Privacy Policy
Palate ("we", "us", or "our") is a specialty coffee journaling app. This Privacy Policy explains how we handle your information when you use the Palate iOS app.
Data stored locally on your device
By default, all your data stays on your device. This includes:
- Coffee entries you create (name, roaster, origin, tasting notes, ratings, and similar details)
- Photos you take or select from your library for coffee entries
- Your flavor preferences learned over time
- If you have signed in: the email address and sign-in method (Google or Apple) of the account you last used. This is kept on the device after you sign out so the app can show you which account your journal is saved to
This data never leaves your device unless you use the camera scan feature or opt in to cloud sync (both described below).
Camera & Photo Library access
Palate requests access to your camera and photo library solely to let you photograph coffee bags. When you use the scan feature:
- The photo is sent to Google Gemini (Google LLC), a third-party AI service, to automatically extract details like the coffee name, roaster, origin, and tasting notes
- The photo is transmitted over an encrypted connection (HTTPS) through our secure server-side proxy
- We do not store your photos on any server — they are only sent to Google for processing and the result is returned to your device
- Nothing else from your journal is sent with the photo
- Google's handling of this data is governed by Google's Privacy Policy
We ask first. Before your first scan, Palate shows you a notice naming Google Gemini and explaining what is sent, and the scan only happens if you tap "Agree & continue". If you decline, no photo is ever sent.
You can use Palate without ever using the camera scan feature — all fields can be filled in manually.
Account & cloud sync (optional)
Palate offers an optional account feature that lets you back up and sync your coffee journal across devices. If you choose to sign in:
- You can sign in with your Google or Apple account. We receive only the basic profile information (name, email address, and profile photo) provided by that service
- Your coffee entries are synced to Google Cloud Firestore (Google LLC), a secure cloud database associated with your account
- Data is transmitted over encrypted connections and is only accessible to your account
- Your coffee photos are not uploaded — they remain on the device that took them
- You can continue to use Palate as a guest without creating an account — guest data remains device-local only
- When you sign out, the local copy of your coffee entries is removed from the device and your entries remain safely in your account. Any recent changes that had not finished uploading are kept on the device until they do, so nothing is lost
- Each account has its own separate journal. Signing in with a different account shows that account's coffees, not the previous one's
Google's handling of cloud data is governed by Google's Privacy Policy.
Data we do not collect
- We do not collect location data
- We do not use advertising or tracking SDKs
- We do not sell your data
- We do not share your data with third parties beyond what is described above
Data retention & deletion
Local data is stored in the app on your device. You can delete individual entries at any time within the app. Uninstalling the app permanently deletes all locally stored data.
If you have an account, you can delete it directly in the app (Profile → Delete account). This immediately and permanently removes your coffee entries from our cloud database and deletes your account, including revoking Sign in with Apple authorization where applicable. It also clears Palate's local data on that device, including the record of your last sign-in. Deletion is permanent — creating a new account afterwards starts an empty journal and does not restore anything. You can also request deletion by contacting us at the email below.
Children's privacy
Palate is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.
Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Continued use of the app after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
Contact us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, you can reach us at:
Email: ping@yourpalateapp.com
Palate is an independent app. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by any coffee brand, roaster, or certification body.