Simmer Down Privacy Policy

Last updated: May 12, 2026

Overview

Simmer Down is a recipe-management and shopping-list app developed for LH Vantage. This privacy policy describes how the app handles your information. Simmer Down is designed to collect as little personal information as possible.

Data We Collect

Simmer Down does not collect any personally identifying information. We don't ask for your name, email address, phone number, postal address, or location.

The following data is collected only to provide the app's core features:

• Anonymous account identifier — When you create or join a family, the app signs in to Firebase Authentication using anonymous authentication. A random identifier (UID) is generated by Firebase and stored locally in your device's Keychain. This UID is not tied to your name, email, or any other identifiable information.
• Device nickname — A short label you choose when joining a family (e.g., "Kitchen iPad", "Ray's iPhone") so other family members can tell devices apart. You may change or delete it at any time from Settings.
• Recipes and shopping items — The content you enter or import: recipe titles, web URLs, ingredients, cooking steps, shopping list items, completion status, sort order, and favorite flag.
• Family membership — A list of which devices belong to your family group, identified by their anonymous UIDs and chosen nicknames.
• Family code — A short 6-character invitation code used so family members can join your group. The code itself is stored on your device and in Firebase, but is not tied to any personal information.

Where Your Data Lives

Simmer Down stores data in two places:

• On your device — All recipes and shopping items are saved to a local database (Apple's SwiftData). Your family code and preferences are saved in standard iOS app preferences.
• In Google Firebase — When you are a member of a family group, your recipes and shopping items are synchronized with Google Firebase (Firestore) so they appear on every device in your family. Data is encrypted in transit (HTTPS) and at rest, and is governed by Firebase's privacy and security practices.

Your data is shared only with members of the family group you create or join. There is no public sharing, no social features, and no way for someone outside your family to read your data.

Third-Party Services

The app uses the following services to provide its core features. Each is governed by its own privacy policy:

• Firebase Authentication (Google) — Provides anonymous accounts so devices in a family can sync data securely. No personal information is required.
• Firebase Firestore (Google) — Stores and synchronizes your recipes and shopping items across family devices.
• Firebase App Check (Google) — Verifies that requests originate from a legitimate copy of Simmer Down to prevent abuse. Uses Apple's App Attest framework, which generates anonymous attestation tokens — no personal data is involved.
• Recipe websites you provide — When you ask Simmer Down to import a recipe from a URL, the app fetches that page directly from the website. Only the URL itself is sent; no information about you accompanies the request. Simmer Down does not pre-fetch or scrape any sites you don't explicitly request.

Google's privacy practices are described at firebase.google.com/support/privacy.

What We DON'T Do

• Simmer Down does not collect your name, email, phone number, postal address, or any contact information.
• Simmer Down does not access your photos, camera, microphone, contacts, calendar, or location.
• Simmer Down does not use any analytics, crash reporting, or advertising SDKs.
• Simmer Down does not sell, rent, or share your data with advertisers or any third party other than the Firebase services described above.
• Simmer Down does not show ads.
• Simmer Down does not track you across other apps or websites.

Permissions

The app may request the following permissions:

• Network Access — To synchronize data with Firebase and to fetch recipes from URLs you provide.
• Keychain Access — To securely store your anonymous Firebase authentication token, scoped to Simmer Down only.

Simmer Down does not request access to your camera, microphone, photos, contacts, calendar, or location. You may revoke any granted permission at any time through your device's Settings.

Family Sharing

Simmer Down's family-sync feature is built on a simple invitation model:

• A 6-character family code is generated when you create a family. Anyone you share the code with can join your family group.
• A list of family-member nicknames and their anonymous UIDs is visible to other members of the same family in the app's Settings.
• You can rotate the family code at any time from Settings. This invalidates the old code so it can no longer be used to join.
• Any current member can remove another member from the family, immediately revoking their access. Removed devices have their local synced data cleared.
• You can leave the family at any time from Settings, which removes your device from the roster and deletes synced data from your device.

Data Retention and Deletion

You have multiple ways to remove data from Simmer Down:

• Leave Family (Settings → Leave Family) — Removes your device from the family group and deletes all synced recipes and shopping items from this device. Your member entry is also removed from the family's Firebase roster.
• Delete individual items — Any member can delete a recipe or shopping item, which removes it for everyone in the family.
• Uninstall the app — Removes all local data and authentication tokens from your device. Note: if you didn't tap Leave Family first, your member entry remains in the family roster on Firebase until another member removes it.

If you would like all data associated with your family permanently deleted from Firebase, email us at support@lhvantage.com with your family code and we will delete it.

Security

Simmer Down uses these practices to protect your data:

• All network communication is over HTTPS (TLS).
• Authentication tokens are stored only in your device's Keychain, encrypted at rest and protected by your device passcode or biometric lock.
• Firebase Firestore security rules limit data access to authenticated members of your specific family group; non-members cannot read or modify your family's data.
• Firebase App Check restricts access to verified copies of the Simmer Down app, helping block requests from bots or unauthorized clients.
• The app rejects recipe imports from non-HTTPS URLs and from private or local network addresses.

Children's Privacy

Simmer Down is not directed at children under 13, or under the digital consent age in your country (which may be higher). Because Simmer Down does not collect personal information from anyone, no special data-collection protections for children are required, but parents should review the app's family-sync feature before allowing minors to participate in a shared family group.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Any changes will be reflected on this page along with an updated "Last updated" date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

Contact

Questions about this privacy policy? Contact us at support@lhvantage.com.