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Privacy policy.

Plain English. No dark patterns. TryEat is built privacy-first: we collect the minimum we need to read a menu and recommend a dish, we run no advertising trackers, and you can export or delete everything at any time.

This policy covers both the TryEat iOS app and the tryeat.app website (including the waitlist form). Where a section applies to only one of them, we say so.

Who's responsible

The controller of your personal data is Ivan Grishechko, an individual entrepreneur (IE) registered in the Republic of Armenia, operating the TryEat app and website. For any privacy question or data request, write to xettssgan@gmail.com. We respond within 7 days.

The TryEat app

Your identity

You can use TryEat without giving us a name, an email, or a password. On first launch the app creates an anonymous account (a Firebase user ID) so your preferences and history stay with you between sessions. You may optionally Sign in with Apple to keep your account if you change devices — only then do we receive the name and email Apple chooses to share. Apple's "Hide My Email" is fully supported.

What the app collects

• Menu photos — when you scan a menu, the photos are sent over an encrypted connection to our server. There an AI service reads the dish names, prices and descriptions. We do not keep the photos — once the text is extracted they are discarded. We retain only the extracted menu (dish names, prices, categories) so you can revisit past scans.
• Taste profile — the flavors you like and dislike, so we can recommend dishes that fit you.
• Allergies & dietary preferences — allergens you want to avoid (e.g. nuts, dairy) and diets you follow (e.g. vegan, gluten-free). We use these to filter out dishes that don't suit you.
• Meal context — optional hints you give for a scan, such as mood, meal type, or budget, to tune a recommendation.
• Language — your chosen app language, so menus and the interface are shown in it.
• Favorites & ratings — dishes you save or rate, with any note you add.
• Account & subscription — whether you have an active TryEat subscription (managed through Apple and RevenueCat), and, if you signed in with Apple, your name and email.
• Technical diagnostics — app version and crash reports, to find and fix bugs. Crash reports contain technical data about the failure, not your menus or preferences.

We do not collect your precise location, we do not run advertising or cross-app tracking, and the app does not ask for App Tracking Transparency permission. Product analytics are switched off.

Where it's stored

On your device, preferences are held in the app's local storage and your sign-in token in the iOS Keychain, both encrypted by iOS when the device is locked. On our side, your profile, scan history, favorites and ratings are stored in our database on Google Cloud in Frankfurt, Germany (EU), encrypted at rest.

Who else processes app data

• Google / Firebase — anonymous authentication, crash reporting and configuration. EU / EU-US Data Privacy Framework.
• Google Cloud — hosts our backend server and database (Frankfurt, EU).
• Anthropic — the AI service that reads your menu photos. Photos are processed to extract the menu and are not used to train its models under our API terms.
• RevenueCat — manages your subscription status (receives your anonymous user ID and purchase status, not your menus or taste profile).
• Apple — processes the actual payment if you subscribe; we never see your card details.

Each of these processes data on our instructions only. We do not sell, rent, or share your data with marketing networks.

Camera & photo access

The app asks for camera access to scan a menu in front of you, and photo-library access if you'd rather pick an existing photo. We use these only for scanning — nothing is uploaded until you take or choose a photo.

The website & waitlist

tryeat.app is the marketing site for the app. The only interactive feature is the waitlist form. When you join the waitlist we collect:

• Email address — to notify you when the app launches.
• Referral source (the ?ref= parameter in the URL, if any) — to know which channel brought you.
• Hashed IP address + a salt — only to limit abuse on the form. We never store your raw IP.
• User-agent string — to debug compatibility issues.
• Accept-Language header — to localize future emails.
• Timestamp of your sign-up.

The website uses no cookies, Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, or any other identity tracker.

Why we collect it (legal basis)

App: we process your data to provide the service you asked for — reading menus and recommending dishes (GDPR Art. 6(1)(b), performance of a contract). Website: your consent (GDPR Art. 6(1)(a)), given when you submit the waitlist form. In both cases the purpose is strictly limited to running TryEat and preventing abuse.

How long we keep it

App: we keep your profile, scans, favorites and ratings for as long as your account exists. Delete your account and we soft-delete immediately and permanently erase it within 30 days. Website: your waitlist email is kept until the app launches plus 12 months, then permanently deleted. You can ask for deletion at any time.

Your rights under GDPR

You have the right to:

• Access — request a copy of what we hold about you (the app offers a one-tap data export).
• Rectification — correct anything that's wrong.
• Erasure — delete your account in the app, or ask us by email. Done within 30 days.
• Portability — get your data in machine-readable JSON.
• Object / withdraw consent — at any time.
• Lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority (in the EU; in Finland: Tietosuojavaltuutettu).

Send any request to xettssgan@gmail.com. We respond within 7 days.

Children

TryEat is intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 16. If we learn we did, we delete it.

Changes to this policy

If we update this policy in a material way, we will notify users in the app and email everyone on the waitlist before the change takes effect.

Last updated: 13 June 2026.