Privacy Policy

Quick Summary

The table below is a plain-language overview. The full detail follows in the sections beneath it — the summary does not replace the full policy.

What we collect	Why	Shared with	How long we keep it
Google account (email, name, photo URL), username, nationality/residence	Create and run your account; tailor pricing region and language	Google (Firebase)	Until you delete your account
Game activity (recipes cooked, XP, streaks, badges, ratings)	Run the gamification engine and Leaderboard	Google (Firebase)	Until deletion; ratings kept anonymized after
Device identifier (e.g. Android ID)	Prevent referral fraud and multi-account abuse only — never advertising	Stored by us on Google (Firebase)	Until deletion
AI chat messages	Provide the AI cooking assistant	Google (Gemini API)	Auto-deleted after 7 days
Dish verification photos	Automated cooking review	Google (Gemini API)	Not stored — processed in transit
Appeal photos (if you appeal)	Human review of a rejected dish	Stored by us on Google (Firebase)	Deleted once the appeal is resolved
Grocery handoff analytics	Improve the grocery feature	Stored by us on Google (Firebase)	Kept anonymized/aggregated
Payment records	Process subscriptions and optional donations	Google Play / RevenueCat; Razorpay (India donations)	Financial records retained up to 10 years by law, then de-linked
Crash logs & support messages	Fix bugs; respond to you	Google (Crashlytics)	Crash logs ~90 days; support until resolved

1. Who We Are (Data Controller / Data Fiduciary)

Leato is a gamified cooking companion operated from India. For the purposes of the EU/UK GDPR, Leato is the "data controller"; for the purposes of India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 ("DPDP Act"), Leato is the "Data Fiduciary" that decides how and why your personal data is processed.

• Privacy & Grievance contact: theleatostudio@gmail.com
• Support: support@leato.in
• Website: leato.in

If you are in India, you may contact the same address to reach our Grievance Officer for any concern about how your data is handled.

2. Age Requirements & the Play Store Rating

Minimum age to use Leato: Leato is intended for users aged 13 and older. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If we learn we have collected data from a child under 13 without appropriate parental consent, we will delete it promptly.

Users under 18 in India: Under the DPDP Act, anyone under 18 is treated as a child. If you are under 18, you should use Leato only with the consent and involvement of a parent or legal guardian, and we do not use children's data for tracking or targeted advertising.

Note on the Google Play age rating: The age rating shown on your Play Store (for example "3+", "7+", or "13+") is a content-suitability label assigned per country by rating boards. It describes whether the App's content is appropriate for that age. It is not the same as the minimum age required to create an account and have your data processed, which remains 13+ (with parental involvement below 18 as described above).

3. Data We Collect & Why

Account & Identity Information

• Google Sign-In: To log in you use your Google account. We receive your Google email address, display name, and profile picture URL.
• Username: You choose a username at sign-up. This is publicly visible to other users.
• Profile Settings: We collect your chosen nationality and country of residence to tailor pricing region and notification language.

Device & App Activity Data

• Device Identifier: We generate or collect a device ID (such as an Android ID) purely to prevent referral fraud and detect abusive multi-account behaviour. It is never used for advertising tracking.
• Game Activity: We track recipes cooked, XP earned, your current streak, badges unlocked, and recipe ratings. This powers the gamification engine and the Leaderboard.
• Leaderboard Information: Your username, chosen avatar icon, XP, and PRO status (if applicable) are visible to all Leato users on the Leaderboard.

AI Cooking Assistant

• Your messages and cooking queries are sent to Google Gemini to provide interactive cooking advice.
• Conversation history is stored temporarily and automatically deleted after 7 days.
• Please do not enter passwords, payment details, government IDs, or other sensitive personal information into the AI chat.

Dish Verification (Camera & Photos) — Automated Decision-Making

• When you use "Verify Dish", you capture a photo with your device camera. It is sent over a secure connection to Google Gemini for an automated cooking review that decides whether the dish is accepted.
• Leato does not permanently store these photos. They are processed in transit and discarded.
• Your safeguard (human review): because acceptance/rejection is automated, if your photo is rejected you may submit a manual appeal. The photo is then temporarily uploaded to our secure servers for review by a Leato team member and deleted immediately after the appeal is resolved. This gives you a human check on any automated decision.

Grocery Feature Analytics

• If you use the grocery basket handoff feature, we record basic usage statistics (such as which delivery provider you tapped).
• This data is linked to a secure, anonymized hash — not your email or username — and is kept only to improve the App.

Payments & Subscriptions

• Premium Subscriptions: Premium subscriptions are managed securely via Google Play Billing (through RevenueCat). We share your Firebase account ID with RevenueCat to sync your premium status.
• Optional Donations: If you use the "Buy me a coffee" feature, payment is processed securely via Razorpay (for users in India) or Google Play Billing / RevenueCat (for all other users). For Razorpay transactions we record order and payment IDs for verification and auditing. We do not store your card or bank details.

Crash Reports & Support

• Crashlytics: We collect automated crash stack traces (excluding personal data) via Firebase to fix bugs and improve stability.
• Support: If you contact us or send in-app feedback, we store your message, name, and email address to assist you.

4. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR & DPDP)

If you are in the EU/UK, we rely on the following legal bases under the GDPR. If you are in India, we process data on the basis of your consent and the legitimate uses permitted by the DPDP Act.

• Performance of a contract: creating your account, running the App, delivering premium features you purchased.
• Consent: optional notifications, use of the camera for dish verification, and (where required) AI chat. You can withdraw consent at any time.
• Legitimate interests: preventing fraud and multi-account abuse, securing our systems, and improving the App. We balance these against your rights.
• Legal obligation: retaining financial transaction records for the period required by applicable law.

5. How We Use Your Data

• To operate, maintain, and personalize the App.
• To verify cooking completions and award XP.
• To operate the competitive Leaderboard (which may include simulated competitor entries alongside real users to ensure a consistent experience).
• To process payments securely.
• To send local cooking reminders (only if you opt in on your device).
• To detect and prevent fraud, multi-account abuse, and unauthorized access.

6. Who We Share Your Data With

We only share data with trusted service providers required to operate Leato. We do not sell your personal data. Each provider has its own privacy policy, linked below.

• Google LLC (Firebase Auth, Cloud Firestore, Firebase Storage, Crashlytics): database hosting, authentication, secure photo storage during appeals, and crash reporting. Google Privacy Policy.
• Google LLC (Gemini API): AI chat and automated dish photo verification (in-transit processing only). Google Privacy Policy.
• RevenueCat: subscription management and verification. RevenueCat Privacy Policy.
• Razorpay: secure processing of optional donations in India. Razorpay Privacy Policy.

Note on Grocery Delivery Apps (Blinkit, Zepto, Swiggy, etc.): Leato redirects you to these apps using deep links but does not share your Leato personal data with them via API. Their own policies govern what happens after you leave Leato.

7. Data Retention

We keep personal data only as long as needed for the purpose it was collected, then delete or anonymize it.

Data	Retention period
Account, profile, game activity	Until you delete your account
AI chat history	Automatically deleted after 7 days
Dish verification photos	Not stored (processed in transit)
Appeal photos	Deleted immediately after the appeal is resolved
Grocery analytics & recipe ratings	Retained in anonymized/aggregated form
Donation transaction records (India)	Up to 10 years (financial law), then de-linked from your identity
Crash logs	Approximately 90 days (Crashlytics default)
Account-deletion audit record	Minimal record kept to prove legal compliance

8. Your Rights

Depending on where you live, you have some or all of the following rights over your personal data:

• Access — request a copy of the data we hold about you.
• Correction — ask us to fix inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Deletion — ask us to erase your data (see Section 9).
• Portability — receive your data in a portable format (GDPR).
• Objection / restriction — object to or limit certain processing (GDPR).
• Withdraw consent — at any time, where processing is based on consent (GDPR & DPDP).
• Nominate — nominate another person to exercise your rights in the event of death or incapacity (DPDP).
• Grievance redressal — raise a complaint with us and, if unsatisfied, with your data protection authority (e.g. the Data Protection Board of India, or your EU supervisory authority).

To exercise any right, email theleatostudio@gmail.com. We will respond within 30 days (or sooner where the law requires). We will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights.

California Residents (CCPA / CPRA)

If you are a California resident: we collect the categories described in Section 3 (identifiers, account and activity data, and payment-related identifiers). We use them for the business purposes in Section 5. We do not sell your personal information and we do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising. You have the right to know, delete, and correct your information, and the right not to be discriminated against for exercising these rights. Submit requests to theleatostudio@gmail.com.

9. Account Deletion

You can request full deletion of your account and personal data at any time:

1. In-App: Go to Profile → Settings → Delete Account.
2. By Email: Email theleatostudio@gmail.com with the subject "Account Deletion Request" from the email address linked to your Google account.

What happens when you delete your account

• Your profile, authentication data, support tickets, AI chats, and verification appeals are permanently erased.
• Donation payment records (India): Per Razorpay's terms and applicable financial law, we must retain donation transaction proofs (Order ID, Payment ID, amount, timestamp) for up to 10 years. On deletion, the personal identifier (UID) linking these records to you is removed, so the financial data becomes anonymized.
• Analytics: Grocery usage statistics and recipe ratings are retained in an aggregated, fully anonymized format that cannot be traced back to you.
• Audit trail: We keep a secure, minimal record of your deletion request to prove legal compliance.

10. Security & Data Breaches

• All data is encrypted in transit using HTTPS.
• We use Firebase App Check to help prevent bot/scripted access to our servers.
• High-risk fields (such as XP and Premium status) are locked and can only be modified by our secure backend, never directly by the client app.
• No system is perfectly secure, so please also keep your Google account and device secure.
• Breach notification: if a data breach affects your personal data, we will notify you and the relevant authorities without undue delay, as required by the GDPR, the DPDP Act, and other applicable laws.

11. International Data Transfers

Your information is processed primarily on Google Cloud servers. The Google Gemini API and RevenueCat are operated in the United States; Razorpay operates in India. Where data is transferred across borders, we rely on appropriate safeguards (such as the providers' standard contractual clauses). By using Leato, you understand your data may be processed in these locations.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will post the new version on this page and update the "Effective date" above, and for significant changes we may also notify you via an in-app alert.

13. Contact Us

• Privacy & Grievance: theleatostudio@gmail.com
• Support: support@leato.in
• Website: leato.in