Privacy Policy
Last updated: May 13, 2026
MealPace ("we", "our", or "the app") helps users track per-meal protein to support strength and independence as part of healthy aging. This Privacy Policy explains what data is processed, where it is stored, and the choices available to you.
The short version
Meal photos are never stored on Aura Bionics servers. Photos are processed only to estimate protein, then discarded.
Daily protein totals and meal logs stay on your device and in Apple systems you control (including optional iCloud backup).
Writing protein to Apple Health is optional and uses the dietary protein type only when you opt in.
Caregiver email updates require explicit opt-in from the parent profile plus a confirmation step from the caregiver.
1. Meal photos & protein estimation
When you scan a meal, the photo is securely sent to Anthropic's Claude API for food identification and portion estimation focused on protein.
According to Anthropic's API policies, submitted content is not used to train public AI models. Anthropic may temporarily retain API content for safety and abuse monitoring before deletion.
Meal photos are not kept on Aura Bionics-operated servers after processing completes.
2. Nutrition lookups
Food names and nutrition-related text may be sent to USDA Food Data Central, a public nutrition database operated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
We do not attach personal identifiers to those lookups.
3. On-device storage & iCloud
Meal logs, protein summaries, favorites, and related app data are stored locally on your device using Apple technologies such as SwiftData.
This information stays under your control. If you use iCloud device backup (an Apple system feature, not a MealPace product), your data may be included in those backups under Apple's terms.
You can erase locally stored app data from inside the app where available.
4. Apple Health
If you enable Apple Health integration, MealPace may write dietary protein totals from your logged meals to Apple Health.
HealthKit access is opt-in only for writes described above. Health data accessed through HealthKit is not used for advertising, marketing, or data broker activities.
You can revoke Health access anytime in:
iOS Settings → Privacy & Security → Health → MealPace
5. Caregiver digest email
Yearly Pro may include optional weekly summaries sent by email to an invited caregiver when enabled.
The parent profile must explicitly opt in before any caregiver email is used.
The caregiver must complete a double opt-in confirmation before receiving summaries.
6. Subscriptions & payments
Subscriptions are processed by Apple through the App Store and managed using RevenueCat.
We receive anonymous subscription status information, such as whether a subscription is active and which plan is associated with the device.
We do not receive your Apple ID, payment card information, or billing details.
7. Analytics & crash reports
MealPace may use Firebase Analytics and Firebase Crashlytics to understand app performance and stability.
Collected analytics are anonymized where possible and may include app launches, screen views, and crash diagnostics.
Crash logs do not include meal photos or meal analysis payloads.
8. Data we do not collect on our servers
Aura Bionics does not operate a cloud archive of your meal photos, meal logs, or HealthKit payloads.
Those categories remain on device or within Apple's systems according to your settings, except for transient processing described above.
9. Data we do not intentionally collect as marketing profiles
We do not intentionally collect:
- Name
- Email address (except caregiver flows you enable or when you email support)
- Phone number
- Precise location
- Advertising identifiers for third-party tracking pixels
- Browsing history from this marketing site (we do not load analytics trackers on mealpace-web)
- Contacts
- Biometric templates such as Face ID data
10. Third-party services
Limited processing may occur through the following providers:
- Anthropic (Claude API): meal photo analysis
- USDA Food Data Central: nutrition reference lookups
- Apple: App Store billing and optional HealthKit services
- RevenueCat: subscription status management
- Google Firebase: analytics and crash reporting inside the app
11. Your rights
You may delete app data from inside the app, revoke Apple Health permissions, or contact us regarding privacy-related requests.
Residents of certain regions may have additional privacy rights under applicable laws such as GDPR or CCPA/CPRA.
12. Children's privacy
MealPace is intended only for adults age 18 and older.
We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18.
13. Security
Data stored on-device benefits from Apple platform security protections.
Connections between the app and external services use encrypted HTTPS connections.
14. Changes to this policy
If this Privacy Policy changes materially, we will update the "Last updated" date and may provide additional notice inside the app.
15. Contact
Questions about privacy?
MealPace is a product of Aura Bionics.