Privacy Policy
This policy explains what information the Pantry Tracker app ("Pantry", "the app") uses, why, and the choices you have. Pantry is published on Google Play by Hartmann Studios ("we", "us"). Questions: open an issue on GitHub.
The short version: the app works without an account. Your pantry, shopping list and settings are stored only on your phone. Barcode lookups send the barcode number to Open Food Facts. The free version shows Google AdMob ads; Pro removes them. Household sync (Pro, opt-in) is the only feature that shares your pantry items, and only with people who have your household code.
What stays on your phone
- Pantry items (name, quantity, unit, barcode, category, location, expiry date, notes), the shopping list, alert settings and preferences are saved in the app's private storage (a local database).
- Whether Pro is active is remembered on your phone.
- The widget reads the same local data.
Camera
The camera is used only while you scan a barcode or import a receipt. Barcodes and receipt text are recognized on your phone by Google ML Kit; images are not saved or uploaded.
Product lookup (Open Food Facts)
After a scan, the app requests the product name, brand and quantity for that barcode from Open Food Facts (world.openfoodfacts.org). Only the barcode number is sent, together with standard request information such as your IP address, under the Open Food Facts privacy policy. You confirm or change every suggested name; nothing is trusted automatically.
Household sync (optional, Pro)
If you start or join a household, your pantry items (the fields listed above, with a last-edited time and a short editor id) are stored in a shared household record under your 8-character household code and synced to every phone that has joined with that code. The code works like a shared password: share it only with your household. Leaving the household stops sync at once and keeps your local pantry. If sync is not available in your version, the pantry stays local.
Language packs (Google ML Kit)
When you choose a language, the app downloads a translation model for it from Google (a one-time download of roughly 30 MB per language, on Wi-Fi unless you allow mobile data). Translation then runs on your phone; the app's text is not sent to a server to be translated. Google may receive standard download information (such as your IP address) when the model is fetched, under the Google Privacy Policy.
Advertising (Google AdMob)
The free version shows ads from Google AdMob: a small banner on some list screens, an occasional full-screen ad at natural breaks, and optional rewarded ads you choose to watch. Ads are never shown while the camera is open. To show and measure ads, the Google Mobile Ads SDK may collect and share with Google your device's advertising ID and other device identifiers, your IP address (which can indicate approximate location), device model, operating system and app information, and ad interactions and diagnostics. Google uses this as described in How Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services and the Google Privacy Policy.
Your choices: where required (for example in the European Economic Area, the UK and Switzerland) the app shows Google's consent message before personalized ads; Settings → Privacy options opens it again. You can reset or delete your advertising ID or opt out of personalized ads in Android Settings → Privacy → Ads, and manage ad personalization at My Ad Center. A Pro subscription removes all ads.
Subscriptions (Google Play Billing)
Pantry Pro is an optional auto-renewing subscription (monthly or yearly) sold through Google Play Billing. Google processes your payment; we never receive your card number or billing details. Google provides the app with the purchase status (which plan, a purchase token, whether it is active) so the app can unlock Pro on your phone and restore it later. You manage or cancel the subscription in Google Play → Payments & subscriptions. Google's handling of payment information is covered by the Google Privacy Policy and the Google Payments Privacy Notice.
What we do not collect
- There is no account and we do not collect your name, email address, contacts, location or photos.
- The app contains no third-party analytics SDK, and we run no servers of our own that receive your data.
- We do not sell your personal information.
Support requests
Support is handled through GitHub Issues, which are public and hosted by GitHub under the GitHub privacy statement; please don't include personal or health information or purchase details in an issue. We use what you post only to answer it, and you can ask us to delete an issue you opened.
This website
Hosted on GitHub Pages. No cookies, no analytics, no ads. GitHub may log technical information such as your IP address when you visit.
Security
Your data stays in the app's private storage, which other apps cannot read. Communication with Google's ad, billing and model-download services is encrypted in transit (HTTPS/TLS). Please keep your phone protected with a screen lock.
Data retention and deletion
- Your data stays on your phone until you delete it: delete items or the whole pantry inside the app, or uninstall.
- In a household, deleting an item removes it from the shared pantry for everyone; leaving the household keeps your local copy and removes your phone from the household.
More detail is on our data deletion page.
Children
Pantry is a general-audience app and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided personal information through the app, open an issue on GitHub (without posting the information itself) and we will help.
Changes to this policy
If we change this policy, we will post the new version on this page with a new date.
Contact
Hartmann Studios. For any privacy question or request, open an issue on GitHub.