Privacy Policy
Who We Are
PawPerformance is operated by GC Apps, based in the United Kingdom (England) (the "Data Controller"). We are responsible for the personal data you provide when using this app.
Contact: pawperformance.app@gmail.com
What Data We Collect
Account data
If you create an account: your email address and display name. These are stored by Google Firebase Authentication. You may also sign in via Google or Apple, in which case we receive only your email and display name from those providers — no other account data.
Guest use (no account)
If you use the app without creating an account, it creates an anonymous account identifier in Google Firebase Authentication so it can securely send your scans for analysis and apply the daily scan limit. No email or name is attached to it. Your profile, food logs and other data stay on your device until you create an account. If you subscribe as a guest, your subscription status is stored against that identifier so Premium works.
Health and body data
During onboarding and normal use you may enter: age, sex, height, current weight, target weight, fitness goal, weight-change pace, activity level, diet type, allergies and disliked foods, cuisine preferences, cooking level, max prep time per meal, meals per day, daily calorie / macro / water targets, plus the optional Health Context — chronic conditions (e.g. type 2 diabetes, hypertension, IBS) and pregnancy / breastfeeding state. This is health-related data and pregnancy / chronic conditions are special-category data under UK and EU GDPR. We process it only to provide personalised nutrition tracking and to constrain the AI suggestions you see, never for advertising.
Food logs and water intake
Every food item you log (name, calories, protein, carbs, fat, meal type, date) and daily water intake are stored locally on your device in AsyncStorage. If you sign in and enable cloud sync, this data is also stored in Google Firestore linked to your account.
Food photos and text descriptions
When you scan a meal using the camera or describe food in text, that image or text is sent to the Google Gemini AI API for analysis. We receive back a list of identified foods with estimated nutrition. The image or text is not stored by us after analysis. Google may process this data in accordance with its own privacy terms; see google.com/policies/privacy.
Weight history
Weight entries (date, value, unit) you log in the weight tracker are stored locally and optionally synced to Firestore.
App activity and Chester progress
Chester's level, XP, streak, mood, coins, achievements, equipped items, and challenge progress are stored locally and optionally synced to Firestore.
Social data (optional)
If you use the social features you will have a friend code (8 random characters, claimed atomically so no two users can ever share one). Your display name, friend code, Chester level, streak, mood, and achievement count are published to a public profile visible to other signed-in users (used for friend lists and the leaderboard). Activity feed posts (streak milestones, Chester’s level-ups and growth stages) are visible only to users you have added as friends, and you can turn them off in Settings → Friends. Meals and photos are never posted.
Your food data, body stats, weight history, conditions, pregnancy state, allergies, dislikes, and macro targets are never shared with friends or the leaderboard.
Block list and reports
If you block another user we store the blocked user's ID under your account so we can filter their posts out of your feed and stop them appearing in your friends list. The block is one-way and the other user is not notified. You can unblock at any time from Friends → Manage blocked users. If you report a post or user we store the report (your ID, the target's ID, the reason you chose, and any optional detail) so our moderation team can review it. Reports are never visible to other users.
Subscriptions
If you subscribe to PawPerformance Premium, the payment is handled by Apple (or Google). Our subscription provider, RevenueCat, receives the store's purchase record together with your PawPerformance account ID so it can track renewals, cancellations and refunds. Our Cloud Function asks RevenueCat whether your account has an active subscription and stores the result (plan, expiry date, trial status, platform) on your account so we can grant Premium features. We do not see your card number, billing address, or any payment details — those stay with Apple or Google.
Crash reports (optional)
If crash reporting is enabled in this build, when the app crashes or hits a render error we send a diagnostic report to Sentry containing the error message, JavaScript stack trace, the React component stack, your operating system version, the app version, and a randomly generated session ID. We do not include your name, email, food data, body stats, or any other personal information you've entered. You can confirm whether crash reporting is active in this build by contacting us.
Notification preferences
Your choices about meal, water, and streak notifications are stored locally and optionally synced to Firestore. Local notifications are delivered by your device's operating system; no notification content is sent to our servers.
Apple Health (iOS, optional)
If you turn on “Sync with Apple Health” in Settings, the app writes the meals (calories, protein, carbs, fat), water and weigh-ins you log into the Health app on your device, and reads your most recent weight from Health so weigh-ins from a smart scale appear in the weight tracker. Imported weights are stored like any weight you enter yourself (on your device, and in your cloud backup if you have an account). Data from Apple Health is never used for advertising or marketing, never sold, and never shared with third parties. You can turn sync off in Settings, and manage or revoke access at any time in the Health app → Sharing.
Bug reports you send
“Report a Bug” and “Send Feedback” in Settings open an email to us that you can read and edit before sending. It includes your app version, device model and OS version, your account ID, Chester’s level and streak, and a short list of recent error messages, so we can find and fix the problem. Nothing is sent unless you send the email.
Lawful Basis for Processing (UK & EU GDPR)
We process your personal data on the following legal bases:
- Contract — processing your account data, food logs, and body stats is necessary to provide the service you signed up for.
- Consent — we rely on your consent to process health data (body stats, food logs) and to send push notifications. You can withdraw consent at any time by deleting your data in Settings or disabling notifications in the app.
- Legitimate interests — we have a legitimate interest in keeping the app secure and stable. This includes basic diagnostics if the app crashes.
Health data (body stats, food logs) is a special category under UK/EU GDPR. We process it only on the basis of your explicit consent, which we ask for with a tick box at the end of setup, and only for the purpose of providing the nutrition tracking service to you.
Third-Party Services
We use the following third-party processors:
- Google Firebase (Authentication, Firestore, Cloud Functions, Cloud Messaging) — stores your account data and synced app data, runs our serverless backend, and dispatches push notifications. Data may be stored on Google servers in the US or EU. Google maintains Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) for international transfers. See firebase.google.com/support/privacy.
- Google Gemini AI — analyses food photos, text descriptions, and the diet-context summary we build for you (age, sex, weight, conditions, pregnancy flag, etc., as far as you provided them). Google acts as a data processor. Images and text prompts are not retained by us after analysis. See ai.google.dev/gemini-api/terms.
- RevenueCat — manages in-app subscriptions. Receives your purchase history from Apple or Google and your PawPerformance account ID; no name, email, health data or food logs. RevenueCat acts as a data processor and may store data in the US. See revenuecat.com/privacy.
- Apple App Store / Google Play — process subscription payments under their own terms. No card details are sent to us.
- Expo Push Notification Service — relays push notifications to our moderators when a post or user is reported. Only the Expo push token (an opaque device identifier) and the notification text are sent.
- USDA FoodData Central — nutrition lookups for scanned foods. Only the food name is sent; no personal data. See fdc.nal.usda.gov.
- OpenFoodFacts — barcode lookups. Only the barcode number is sent; no personal data. OpenFoodFacts is an open database with no account requirement. See world.openfoodfacts.org/terms-of-use.
- Sentry (optional, when enabled) — crash and error diagnostics. See sentry.io/privacy.
- Expo / EAS — used to build and deliver app updates. Expo does not receive your personal data. See expo.dev/privacy.
- Apple Sign-In / Google Sign-In (optional) — if used, these providers share only your email and display name with us under their own privacy terms.
International Data Transfers
If you are based in the UK or EU, your data may be transferred to Google servers in the United States when you use cloud sync or the AI scanner. Google has implemented Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the UK ICO and the European Commission to ensure your data is protected to an equivalent standard. You can opt out of cloud sync by not creating an account or by using the app in offline mode.
How Long We Keep Your Data
- Account data — kept until you delete your account in Settings → Manage Account → Delete Account, which wipes both Firestore and your local device.
- Food logs, weight, body stats, Health Context — kept until you use "Clear All Data" in Settings or delete your account.
- Food photos — never stored. Discarded immediately after AI analysis.
- Social / public profile data, friend list, activity feed posts — kept until you remove friends, clear data, or delete your account.
- Block list — kept until you unblock the user or delete your account.
- Reports — kept for up to 12 months for moderation purposes, then deleted unless required for an ongoing investigation.
- Push tokens — refreshed each launch; deleted when you sign out.
- Subscription receipts — kept while your subscription is active and for up to 7 years afterwards for accounting and tax purposes (UK statutory requirement).
- Crash reports (when enabled) — kept by Sentry for 90 days then deleted automatically.
- Local-only data (no account) — kept on your device until you uninstall the app or use "Clear All Data" in Settings.
Your Rights
Under UK GDPR (and EU GDPR for EU residents) you have the following rights:
- Right to access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Right to rectification — ask us to correct inaccurate data.
- Right to erasure — ask us to delete your data ("right to be forgotten").
- Right to restriction — ask us to pause processing while a dispute is resolved.
- Right to data portability — receive your data in a machine-readable format. Use "Export Data" in Settings for an immediate JSON export.
- Right to object — object to processing based on legitimate interests.
- Right to withdraw consent — you can withdraw consent for health data processing or notifications at any time. Withdrawal does not affect processing already done.
To exercise any right, contact us at pawperformance.app@gmail.com. We will respond within 30 days.
UK residents — right to complain
If you are unhappy with how we handle your data you have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113.
EU residents — right to complain
EU residents may complain to the data protection authority in their member state.
California Residents (CCPA)
If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) gives you additional rights:
- Right to know what personal data we collect, use, and share.
- Right to delete your personal data.
- Right to opt out of the sale of personal data. We do not sell your personal data.
- Right to non-discrimination for exercising your rights.
To make a request under CCPA, contact pawperformance.app@gmail.com.
Children
PawPerformance is intended for users aged 13 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.
Users under 18 in the UK and EU should obtain parental consent before using social features or cloud sync.
Cookies and Tracking
PawPerformance is a mobile app and does not use browser cookies. We do not use any cross-app advertising trackers or analytics SDKs. This marketing site (pawperformance.app) does not set tracking cookies either — only essential first-party storage where strictly necessary.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy when the app adds new features that affect how data is processed. We will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. For material changes we will notify you via an in-app notice.
Contact
For any privacy questions or rights requests:
GC Apps
pawperformance.app@gmail.com