Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how ShelfLife (“ShelfLife,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, shares, and protects information when you use the ShelfLife mobile application (the “App”) and related services (together, the “Service”).

By using the Service, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Account information

When you create an account (by email/password or Google Sign-In), we collect your email address, display name, and profile photo (if provided by your chosen sign-in method). This is handled by Firebase Authentication (a Google service).

1.2 Product and inventory data

To provide the App's core function, we store the information you enter about the items you track, including:

• Product name, category, brand, quantity, and unit
• Purchase, opened, and expiry dates
• Price and currency (if you choose to enter it)
• Photos you attach to a product
• Barcode values you scan

1.3 Household data

If you create or join a shared household, the household's name and its member list are stored, and the product data above becomes visible to the other members of that household. Only join or create a household with people you intend to share this information with.

1.4 Notification and app preferences

We store your notification settings (push/email on or off, quiet hours), your selected base currency, and language preference, so the App behaves the way you've configured it.

1.5 Device, diagnostic, and usage data

We use Firebase Analytics and Firebase Crashlytics (both Google services) to understand feature usage and diagnose crashes. This includes device model, OS version, app version, coarse usage events, and crash logs. We do not collect advertising identifiers (IDFA) through this SDK, and this data is not used for advertising.

If push notifications are enabled, your device's push token is registered so we can deliver account-wide service announcements.

1.6 Camera and photo library

The App requests camera access to scan barcodes and photograph products, and photo library access so you can attach an existing photo to a product. These permissions are used only when you actively choose to scan or add a photo, and images are uploaded only if you attach them to a product.

1.7 Barcode lookups (third party)

When you scan a barcode, the App sends the barcode number only (no account or personal information) to Open Food Facts, a free, public, crowdsourced product database, to try to auto-fill the product's name, brand, and image. Open Food Facts is operated independently of ShelfLife; see their own privacy policy for how they handle that request.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information above to:

• Operate the App's core functionality — tracking your items and their expiry dates
• Send expiry reminder emails when you enable email notifications, and trigger on-device reminders and alarms when you enable push notifications (see Section 3)
• Enable household sharing features you opt into
• Maintain, secure, and improve the Service, including diagnosing crashes and understanding feature usage
• Communicate service-related announcements
• Respond to support requests

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use your product or household data for advertising.

3. Local, On-Device Notifications

Most of ShelfLife's expiry reminders — including the tiered reminder and alarm notifications — are calculated and triggered entirely on your device. They do not require sending your product data to our servers each time. The only thing synced back is a timestamp recording when a reminder was last shown, so your reminder schedule stays consistent if you use the App on more than one device.

Separately, our server periodically checks for items nearing expiry and sends an email reminder if you have email notifications enabled (see Section 1.5 for the email delivery mechanism).

4. How We Share Information

We do not sell your personal information. We share information only as follows:

• Service providers: We use Firebase (Google) for authentication, database (Firestore), file storage, analytics, crash reporting, and push notification delivery. We use a third-party email delivery provider (via SMTP) to send expiry reminder emails. These providers process data on our behalf under their own security and confidentiality obligations.
• Open Food Facts: As described in Section 1.7, only the scanned barcode number is shared, for product lookup purposes.
• Household members: Data for products in a shared household is visible to other members of that household, as described in Section 1.3.
• Legal requirements: We may disclose information if required by law or to protect the rights, safety, or property of ShelfLife, our users, or others.
• Business transfers: If ShelfLife is involved in a merger, acquisition, or asset sale, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction; we will notify you before it becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

5. Data Retention

We retain your account and product data for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account (Section 6), your account and associated data are deleted from our systems, other than information we are required to retain for legal, security, or fraud-prevention purposes.

6. Your Rights and Choices

• Export your data: The App lets you export your categories and products as a JSON or CSV file, and restore from a previous JSON export, directly from the Profile section.
• Delete your account: You can permanently delete your account and its data from Profile → Account & Privacy → Delete Account, or from our account deletion page. This requires re-authentication and is irreversible.
• Notification controls: You can turn push and/or email notifications on or off, and configure quiet hours, from within the App.
• Device permissions: You can revoke camera or photo library access at any time through your device's OS settings; this will only disable the features that depend on them.

If you are in a jurisdiction that grants you additional rights over your personal data (for example, the EU/UK GDPR or the California CCPA/CPRA), you may also have the right to request access to, correction of, or a copy of your data, or to object to certain processing. Contact us using the details in Section 11 to exercise these rights.

7. Children's Privacy

The Service is not directed to children under 13 (or the minimum age required by your jurisdiction), and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can delete it.

8. Security

We rely on Firebase's security infrastructure, including encryption of data in transit, and Firestore security rules that restrict each user's data to their own account (or, for household data, to that household's members). No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. International Data Transfers

Our service providers (Firebase/Google Cloud) may process and store data in the United States or other countries in which they operate. By using the Service, you consent to this transfer, storage, and processing.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will update the “Effective date” above when we do, and, for material changes, provide additional notice within the App.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or your data, contact us at:

moforemmanuel722@gmail.com