Privacy Policy for Hey Sous

Overview

Hey Sous ("the app", "we", "us") is developed and published by Ventiv ("Ventiv", "we", "us", "our"), based in Australia. Hey Sous is an offline-first recipe and pantry management app for iOS and Android, with optional AI-assisted features.

Hey Sous is built so that your recipes, pantry, settings, and chat history stay on your device by default. This policy describes the limited situations where information leaves your device, and what happens to it when it does.

This policy covers the Hey Sous mobile app (package identifiers com.heysous.app on iOS and Android). It does not cover other Ventiv products or websites, which may have their own privacy notices.

Information we collect

Most of what you put into Hey Sous — recipes, pantry items, preferences, and AI Chef conversations — is stored locally on your device in an on-device database and is not sent to us. The table below summarises where information goes when a feature does need to leave your device.

Data you create, stored on your device

Recipe titles, ingredients, steps, notes, tags and images; pantry item names, quantities, locations and images; app preferences (theme, font, dietary profile); and your AI Chef conversation history are all stored in a local database on your device. We do not have access to this data, and none of it is included in optional analytics.

AI Chef

When you use the AI Chef feature, the app sends your recent chat messages and a bounded set of relevant context (such as your dietary profile, measurement preference, pantry and saved-recipe summaries, and the current dish you're discussing) to our backend service, which forwards it to our AI service provider to generate a response. A randomly generated device identifier is sent with each request to apply usage limits — this identifier is not linked to your name, email, or any account, and can be reset at any time from Privacy & Data settings. Recipe, pantry, chat, and culinary content are never included in analytics or advertising data.

Recipe import from a URL

When you paste a recipe link, the app fetches that web page directly from your device — it does not pass through our servers. If you ask the app to AI-repair a partial or failed import, the parsed recipe text is sent to our backend and AI provider for that one request only.

Pantry photo scanning

If you choose to add pantry items by photo, a compressed copy of the photo is sent to our backend and AI provider to identify likely items. You review and confirm the results before anything is saved — nothing is written to your pantry automatically, and the photo is not stored on our servers afterwards.

Reporting an import issue

If a recipe import fails and you choose to use "Report this site," the app opens your own email app with a pre-filled message to our support address. This is a message you choose to send, not automatic analytics — we only receive what your email contains.

Advertising

Free-tier users may see banner ads served through Google AdMob. Hey Sous requests non-personalised ads only — we do not use App Tracking Transparency or personalised advertising in the app.

In-app purchases

Subscriptions are handled by the Apple App Store or Google Play. We receive subscription status and transaction identifiers needed to unlock premium features; we do not receive or store your payment card details, which are handled entirely by Apple or Google.

Optional analytics

Analytics is off by default. If you turn it on in Privacy & Data settings, the app may send limited, typed technical events (for example, whether a screen loaded successfully) — never recipe, pantry, chat, or image content, and never precise location or advertising identifiers.

How we use information

We use the information described above only to:

• Provide the features you use, such as generating AI Chef responses, repairing recipe imports, and scanning pantry photos;
• Apply reasonable usage limits to AI features, using the random device identifier described above;
• Operate subscriptions and premium entitlements through Apple and Google;
• Serve non-personalised advertising to free-tier users;
• Understand app performance and reliability, if and only if you have opted in to optional analytics;
• Respond to support requests you send us directly, including recipe-site import reports.

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use recipe, pantry, chat, or image content for advertising.

Storage, retention & security

Recipes, pantry items, settings, and AI Chef conversations are stored in a local database on your device. Deleting the app, or using the in-app reset and export tools, removes this data from your device. If you export a backup file, that file is created and stored wherever you choose to save it — we do not receive a copy.

Where information is sent to our backend for AI features (AI Chef, recipe repair, or pantry photo analysis), we keep only what is reasonably necessary to operate and secure those features, such as basic request logs used for reliability and abuse prevention. We do not use these logs to build a profile of you, and content such as chat messages, recipe text, and photos is not retained for purposes beyond fulfilling that request.

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect information in transit to our backend and AI provider. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Sharing with third parties

We share limited information with the following categories of third parties, only as needed to provide the app's features:

• AI service providers — to generate AI Chef responses, repair recipe imports, and analyse pantry photos you choose to submit.
• Apple and Google — to process app store subscriptions and, on Android, in-app purchases and app distribution.
• Google AdMob — to serve non-personalised banner advertising to free-tier users.
• Third-party recipe websites — when you import a recipe by URL, your device contacts that website directly to retrieve the page; that website's own privacy practices apply to that request.

We do not share your data with third parties for their own marketing purposes, and we do not sell personal information.

Your choices & controls

From Settings > Privacy & Data in the app, you can:

• Turn optional analytics on or off (off by default);
• Reset the random device identifier used for AI usage limits;
• Export or import a backup of your recipes, pantry, and settings;
• Use "Report this site" from a failed recipe import to send us feedback by email, on your own initiative.

You can stop all data collection related to Hey Sous at any time by deleting the app from your device, which removes the local database and any locally cached images.

Your privacy rights

Depending on where you live, you may have specific legal rights over your information. We aim to honour these rights regardless of your location where practicable.

Australia

We handle personal information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). You may ask us what information we hold about you (limited, given most data stays on your device) and request that we correct or delete it.

European Economic Area & UK (GDPR)

If you are located in the EEA or UK, you have rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and UK GDPR, including the right to access, correct, delete, or restrict processing of your personal data, the right to data portability, and the right to object to processing. Where we rely on your consent (for example, optional analytics), you can withdraw it at any time via in-app settings. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

California (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a California resident, you have the right to know what personal information we collect, to request deletion of that information, to correct inaccurate information, and to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information. We do not sell or share personal information as defined by the CCPA/CPRA. You will not receive discriminatory treatment for exercising these rights.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details in the "Contact us" section below. Because most Hey Sous data lives on your device rather than on our servers, many requests (such as access or deletion of recipes, pantry data, or chat history) are fastest to complete yourself using the in-app export tools or by deleting the app; we're glad to help with anything held on our servers, such as AI request logs.

Children's privacy

Hey Sous is not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. Advertising shown in the app is requested at a general audience content rating and is non-personalised. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can address it.

International data transfers

Ventiv is based in Australia. When you use AI features, your information may be processed by our backend service and AI provider in other countries. Where this happens, we take reasonable steps to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place consistent with applicable privacy laws.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time as Hey Sous evolves. If we make material changes, we'll update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

Contact us

If you have questions about this policy, or want to exercise a privacy right described above, contact us at: