Privacy Policy – NomScan

1. Local-First Data Storage

When you use NomScan, your recorded pet food items (wet food, dry food, pouches, treats, etc.), stock levels, acceptance ratings (Yum-Score), shopping list, pet food store chain names assigned to products, optional country selection (used locally on your device to pre-populate common pet food store names for your region and never transmitted to our sync server), and app settings are stored locally in a private database (Room/SQLite) or local preferences on your Android device. We do not profile users or share data with advertising networks.

2. Camera Permission (`android.permission.CAMERA`)

NomScan uses the camera permission exclusively for local real-time barcode and QR code recognition directly on your device via Google ML Kit:

• Scanning EAN/UPC barcodes on pet food packaging
• Scanning a 6-digit household invitation QR code to join a shared household

Important: The app does not take, store, or upload any photos or videos.

3. Optional Online Features (TLS/HTTPS Encrypted)

Network communication only occurs when you actively use one of the following features:

• Open Pet Food Facts Lookup & Community Contribution:
  • When online lookup is enabled, scanning a barcode queries product metadata (brand, variety/name, nutrition datasheet, and existing product image URL if available on Open Pet Food Facts) from the open database world.openpetfoodfacts.org.
  • If you enable "Share manually entered data" in Settings, newly entered or corrected pet food master data (barcode, brand, variety, optional datasheet attributes such as food type or intolerances, and—if a country is selected in Settings—the sales country tag so Open Pet Food Facts can assign the product to that country) is transmitted anonymously to Open Pet Food Facts to support the community database.
• Household Sync (Optional Cloud Sync via nomscan.pr0x.at):

  If you voluntarily create a shared household or join one via an invite code / QR code, central data storage on our sync server (nomscan.pr0x.at) serves exclusively to synchronize data among the participating household members. The following data is processed:

  • A freely chosen nickname (pseudonym; no real name or email address required)
  • A randomly generated app installation UUID (device_id), a cryptographic member token (stored as a SHA-256 hash), active pet mode (pet_mode: Cat / Dog / Both – CAT, DOG, BOTH), and app version for technical sync association
  • Shared pet food items (barcode, brand, variety), current stock quantities, planned shopping list quantities, restock alert thresholds, and pet food store chains assigned to the pet food (no geographic locations or GPS coordinates are stored—only store/chain names such as Pets at Home or Jollyes)
  • Feeding ratings (Yum / Okay / Yuck), pending bowl ratings, and household activity notifications (such as feeding, rating, or updating/completing the shopping list). Within a shared household, members can react to each other's actions solely with a Heart emoji (<3)—no free-text messages or chats are transmitted.
• In-App Feedback:

  Via the in-app feedback form, you can voluntarily submit a free-text message and optionally (via an opt-in checkbox) include additional technical device data:

  • Device manufacturer, model, and device codename (manufacturer, model, device)
  • Android version and SDK integer level (android_version, sdk_int)
  • Installed NomScan app version and version code (app_version, version_code)
  • Screen resolution and pixel density (screen_resolution, densityDpi)
  • Active pet mode (pet_mode: Cat / Dog / Both – CAT, DOG, BOTH), selected app language (language), and whether Household Sync is active (household_active: true/false, without transmitting the household ID)

  Purpose & Retention: Submitted feedback is used exclusively for bug diagnosis and the further development and improvement of the app, and is deleted after registration/processing of the feedback—at the latest automatically after 90 days.

4. Data Retention, Automatic Deletion & Revocation (Data Deletion)

You remain in full control of your data at all times:

• Delete Local Data & Reset App:
  • You can reset your local feeding history via "Reset All Feeding Ratings" in Settings.
  • Using "Reset App" in Settings deletes all local data (products, stock, feeding logs, shopping list, stores) and resets all app settings (including tutorial hints and the welcome wizard) to fresh-installation defaults. If the app is linked to a shared household when triggered, confirming the security prompt automatically leaves the household first (or dissolves it on the server if fewer than 2 members would remain).
  • Clearing app storage or uninstalling the app also immediately removes all local data from your device.
• Leave or Dissolve a Shared Household:
  • You can leave a synced household at any time in Settings → Shared Household → "Leave Household".
  • When the last member leaves the household, or when a leave leaves fewer than 2 remaining members, the household is dissolved and all associated household, inventory, shopping list, and feeding data is immediately and permanently deleted from the sync server (nomscan.pr0x.at).
• Automatic Cleanup of Pending Households (7 Days) & Inactivity (90 Days):
  • Unconfirmed ("Pending") Households (7 Days): If a newly created household is not joined by a second person within 7 days, the pending household is automatically dissolved and deleted from the sync server.
  • Inactive Members & Households (90 Days): Household members (devices) that have been continuously inactive (no app launch or sync) for 90 days are automatically removed from the household. If fewer than 2 active members remain in a household as a result, the household and all its server data are automatically and completely deleted from the sync server (while local data on the remaining active member's smartphone stays intact).
• Manual Deletion Requests & Privacy Contact: If you have already uninstalled the app and wish to request manual deletion of synced household data or submitted feedback, you can contact us at any time via email at nomscan@pr0x.at or datenschutz@pr0x.at.