Heirloom iconHeirloom
Updated April 8, 2026

Privacy Policy

How Heirloom Recipe Box collects, uses, and shares data.

Privacy Policy

Last updated: April 8, 2026

Heirloom Recipe Box (“Heirloom,” “we,” “us”) helps you save, organize, and share recipes. We designed Heirloom to be private by default and to use your information only to provide and improve the app—not to sell your data or to track you across other companies’ apps and websites.

0) Summary (Plain English)

  • Private by default: your recipe box is private unless you choose to share or publish.
  • No data sale: we do not sell your personal information.
  • No cross‑app tracking: we don’t track you across other companies’ apps or websites for advertising.
  • You control sharing: direct sharing is optional; public publishing (if available) is optional and subject to ownership rules.
  • You can delete your account: see “Your Privacy Choices” below.

1) Information We Collect

A) Account Information

  • Email address (to create and secure your account)
  • User ID (used to associate your data with your account)

Anonymous Sessions

If you use Heirloom without creating an account, we create an anonymous session using Firebase Authentication. This collects only: a randomly generated anonymous user ID (not linked to your identity), your device locale, and your IP address at the time of sign-in. No email, name, or other personal information is collected.

B) Content You Provide

  • Recipes and recipe metadata you create, import, save, or edit (titles, ingredients, steps, notes, tags, etc.)
  • Photos and images you upload or capture (e.g., recipe photos, cookbook/page photos)
  • Audio/video content you submit for processing (e.g., voice dictation, video imports)

C) Usage Data

  • Product interactions such as recipe saves, collections created, and features used (used to improve Heirloom)

D) Diagnostics

  • Crash logs and diagnostics (device information and crash details) to help us fix reliability issues

2) How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

  • Provide core app functionality (saving, organizing, searching, and sharing recipes)
  • Sync your content across devices (when enabled)
  • Improve product quality and performance (analytics and crash reporting)
  • Communicate service-related messages (e.g., account/security notices, support replies)

Photos you add to recipes

You can attach your own photos to a recipe (e.g., a photo of a finished dish you cooked). With your opt-in consent — controlled in Settings → Privacy & Data → Help improve Heirloom (off by default) — we may use those photos to improve our AI image generation models so that future generated cover images look more like real food. Your photos remain yours, are never sold, and are never used for advertising. You can change this setting at any time. Past uploads are not retroactively re-eligible if you turn the setting on later — consent is captured at the moment of upload.

We do not sell your personal information. We do not use your information for interest-based advertising.

3) Sharing & Visibility Controls

Heirloom is private by default:

  • Your personal recipe box and collections are private unless you choose to share.
  • You can share recipes directly with friends/family (peer-to-peer).
  • Recipes stay in your private Recipe Box unless you share a recipe or a cookbook directly with someone outside your box (when you choose to).

4) Third-Party Service Providers (Processors)

We use trusted third-party services to operate the app. These providers process data on our behalf, consistent with this policy.

Core Infrastructure

  • Firebase Authentication (Google) — account management
  • Firebase Firestore (Google) — data storage (recipes, collections, sharing metadata)
  • Firebase Storage (Google) — image/media storage (recipe photos, scans)

Analytics & Diagnostics

  • Firebase Crashlytics (Google) — crash reporting and diagnostics
  • PostHog — product and marketing analytics (website usage, feature engagement)
  • Mixpanel — in-app product analytics (event analytics; conditionally enabled)

AI / Processing

Heirloom may send recipe content you submit (text/images/audio/video) to AI providers to extract or generate recipe data. We use this only to provide the feature you requested (e.g., “import this recipe,” “generate a recipe”), not to advertise to you.

Depending on which features you use, processors may include:

  • Anthropic (Claude API) — recipe extraction/parsing and AI features
  • OpenAI — AI processing (legacy fallback where applicable)
  • Replicate — AI image generation (e.g., Flux)
  • Google Vision API — OCR for handwritten or photographed recipes
  • WhisperKit — on-device speech transcription (where applicable)

On-Device Processing

  • Apple NLLanguageRecognizer — We use Apple's on-device language detection to identify the language of imported recipes. This processing happens entirely on your device — no recipe text is transmitted to our servers for language detection of English-language recipes.

Search

  • Algolia — search (fuzzy matching, query indexing)
  • Brave Search API — web recipe search (where applicable)

Subscriptions / Purchases

  • Apple StoreKit — in-app purchases and subscriptions (Apple processes payment information)

5) Data Retention

We retain your data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the service. You can request deletion (see “Your Choices & Rights”).

Anonymous accounts that have been inactive for more than 35 days and contain no user data are automatically deleted by our systems.

6) Security

We use industry-standard safeguards to protect data, including encryption in transit (HTTPS) and access controls for backend systems.

7) Your Privacy Choices & Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to:

  • Access or export your data
  • Correct your data
  • Delete your account and associated data
  • Opt out of certain analytics where applicable

Your Privacy Choices URL

If you’re looking for the dedicated “User Privacy Choices” page (for App Store requirements), see: /privacy-choices.

How to Delete Your Account

For users with an account: In the app, go to Settings → Privacy & Data → Delete Account and follow the prompts. If you can’t access the app, email support@heirloomrecipebox.app with the subject: ”Account Deletion Request” and include the email address on your account.

For anonymous users (no account): Delete the Heirloom app from your device. Your locally stored recipes will be permanently erased. Any anonymous server data is automatically cleaned up within 35 days.

Access / Export Request

To request an export of your account data, email support@heirloomrecipebox.app with the subject: “Data Export Request” and include the email address on your account.

Analytics opt-out (if applicable)

If we offer analytics controls in-app, you can toggle them in Settings. If you don’t see a toggle, you can request assistance at support@heirloomrecipebox.app.

8) First Table Program

Heirloom offers an optional loyalty program ("First Table") where users can earn free subscription months by completing feature challenges. Participation is voluntary. If you choose to submit feedback on a challenge, we collect your rating and optional text comments. This feedback is associated with your user account and used to improve the app. You are never required to submit feedback to earn rewards.

9) Children’s Privacy

Heirloom is not intended for children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

10) International Users

If you access Heirloom from outside the United States, your data may be processed in the United States or other locations where our service providers operate.

11) Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we’ll update the “Last updated” date and may provide additional notice.

12) Contact

For privacy questions or requests, contact: support@heirloomrecipebox.app.

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