Grocera Privacy Policy
Effective date: November 2, 2026 Last updated: November 2, 2026
This policy explains what information Grocera collects, how we use it, who we share it with, and the choices you have. It covers the Grocera iPhone app (including the TestFlight beta) and the website at grocera.co.
Grocera is run by Adil Patil, an individual developer based in Dallas, Texas, USA ("Grocera," "we," "us"). Questions or requests: privacy@grocera.co.
The short version
- We use your information to run Grocera: scanning receipts, keeping your pantry and lists, suggesting recipes, sharing with your household, and answering your questions in Gro.
- We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use it for advertising. The app has no advertising, tracking, or analytics SDKs.
- Some features need outside service providers. Receipt photos go to a receipt-reading service, and Gro messages go to OpenAI. Each provider gets only what that feature needs.
- What you put in a household is visible to that household, according to the permissions its owner sets. Your personal list and personal receipts stay yours.
- You can delete your account in the app at any time.
1. Information we collect
Information you give us
| Information | Examples |
|---|---|
| Account details | Email address, name, password (handled by our sign-in provider; we never see or store your password) |
| Profile | Profile photo, if you add one |
| Food preferences | Diets, allergies, foods you dislike, favorite cuisines, serving size, cooking skill, maximum cook time |
| Receipts | Receipt photos or files, and what we read from them: store, date, items, prices, subtotal, tax, total, and the last four digits of the payment card if printed on the receipt |
| Pantry | Items, quantities, storage location, expiration estimates, notes, and whether items were used or thrown out |
| Shopping lists | Your personal list and any household list you use: item names, quantities, stores, notes |
| Household | Household name, members and their roles, permission settings, and email addresses you invite |
| Gro conversations | Messages you send to Gro and its replies |
| Saved recipes | Recipes you save, including nutrition details from the recipe source |
| Corrections | Product names, categories, and other fixes you make to scanned items |
| Feedback | Problem reports you send, including your email, a description, and the screen you were on |
Information collected automatically
| Information | Why |
|---|---|
| Time zone | To show dates in your local time and respect quiet hours for notifications |
| Notification settings and device push token | To send notifications you turn on |
| App and device details in problem reports | App version, device model, and iOS version, so we can fix bugs |
| Server logs | Basic request records (time, type of request, status) to keep the service working and secure. Logs may also include your email address and account ID when you sign in, and some details such as a receipt total, a store name, or a barcode. |
We do not collect your precise location, contacts, health data from Apple Health, advertising identifiers, or browsing history. We do not use App Tracking Transparency because we do not track you.
Camera and photos
Grocera asks for camera access to photograph receipts, scan barcodes, and take a profile photo. It asks for photo library access so you can upload a receipt image or choose a profile photo. Grocera only uses photos you choose or take.
2. How we use your information
- Run the app's features. We read receipts, add items to your pantry, estimate expiration dates, track spending, and keep your lists in sync.
- Recommend recipes based on what's in your pantry and your food preferences, including leaving out foods you're allergic to or dislike.
- Answer your questions in Gro (see section 4).
- Share with your household according to its permissions (see section 3).
- Send notifications you've turned on, such as household list updates. Notifications show general counts, never food or item names.
- Recognize products faster. When you scan a barcode or a store item number, we save the product's name and code in a shared product catalog so the next scan of that product is quicker. This catalog has no information about who scanned it.
- Improve Grocera. We look at problem reports and how features work in order to fix bugs and make the app better.
- Keep Grocera safe. We use it to prevent abuse, enforce usage limits, and meet legal obligations.
We do not use your information for advertising, and we do not sell it. If we ever want to use it for a purpose this policy doesn't describe, we'll update this policy and tell you first.
3. Households
If you create or join a household, the people in it can see what you add to shared spaces, depending on their role and the permissions the owner sets:
- Shared shopping list and shared pantry: visible to household members, and editable by those allowed to edit.
- Household receipts, spending, receipt photos, and food-waste history: visible to the owner by default. The owner can choose whether other roles can see them.
- Product names: if you rename an item in a shared pantry, other members may see your name for it.
These always stay private to you: your personal shopping list, personal receipts and spending, your Gro conversations, and your notification settings.
When you invite someone, we store their email address to send and track the invite.
4. Gro, our AI assistant
Gro uses OpenAI to write its replies. When you send a message to Gro, we send OpenAI:
- your message, and up to the last 10 messages of that conversation, so Gro understands context;
- the information Gro needs to answer, taken only from data you're allowed to see, such as pantry items and expiration dates, your diets, allergies, and dislikes, your shopping list, and spending totals.
We do not send OpenAI your name, email, account ID, receipt photos, or raw receipt text.
Gro asks your permission before you use it for the first time. If you decline, Gro stays off and nothing is sent to OpenAI. You can turn Gro off at any time in Settings → Gro. Under OpenAI's API data policy at the time of writing, OpenAI does not use API data to train its models and may keep it for up to 30 days to monitor for abuse. See openai.com/policies for its current terms.
Gro can make mistakes. When allergies or food safety are involved, always double-check product labels and ingredients yourself (see our Terms of Service).
5. Who we share information with
We share information only with service providers that help us run Grocera. They may use it only to provide their service to us.
| Provider | What they receive | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Supabase | Account details and the app data described above, including photos | Sign-in, database, and file storage |
| Render | All app data, as it passes through our servers | Hosting our servers |
| OpenAI | Gro messages and the related data in section 4 | Writing Gro's replies |
| Veryfi, Amazon Web Services (Textract), Tabscanner | Receipt images or files | Reading receipts. We send each receipt to one provider at a time, and try the next only if one fails. |
| Edamam, Spoonacular | Ingredient names, plus diet, allergy, and dislike filters. No name, email, or account ID. | Finding recipes |
| RedCircle, Open Food Facts | Barcodes or store item numbers only | Looking up product details |
| Apple Push Notification service | Your device's push token and notification text (general counts only) | Sending notifications |
| Discord or Slack (internal only) | Problem reports, including your email and account ID | Alerting us to bug reports |
| Google Fonts | Your device's IP address, when the app downloads fonts | Showing text in the app |
| Formspree | Name, email, and favorite store from the beta sign-up form on our website | Managing the beta waitlist |
| Vercel | Website visits (our website host and cookie-free analytics) | Hosting grocera.co and counting visits |
The app also loads recipe and product images from the sites that host them, and opens recipe publishers' websites when you choose "View full recipe." Those sites have their own privacy policies.
We may also disclose information if the law requires it, to protect the rights and safety of our users or others, or as part of a sale or transfer of Grocera. If Grocera is transferred, this policy will continue to apply to your information.
6. How long we keep information
| Information | How long |
|---|---|
| Account, pantry, lists, receipts, receipt photos, saved recipes, preferences | While your account is open, or until you delete them |
| Abandoned receipt drafts and their photos | Deleted within 30 days |
| Gro conversations | Deleted after 30 days without activity |
| Problem reports | Up to 2 years, then deleted |
| Server logs | Up to 30 days |
| Beta waitlist sign-ups | Until the beta ends or you ask to be removed |
| Shared product catalog | Kept, since it contains no personal information |
When you delete your account, we delete your account, your personal data, your photos, and your Gro conversations right away. Backup copies are removed within 30 days, and server logs within 30 days. Items you added to a household's shared list or pantry stay with that household so it keeps working, but they are no longer linked to your account. If you own a household, ownership passes to the first member you made an admin. If there's no admin, it passes to the member who joined first. If you're the only member, the household is deleted.
7. Your choices and rights
- Access and correct: you can see and edit most of your information in the app. Email us for a copy of anything else.
- Delete: delete your account in the app under Profile → Account → Delete Account, or email privacy@grocera.co. You can also delete pantry items, saved recipes, and your profile photo in the app. To delete a specific receipt or Gro conversation, email us.
- Notifications: turn them off in the app or in iOS Settings.
- Camera and photos: change access in iOS Settings at any time.
- Gro: you don't have to use it. Turn it off at any time in Settings → Gro.
Depending on your state, including Texas, California, Virginia, Colorado, and others, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, or get a copy of your personal information, and to opt out of its sale, targeted advertising, or profiling. We don't sell personal information, use targeted advertising, or do that kind of profiling. To make any request, email privacy@grocera.co. We'll answer within 45 days and won't treat you differently for asking. If we deny your request, you can appeal by replying to our answer.
8. Allergy and diet information
Your allergies and diet choices may be considered sensitive. We use them only to filter recipes and to help Gro answer your questions. We never sell or share them for any other reason, and you can remove them at any time in your preferences.
9. Security
We use encryption in transit (HTTPS), access controls, and household permissions checked on our servers. Passwords are handled by our sign-in provider and never stored by us. No system is perfectly secure, so please use a strong, unique password.
10. Children
Grocera is for people 13 and older. We don't knowingly collect information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has given us information, email privacy@grocera.co and we'll delete it.
11. Where your information is stored
Grocera is offered in the United States. Our servers and providers store and process information in the United States.
12. The website
grocera.co does not use advertising or tracking cookies. If you join the beta waitlist, Formspree receives your sign-up. We use cookie-free website analytics (Vercel Web Analytics) to count page visits and clicks. It doesn't identify you or track you across sites.
13. Changes to this policy
When we change this policy, we'll update the date at the top. For important changes, we'll let you know in the app or by email before they take effect.
14. Contact
Adil Patil, Grocera Dallas, Texas, USA privacy@grocera.co