What Tava does

Tava helps you turn grocery receipts into a kitchen inventory, review the items on-device, and generate recipe ideas from the ingredients you already have.

To do that, the app may send only the data needed for each AI request through our AWS backend. The backend is used as a secure relay to OpenAI. Personal kitchen data is then saved locally on the device in SQLite and AsyncStorage.

What data we collect

We collect the smallest amount of information needed to make the app work:

  • Receipt images when you photograph or import a receipt.
  • Parsed receipt details such as item names, store name, and purchase date.
  • Ingredient names from your on-device inventory when you ask for recipe ideas.
  • On-device data such as inventory items, saved recipes, dietary choices, preferences, profile info you enter, and scan usage counts.

If you choose not to enter profile details like a name or email, the app can still work without them. Camera and photo library access are requested only for receipt capture and are explained below.

How we use data

Receipt parsing

When you scan a receipt, the image is sent from your device to our AWS Lambda backend in eu-central-1, then forwarded to OpenAI to extract grocery items and classify them as ingredients, maybe-ingredients, or non-ingredients.

The parsed result comes back to the app so you can review and edit it before anything is saved.

Recipe generation

When you ask for recipe ideas, the app sends ingredient names from your local inventory to the AWS backend, which then forwards the request to OpenAI. The recipe suggestions are returned to your device and can be saved locally if you choose.

Local storage

We use local storage so the app can remember your kitchen over time. That includes your inventory, saved recipes, dietary preferences, profile info, and scan counts.

What we do not collect

Tava is intentionally designed to avoid collecting or selling personal data. We do not collect:

  • User accounts or login credentials.
  • Cloud-stored user data or server-side databases for your kitchen information.
  • Analytics, tracking pixels, or usage profiling.
  • Crash reporting or telemetry.
  • Advertising IDs, ad networks, or marketing trackers.
  • Location data, GPS data, or geofencing.
  • Contacts, microphone access, or health data.
  • Third-party data broker sharing, renting, or resale.

When data is shared

We do not share your personal kitchen data with third parties for advertising or unrelated business purposes. The only third-party processing used by the app is OpenAI, and it happens through our AWS backend for AI tasks only.

  • Receipt images: sent to AWS Lambda in eu-central-1, then forwarded to OpenAI for parsing.
  • Ingredient lists: sent to AWS Lambda, then forwarded to OpenAI for recipe generation.
  • Other user data: stays on-device and is not synced to cloud servers.

The receipt image is not stored server-side after processing. The backend is used as a temporary processing step, not as a storage system for your receipts or kitchen data.

Retention

All of your kitchen data stays on the device unless you choose to send a receipt image or ingredient list for AI processing. On-device data is stored locally in SQLite and AsyncStorage and is not synced to any cloud service.

Server-side processing is ephemeral. We keep receipt images only long enough to process the request, and then they are not stored server-side after processing.

Permissions

Tava asks for camera access so you can take photos of receipts, and photo library access so you can import receipt images. These permissions are used only for receipt capture and nothing else.

  • Camera: used to photograph receipts.
  • Photo library: used to import receipt photos.

Your choices and rights

You stay in control of the data kept on your device.

  • You can delete everything by deleting the app from your device.
  • You can also use the in-app reset option to clear local data.
  • You can avoid entering profile details if you do not want to save them.
  • You can stop using receipt scanning or recipe generation at any time.

Because we do not keep a cloud account for you, there is no server-side profile to log into or recover.

Children's privacy

Tava is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

If you believe a child has provided personal information through the app, please contact us and we will help address it.

Contact

Questions about this policy or Tava's privacy practices can be sent to development.colak@gmail.com.

Policy updates

We may update this privacy policy if the app changes or if the way we process data changes. If that happens, we will revise the date at the top of this page.

The current version of this policy is written to match Tava's present behavior: on-device storage for kitchen data, AWS-backed AI requests for receipt parsing and recipe generation, and no ads, analytics, crash reporting, or user accounts.