Privacy Policy
Tastebuds is an app for rating movies and TV shows and finding people with similar taste. This policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have. Tastebuds is operated by the Tastebuds team.
Information we collect
Account details: your email address if you sign up with email, or the details Apple provides if you use Sign in with Apple (this can be a private relay address). We never see your Apple password. If you sign up with a password, it is stored in scrambled (hashed) form by our authentication provider and we cannot read it. You also choose a username and display name.
Profile: your bio, profile picture, backdrop, region, and your privacy and notification settings.
What you do in the app: your ratings, posts, likes, watchlist, top ten, Taste Flights and Taste Tests, friend requests and friendships, blocks, accolades you earn, and the notifications we send you.
Photos: only a photo you choose to use as your profile picture. The app asks for access to your photo library only when you pick one, and only the photo you select is uploaded.
Notifications: if you allow push notifications, a device token that lets us send them to your phone.
Feedback: what you send through 'Help & feedback', along with your app version and phone platform.
Technical information: our service providers keep standard server logs (such as IP address and device type). We also briefly record failed username sign-in attempts (the username and IP address) to prevent password guessing.
We do not use advertising or analytics tools, and we do not track you across other apps or websites.
How we use it
To run Tastebuds: create and secure your account, save your ratings, show your profile and activity to others according to your settings, work out how closely your taste matches other people's, and send the notifications you've turned on.
To keep the community safe: apply blocks, review reports and feedback, and prevent abuse of the service.
To improve the app, for example by reading the feedback you send us.
Who can see what
Other signed-in users can see your username, display name, profile picture and bio. Nothing is visible to people who are not signed in.
Your ratings, posts, top ten and flight history are visible according to your 'Profile visibility' setting (everyone or friends only). Your watchlist and accolades are visible to friends only, and only if you've left them switched on. Taste match scores are visible to the two people involved.
People you block can't see your content or send you requests. You can change these settings at any time in Settings.
Services we use
Supabase hosts our database, sign-in system and file storage.
Expo helps deliver push notifications and app updates, and Apple's and Google's push services deliver them to your phone.
Sign in with Apple, and Google sign-in where it is offered, let you create an account or sign in with your existing account.
The Movie Database (TMDB) provides movie and TV information. When you search or browse, your search text and your region setting are sent through our servers to TMDB. They are not linked to your name or account.
These providers handle information only to provide their service to us. We do not sell your personal information.
Keeping and deleting your information
We keep your information while your account exists. You can delete your account at any time in Settings with 'Delete account'. This permanently removes your account, profile, ratings, posts, watchlist, friends and the rest of your data. Copies may remain in our providers' backups for a limited time before they are overwritten.
Failed sign-in attempt records are short-lived and are cleared automatically.
Your choices and rights
You can edit your profile, control who sees your activity, turn notifications on or off, block people, and delete your account, all in the app.
Depending on where you live (for example California or the European Union), you may also have the right to ask what information we hold about you, to correct it, or to have it deleted. Use 'Help & feedback' in Settings, or email support@usetastebuds.app.
Children
Tastebuds is not for children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect information from them. If you believe a child under 13 has an account, please contact us and we will remove it.
Security
We use reasonable measures to protect your information, including encrypted connections and access rules in our database. No service can be completely secure, so we can't guarantee absolute security.
Where your information is processed
Our providers may process and store information in the United States and other countries.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as the app changes. We will change the date at the top, and tell you in the app if the changes are significant.
Contact
Questions or requests about your information: Use 'Help & feedback' in Settings, or email support@usetastebuds.app.