Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 24, 2026

CacheKeeper is a household inventory app built for Android. This policy explains what data the app collects, how it is used, and your rights. CacheKeeper has two modes: Solo (no account required) and HomeSync (optional premium feature that syncs your inventory across household devices). The data practices differ between the two.

1. Data stored on your device (all users)

All inventory data — item names, quantities, expiration dates, locations, photos, and nutritional information — is stored locally on your device using an encrypted SQLite database. In Solo mode, this data never leaves your device and is not transmitted to any server.

2. HomeSync — optional cloud sync

HomeSync is a premium feature that lets multiple devices in a household share the same inventory in real time. If you choose to use HomeSync:

• Account required. You must create an account using an email address and password, or sign in with Google. Your email address is stored by Google Firebase Authentication and is used solely to identify your account. We do not sell or share it.
• Inventory synced to the cloud. Item records (names, quantities, expiration dates, categories, notes, barcodes, and similar fields) are synced to Google Firestore, a cloud database operated by Google. Photos are not synced — they remain local to each device.
• Household membership. If you create or join a household, your account identifier and role (owner or member) are stored in Firestore to manage access. Other household members can see shared inventory but cannot see your email address.
• Google Firebase. CacheKeeper uses Google Firebase for authentication and cloud storage. Google's privacy policy is available at policies.google.com/privacy.
• Data in transit. All communication with Firebase uses HTTPS/TLS encryption.

HomeSync is entirely optional. If you never use it, no data leaves your device except for barcode lookups (see section 3) and Buy Online requests (see section 4).

3. Barcode lookups

When you scan a barcode, CacheKeeper attempts to retrieve product information (name, quantity, nutrition) from third-party databases. Only the barcode number is sent — no account information, device identifier, location, or other personal data is included. Successful lookups are cached on your device for 30 days so repeat scans do not require a network request.

The databases CacheKeeper may query are:

• Open Food Facts — a free, open-source food database queried directly from the app. Their privacy policy is at world.openfoodfacts.org/privacy.
• USDA FoodData Central — a public database operated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, used as a fallback when Open Food Facts does not have a result. To keep API credentials off your device, this lookup is routed through a CacheKeeper-operated proxy server hosted on Cloudflare's network. The proxy receives only the barcode, queries USDA FDC, and returns sanitized product data. No request metadata, IP address, or user information is logged or forwarded.

4. Buy Online and affiliate links

CacheKeeper includes a "Buy Online" feature to help you restock items. Here is how each retailer works and what data (if any) is involved:

• Amazon — price lookup. If an item has a barcode, CacheKeeper sends the barcode to a CacheKeeper-operated proxy server (hosted on Cloudflare) which queries Amazon's Product Advertising API to retrieve pricing and product information. Only the barcode is sent to the proxy — no account, location, or device data is transmitted. Price results are cached at the Cloudflare edge for 24 hours. If no match is found, or if price lookup is unavailable, CacheKeeper falls back to an Amazon search link.
• Amazon — affiliate disclosure. Amazon product links and search links generated by CacheKeeper include a CacheKeeper affiliate tag. If you click a link and make a qualifying purchase on Amazon, CacheKeeper may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. This commission helps support continued development of the app.
• Walmart and Target. Tapping Walmart or Target opens a pre-built product search URL in your device's default browser. CacheKeeper does not transmit any data to Walmart or Target.
• Your browser. All "Buy Online" links open in your device's default browser. CacheKeeper does not track what you search, view, click, or purchase. Any data collected after you leave the app is governed by the retailer's own privacy policy.

5. Camera, photo access, and metadata

CacheKeeper requests access to your camera and photo library solely to let you attach photos to inventory items and to scan barcodes. Before any photo is saved by the app, CacheKeeper re-encodes it as a clean JPEG, which removes embedded metadata including GPS coordinates and device information (EXIF data). Photos are stored in the app's private directory on your device and are never uploaded to any server.

6. Analytics and advertising

CacheKeeper uses Google Firebase Analytics to collect anonymous usage data to help us understand how the app is used and improve it over time. The events collected include actions such as adding an item, scanning a barcode, viewing the paywall, and completing a purchase. No inventory content (item names, quantities, photos, etc.) is included in these events. Firebase Analytics data is governed by Google's privacy policy.

CacheKeeper runs ads on Google Ads to help people discover this app. To measure whether those ads are working — for example, whether someone who saw a CacheKeeper ad went on to install or purchase the app — the app declares the Android Advertising ID (GAID) permission. This allows Google to link clicks on CacheKeeper's own ads to installs and purchases of this app. This data is used solely to measure our own advertising performance and is not shared with third parties. You can reset or opt out of ad personalization at any time in your Android device settings under Privacy → Ads.

CacheKeeper does not show ads to users and contains no third-party advertising SDKs.

If you use HomeSync, Google Firebase may also collect service-level operational data (such as authentication events and database request counts) as part of running its infrastructure. This is covered by Google's privacy policy linked in section 2.

7. Data deletion

You can delete all local app data at any time from the Settings screen using the "Reset all data" option. If you are signed in to HomeSync, this also signs you out and removes your data from the shared household on our servers. You may also sign out of HomeSync from the HomeSync screen at any time, which removes your account from the household. Uninstalling the app removes all locally stored data from your device.

8. Children's privacy

CacheKeeper is not directed at children under 13. The app does not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided personal information through HomeSync, please contact us at the address below and we will delete it promptly.

9. Changes to this policy

If this policy changes materially, the updated date at the top of this page will reflect that. Continued use of the app after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

10. Contact

Questions or concerns? Email us at CacheKeeper.app@gmail.com.