Plain-language summary: We collect the minimum information needed to run the app. We never sell your personal data. Your health and nutrition data stays on your device and in your account. You can delete everything at any time by contacting us at privacy@coachivy.app.

Sections

  1. Who we are
  2. Information we collect
  3. How we use your information
  4. Health and nutrition data
  5. How we share information
  6. Data retention
  7. Security
  8. Your rights
  9. Children's privacy
  10. International transfers
  11. Changes to this policy
  12. Contact us

1. Who we are

Coach Ivy ("we," "us," or "our") is a health and nutrition application developed and operated by Coach Ivy ("the Company"). Our registered contact email is support@coachivy.app.

This Privacy Policy applies to the Coach Ivy iOS application, the website at coachivy.app, and any related services (collectively, the "Service"). By using the Service, you agree to the practices described in this policy.

2. Information we collect

2.1 Information you provide directly

  • Account information: When you create an account, we collect your email address and the username or display name you choose. We do not require your real name.
  • Profile data: To calculate your calorie and macro goals, we ask for optional information including age, height, weight, sex, activity level, and dietary goal (e.g., lose weight, maintain, gain muscle). Providing this information is voluntary.
  • Meal photos and food logs: When you use the AI photo logging feature, photos you take are processed to identify food items and estimate nutritional content. Processed meal data (food names, estimated calories, and macros) is stored in your account. Photos themselves are processed and not permanently stored on our servers beyond what is required for AI analysis.
  • Manual food logs: Any food entries you add manually, including custom foods, portion sizes, and meal notes.
  • Water and habit tracking: Water intake logs and any habit check-ins you record.
  • Support communications: If you contact us by email or through in-app support, we receive the content of those messages.

2.2 Information collected automatically

  • Usage data: We collect information about how you interact with the app — which features you use, screens you visit, and session duration. This data is aggregated and used to improve the Service.
  • Device information: Device model, operating system version, app version, device language, and timezone.
  • Crash reports: If the app crashes, we receive an anonymized crash report including the error type and a stack trace. No personal data is included in crash reports.
  • Analytics identifiers: We use a randomly generated identifier to associate analytics events with a session. This identifier is not linked to your name or email address.

2.3 Information we do not collect

  • We do not collect precise GPS location data.
  • We do not access your contacts, camera roll, or microphone without explicit permission for a specific in-app action.
  • We do not use advertising SDKs or sell your data to advertisers.
  • We do not collect biometric identifiers.

3. How we use your information

We use the information we collect to:

  • Provide the Service: Process meal photos, calculate calorie and macro estimates, display your nutrition logs, and power the AI coaching features.
  • Personalize your experience: Tailor calorie goals, macro targets, and coaching messages to your profile data and activity patterns.
  • Improve the Service: Analyze aggregated, anonymized usage patterns to improve AI accuracy, app performance, and feature design.
  • Send essential communications: Transactional emails such as account confirmation, password reset, and important service updates. We do not send marketing emails without your explicit consent.
  • Provide customer support: Respond to your questions and resolve issues you report.
  • Comply with legal obligations: Retain records required by applicable law and respond to lawful requests from authorities.
  • Protect the Service: Detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and security incidents.

4. Health and nutrition data

Coach Ivy processes data that qualifies as health-related information under various privacy frameworks, including calorie intake, macronutrient data, weight, and dietary habits. We treat this category of data with heightened care.

4.1 How we handle it

  • Your nutrition logs and profile data are stored in your account and are accessible only to you.
  • We do not share your individual health or nutrition data with third parties for any commercial purpose.
  • Our AI model processes meal photos to identify food and estimate nutritional content. Photos are analyzed and then discarded — we do not build or maintain a library of your food photos.
  • Aggregated, de-identified nutrition data (e.g., "the most commonly logged breakfast foods") may be used to improve AI model accuracy. This aggregated data cannot be linked back to any individual user.

4.2 Apple HealthKit

If you grant permission, Coach Ivy may read from and write to Apple HealthKit. This allows the app to sync data such as weight, active energy, and nutritional intake with your Health app. HealthKit data is governed by Apple's developer guidelines:

  • We will never sell HealthKit data to any third party.
  • We will never use HealthKit data for advertising or marketing purposes.
  • We will never share HealthKit data with third parties except to provide or improve health or fitness features, with your explicit permission, or as required by law.

You can revoke HealthKit permissions at any time in your iPhone's Settings → Privacy & Security → Health → Coach Ivy.

5. How we share information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We share information only in the following limited circumstances:

5.1 Service providers

We use a small number of trusted third-party companies to help us run the Service. These providers are contractually prohibited from using your data for any purpose other than providing the service to us:

  • Cloud infrastructure: We use cloud hosting providers to store your account data securely.
  • AI processing: Meal photo analysis is performed via AI APIs. Photos are transmitted over encrypted connections and are not retained by the AI provider beyond the response.
  • Analytics: We use privacy-focused analytics tools to measure aggregate app usage. These tools do not receive your name, email, or health data.
  • Email delivery: We use an email service provider to send transactional emails. They receive your email address for delivery purposes only.

5.2 Legal requirements

We may disclose your information if required by law, court order, or other legal process, or if we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of Coach Ivy, our users, or the public.

5.3 Business transfers

If Coach Ivy is acquired by or merges with another company, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you before your information is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy, and you will have the opportunity to delete your account.

6. Data retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Service. Specific retention practices:

  • Account data: Retained until you delete your account. After account deletion, we remove personal data from active systems within 30 days and from backups within 90 days.
  • Nutrition logs: Retained in your account until you delete individual entries or your account.
  • Meal photos: Processed and discarded. Photos are not retained after AI analysis is complete (typically within seconds).
  • Crash reports and analytics: Retained in aggregated, anonymized form for up to 24 months.
  • Support emails: Retained for up to 3 years to help resolve recurring issues.
  • Legal compliance records: Retained for the period required by applicable law.

7. Security

We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your information from unauthorized access, loss, or misuse:

  • All data in transit is encrypted using TLS (HTTPS).
  • Data at rest is encrypted using AES-256 or equivalent.
  • Access to production systems is restricted to authorized personnel using multi-factor authentication.
  • We conduct periodic security reviews of our infrastructure and third-party dependencies.

No method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security. In the event of a data breach that affects your rights and freedoms, we will notify affected users and applicable authorities as required by law.

8. Your rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

8.1 All users

  • Access: You can view your nutrition logs, profile data, and account information directly within the app at any time.
  • Correction: You can edit your profile and log entries within the app.
  • Deletion: You can delete individual log entries within the app. To delete your entire account and all associated data, email privacy@coachivy.app with the subject line "Delete My Account." We will process your request within 30 days.
  • Data export: You can request a copy of your nutrition log data by emailing privacy@coachivy.app. We will provide it in a machine-readable format (CSV or JSON) within 30 days.

8.2 California residents (CCPA / CPRA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act:

  • Right to know: You can request disclosure of the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you.
  • Right to opt-out of sale: We do not sell personal information. There is nothing to opt out of.
  • Right to non-discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your CCPA rights.
  • Right to limit use of sensitive personal information: We use sensitive personal information (health data) only to provide and improve the Service.

8.3 EEA, UK, and Switzerland residents (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, or Switzerland, you have rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or equivalent legislation:

  • Legal basis: We process your data on the basis of (a) contract performance — to provide the Service you signed up for; (b) legitimate interests — to improve the Service and ensure security; and (c) consent — for optional features like marketing emails.
  • Right to erasure ("right to be forgotten"): You may request that we erase your personal data. We will comply unless we have a legal obligation to retain it.
  • Right to restrict processing: You may request that we limit how we use your data in certain circumstances.
  • Right to data portability: You may request your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
  • Right to object: You may object to processing based on legitimate interests.
  • Right to lodge a complaint: You have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@coachivy.app. We will respond within 30 days (or 45 days where an extension is permitted by law).

9. Children's privacy

Coach Ivy is not directed to children under the age of 13 in the United States or under 16 in the European Economic Area. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children below these ages.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at privacy@coachivy.app and we will delete that information promptly.

Users between 13 and 17 years of age (or 16–17 in the EEA) may use the Service with parental or guardian consent. Calorie counting apps can carry risks for users with eating disorders — if a young user is at risk, please consult a healthcare professional before use.

10. International data transfers

Coach Ivy is operated from the United States. If you are located outside the United States, your information will be transferred to and processed in the United States, where data protection laws may differ from those in your country.

For users in the European Economic Area, UK, or Switzerland, we rely on the following transfer mechanisms:

  • Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission, incorporated into our agreements with service providers.
  • The EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework where applicable.

By using the Service, you acknowledge that your information will be processed in the United States under the terms of this Privacy Policy.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the law, our data practices, or the Service. We will notify you of material changes by:

  • Posting the updated policy at coachivy.app/privacy-policy.html with a new "Last updated" date.
  • Sending a notification within the app or by email for changes that significantly affect how we handle your data.

Your continued use of the Service after the effective date of an updated policy constitutes acceptance of the changes. If you disagree with a material change, you may delete your account before it takes effect.

12. Contact us

If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your data, please contact us:

We aim to respond to all privacy-related requests within 30 days.