile, your recipes, your favourites, your made-it records, and your photos. Connections you were part of are also removed.

If you're in a jurisdiction with data-protection rights (GDPR, CCPA), you can also request a copy of the data we hold on you. We'll respond within 30 days.

Children

Fork & Sync is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 13. If you believe a child has signed up, contact us and we'll delete the account.

Changes to this policy

If we materially change how we handle data, we'll update this page and bump the "Last updated" date. For substantial changes, we'll also surface a notice in the app on next launch.

Contact

Questions? Email chris@goodoswald.com.