Privacy Policy

Your privacy matters. This policy explains how the Sous app ("Sous," "we," "us") handles your information. In short: Sous keeps your information on your device. The only things that leave it are recipes you choose to share as a link or post to Discover.

Information we collect

We do not collect or store your personal information. Sous does not require an account or login. The meals, recipes, pantry items, weekly plans, shopping lists, and any photos or videos you add are stored locally on your device and are not transmitted to us, except for recipes you choose to share as described below.

Recipe share links

When you tap Share on a recipe, Sous uploads that recipe's text to our server to create a link you can send to anyone. The link works in any app and opens a web page with the recipe. Specifically:

• What's uploaded: the recipe's name, cuisine, ingredients, steps, notes, tags, servings, prep and cook times, and source link. Photos and videos are never uploaded.
• Who can see it: anyone who has the link. Shared recipes are not listed or searchable.
• Technical data: a random ID created when Sous is installed (so sharing the same recipe twice gives the same link) and a scrambled, one-way version of your IP address (used only to prevent abuse). Neither is linked to your name, email or Apple ID, and we don't use them to track you.
• Hosting: share links are stored with Cloudflare, which runs our server.
• Removing a link: email us the link and we'll delete the recipe. Deleting the app does not remove links you've already shared.

If you'd rather not upload anything, don't use Share. Your other recipes stay on your device.

Importing recipes from links and videos

When you paste a link, Sous opens that page from your phone (the same way Safari would) to read the recipe's name, ingredients, steps and picture link. For YouTube and TikTok it reads the public description or caption, and for Pinterest it follows the pin to the recipe page. Nothing is sent to Sous; the website or platform sees an ordinary visit from your device. The picture stays on the original site.

The "Screen recording" option reads a video you pick from your photo library. The words on screen are read with Apple's text recognition, and speech is turned into text with Apple's speech recognition only when your iPhone can do that on the device. If it can't, Sous skips the speech and doesn't send your audio anywhere. Your video isn't uploaded or saved.

Update reminders

About once a day, when you open Sous, it asks Apple's public App Store listing whether a newer version exists. The request carries only the app's name, nothing about you or your recipes. If there is one, Sous offers an Update button.

Shopping links

Next to each item on your shopping list is an optional "Walmart" button. Tapping it opens a Walmart search for that ingredient's name in your browser. Sous sends nothing to Walmart itself; only the ingredient name is in the web address you open. Once you're on walmart.com, Walmart's own privacy policy applies. If Sous earns a commission from these links, the app says so beside the list, and the price you pay is the same.

Discover (public recipes)

Discover lets you browse recipes other Sous users have posted, and post your own. Posting is always your choice, using "Post to Sous Discover" in a recipe's Share menu. Sharing a link never posts a recipe publicly.

• What's public: the recipe text (the same details as a share link) and the name you set in Preferences, or "A Sous cook" if you leave it blank. Photos are never uploaded. Anyone using Sous can see and search posted recipes, and anyone with a recipe's link can view it on the web.
• Technical data: the same random install ID and scrambled IP address described above. We use them to let you remove your own posts, to prevent abuse, and to let people block a poster. Other users only ever see a one-way code derived from the install ID, never the ID itself.
• Ratings: when you rate a shared recipe, we store your stars and a one-way code derived from your install ID, so each install gets one rating per recipe. Other people only see the average and how many ratings a recipe has, never who rated it.
• Reports: when you report a recipe, we store the reason and a one-way code derived from your install ID, so the same person can't report a recipe more than once. Reports are not linked to your identity.
• Your choices: you can remove your own post at any time from its recipe card. Your blocks, reports and Discover name are stored only on your device.
• Recipe pictures: a Discover tile may show the main picture of the recipe's original web page. Your phone loads that page and picture directly from the original website (which can see a normal web request from your device), nothing is uploaded to Sous, and no picture is stored on our server.
• Moderation: we review reported recipes and may remove any post, or stop an install from posting, if it breaks the community rules.

Third-party services

Some optional features connect to outside services, and only when you choose to use them:

• Nutrition & product information. When you request nutrition facts or shopping products, ingredient names may be sent to third-party food databases (such as Open Food Facts or the USDA FoodData Central) to look up that information. These requests do not include your identity.
• Shopping. If you choose to build a shopping cart, Sous may open or hand off your ingredient list to a third-party grocery service (such as Instacart or Walmart). Any information you provide there is governed by that service's own privacy policy.

We do not control these third parties and encourage you to review their privacy practices.

Analytics & tracking

Sous does not use third-party analytics, advertising, or tracking, and does not use an advertising identifier.

Data storage & deletion

Your information is stored on your device, so you remain in control of it. Deleting the Sous app removes all of your data from your device. Recipes you've shared as links stay online until you ask us to remove them, and recipes you've posted to Discover stay up until you remove them or ask us to. Deleting the app doesn't remove them, so remove your Discover posts first if you want them gone.

Children's privacy

Sous is intended for a general audience and is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we'll revise the "Last updated" date above. Continued use of Sous after an update means you accept the revised policy.

Contact us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, contact us at jbazordev@gmail.com.