Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 23, 2026

1. Information we collect

A. Your cook journal (on your device)

The content you add to Cookback — cook notes, dish names, tags, photos, recaps, lessons, favorites, and other journal details — is stored locally on your device, and — if you turn on cloud sync — in your own private cloud storage (your iCloud on Apple devices, or a hidden, app-only area of your Google Drive on Android). This is your content. We do not receive or store your journal on our servers, except for the specific content sent when you use AI features (see B).

B. AI request content

AI features are off until you turn them on. When you do, and then use a feature — such as wrapping up a cook, generating a recap, or asking a question about your past cooks — Cookback sends the relevant note text and related journal context (such as dish names, tags, and short summaries of related cooks) needed to answer that request to our service, which processes it using third-party AI providers (currently Anthropic and OpenAI). We send only what the request needs, and no name, email, or account — requests are tied only to an anonymous device key (see D).

B2. Voice dictation

When you dictate a note, Cookback uses your device’s built-in speech-to-text to turn your speech into text. Cookback does not record or store your audio, and never sends your voice to our service or to AI providers — only the text it produces is saved to your journal (and it is sent for AI processing only if you then use an AI feature).

C. Photos and attachments

If you add photos to a cook, those photos are stored with your journal. Cookback may send photos or photo metadata to our service only when a feature you use requires them, such as an AI feature that needs to understand a photo.

D. Purchases and entitlement data

If Cookback offers paid features, purchases are handled by the platform where you bought them, such as Apple or Google. We may receive purchase status, receipt, entitlement, or subscription information needed to unlock paid features and provide support. We do not store complete payment card details on our servers.

To apply free allowances and remember whether you have subscribed, our AI service keeps one small anonymous record per device: an anonymous device key, per-feature usage counts (such as how many recaps, questions, and imports you have used), your subscription status, and a hashed receipt reference. This record contains no journal content — no note text, titles, photos, or tags — and is not tied to your name or account.

E. Device, usage, and diagnostic data

We may collect technical information needed to operate and protect the service, such as app version, device type, operating system, IP address, approximate region, request logs, performance data, crash reports, and error logs.

F. Support messages

If you contact us for support, we collect the information you choose to send, such as your email address, message, screenshots, logs, and any details needed to respond.

2. Local-first storage

Cookback is designed as a local-first journal. Your everyday cook notes and photos are stored on your device unless you use a feature that sends specific content to our service, such as AI recap or Ask.

If you enable cloud sync, Cookback keeps a copy of your journal in your own private cloud so it stays in sync across your devices — your Apple iCloud on Apple devices, or a hidden app-data area of your Google Drive on Android that only Cookback can see. On Android, turning on Google Drive sync requires a one-time sign-in to your Google account to grant Cookback access to that app-data area. Wherever it lives, that copy is in your own cloud account, not on our servers, and we cannot access it. You can turn cloud sync off in Settings, which also removes the copy Cookback keeps there (and, on Android, disconnects your Google account). Separately, your device operating system may provide its own backup features — such as Apple’s device backups or Android Auto Backup — controlled by your device settings and the platform provider.

3. How AI features work

AI is the engine behind recaps and questions, but it is not the promise of the app. Cookback sends only the information needed for the AI request you choose to make, then returns the generated result to the app.

We use third-party AI providers — currently Anthropic and OpenAI — to process these requests. They act as our service providers, processing information on our behalf under contracts that require them to protect it and provide protection equivalent to what this policy describes, and not to use it for their own purposes. We may change or add providers of comparable protection and will update this list when we do.

We do not use your private cook notes to train our own AI models. Where an AI provider offers settings that limit training or retention, we aim to use those settings where available.

You can avoid AI processing by not using AI features. If the app includes a setting to disable AI features, turning it off prevents Cookback from sending journal content for AI requests.

4. How we use information

We use information to:

Store, display, organize, and search your cook journal.
Generate recaps, summaries, tags, dish groupings, and answers when you use AI features.
Unlock purchases and paid features.
Provide support and respond to your requests.
Debug issues, improve reliability, and understand feature performance.
Protect Cookback, our users, and our systems from abuse, fraud, or security incidents.
Comply with legal obligations and enforce our terms.

5. How we share information

We do not sell your personal information. We do not share your cook journal with advertisers. We share information only as described below.

A. Service providers

We use trusted providers to operate Cookback, such as cloud hosting, storage, AI processing, diagnostics, support tools, email, and payment or purchase infrastructure. These providers process information on our behalf and are expected to protect it.

B. AI providers

When you use AI features, relevant note text and journal context are sent to our third-party AI providers — currently Anthropic and OpenAI — to process your request and generate your result. They receive only text, never your audio, and are bound to protect it and use it only to provide the service.

C. Platform providers

If you purchase Cookback through an app store or use platform backup, sync, sign-in, or payment features, the relevant platform provider may process information according to its own terms and privacy policy.

D. Legal, safety, and business reasons

We may share information if reasonably necessary to comply with law, protect rights and safety, enforce our terms, detect or prevent fraud and abuse, or as part of a merger, acquisition, financing, or sale of assets. We will provide notice where required by law.

6. No ads or advertising tracking

Cookback has no third-party advertising trackers. We do not sell your data. We do not use your journal to build an advertising profile.

7. Imported recipes and external content

When you import a recipe from a link, Cookback fetches the content at that link to set up your note and may keep a reference to the source, such as the source URL. Importing sends the link and the fetched recipe content to our service so it can be turned into a note. External websites, platforms, and services you import from have their own terms and privacy policies that we do not control and are not responsible for.

8. Cookies and similar technologies

The Cookback app does not use cookies or third-party advertising trackers.

9. Data retention and deletion

Local journal data remains on your device until you edit or delete it, delete the app, or remove the device data through operating system tools.

Server-side logs, AI request records, support messages, purchase records, and diagnostic data are retained only as long as needed to provide the service, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, prevent abuse, and maintain security.

You can request access, deletion, or export by contacting privacy@cookback.app. After deletion, some information may remain for a limited time in backups, security logs, purchase records, tax/accounting records, or aggregated or de-identified analytics that cannot reasonably be linked to you.

10. Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards designed to protect information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction. No method of transmission or storage is perfectly secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

11. International data transfers

Cookback is operated from the United States. Information may be processed and stored in the United States or other countries where our service providers operate. If you use Cookback from outside the United States, you understand that information may be transferred internationally.

12. Your rights and choices

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, or export your personal information, and to object to or restrict certain processing. To make a request, contact privacy@cookback.app.

If you are a California resident, you may have rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended. Cookback does not sell personal information. If you are located in the EEA or UK, you may have additional rights under GDPR or UK GDPR, including the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority.

13. Children’s privacy

Cookback is not intended for children under 13, or the applicable age of digital consent in your jurisdiction. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided personal information, contact us and we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

14. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will provide notice through the app, by email, or by another reasonable method where appropriate. Continued use after an update means you accept the updated policy.

15. Contact us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, contact us at privacy@cookback.app.