Privacy Policy

CalNova

Last updated: 27 May 2026

CalNova (“the App”) is developed and operated by PC Mac Studios (“we”, “us”, “our”). This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and your choices regarding your data.

1. Information We Collect

We collect only the information necessary to provide the App’s core features:

• Account information: When you sign in, we collect your email address and authentication credentials via Google Sign-In or email/password registration. This is managed through Supabase Authentication.
• Profile information: You may optionally provide your name, age, weight, and height to receive personalised calorie targets. This data is stored in your user profile.
• Diary entries: Meals you log (food names, calorie and macro estimates, timestamps) are stored to track your daily nutrition.
• Scan data: When you scan a meal using the camera, the image is sent to our AI service (Anthropic Claude) for nutritional analysis. We do not permanently store the images — they are processed in real time and discarded.
• Voice input: You may optionally use your device’s microphone to describe meals by voice. Speech is processed entirely on your device using Android’s built-in speech recogniser. CalNova receives only the transcribed text — no audio is recorded, stored, or transmitted by the App.
• Health and fitness data: You may optionally connect CalNova to Android Health Connect to read your daily step count and active calories burned from your fitness watch or phone sensors. This data is read locally from Health Connect on your device and is used solely to display your activity and optionally adjust your calorie goal. We do not transmit, upload, or store your health data on any server. All health data stays on your device. You can disconnect Health Connect at any time in the App’s Settings, and no health data is retained after disconnection.
• Usage data: We track your daily scan and chat counts to manage service limits. No browsing history, location data, or device identifiers are collected.

2. How We Use Your Information

Your information is used solely to:

• Provide and improve the App’s nutrition tracking and AI coaching features
• Calculate personalised calorie goals based on your profile and, if enabled, your daily activity level from Health Connect
• Sync your data across devices when signed in
• Enforce daily usage limits for free and Pro tiers
• Display relevant advertisements to free-tier users (via Google AdMob)

3. Data Storage and Security

Your data is stored securely using Supabase, which provides PostgreSQL database hosting with Row Level Security (RLS) enabled. This means you can only access your own data — no other user can view your entries, profile, or usage history.

Guest users (not signed in) have their data stored locally on their device only. This data is not synced to the cloud and is lost if the app is uninstalled.

4. Third-Party Services

The App integrates with the following third-party services:

• Supabase (authentication and database): supabase.com/privacy
• Anthropic (Claude AI) (meal analysis and coaching): anthropic.com/privacy
• Google AdMob (advertisements for free-tier users): policies.google.com/privacy. AdMob may collect device identifiers and ad interaction data as described in Google’s privacy policy. Pro users do not see ads.
• Google Sign-In (optional authentication method): policies.google.com/privacy
• Pexels (meal plan images): pexels.com/privacy-policy
• Open Food Facts (barcode nutrition lookup): openfoodfacts.org/privacy
• Android Health Connect (optional fitness data): developer.android.com/health-connect. CalNova reads step count and active calories burned from Health Connect on your device. No health data is transmitted to our servers. All processing occurs locally on your device.
• USDA FoodData Central (nutrition database): fdc.nal.usda.gov. After the AI identifies food items, CalNova looks up lab-verified nutrition data from the USDA database to improve calorie accuracy. Only generic food names are sent to this API — no personal data is included.

5. Advertisements

Free-tier users see banner advertisements served by Google AdMob. AdMob may use cookies and device identifiers to serve personalised ads based on your interests. You can opt out of personalised ads in your device’s Google settings. Pro subscribers do not see any advertisements.

6. Data Retention

Your data is retained for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, all associated data (profile, diary entries, and usage history) will be permanently removed from our servers within 30 days.

7. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access your data at any time through the App
• Correct your profile information in the Settings screen
• Delete individual diary entries by swiping, or all entries using “Clear all”
• Delete your account by contacting us at the email below
• Export your data by contacting us at the email below

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), you also have rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), including the right to data portability and the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority.

8. POPIA Compliance (South Africa)

If you are located in the Republic of South Africa, the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA) applies to your use of CalNova. This section sets out how we comply with POPIA.

Responsible party: PC Mac Studios is the responsible party as defined in POPIA, responsible for the processing of your personal information through the App.

Lawful basis for processing: We process your personal information on the following grounds:

• Consent: When you create an account, submit meal photos for analysis, or enable optional features such as Health Connect integration, you consent to the processing of your information as described in this policy.
• Contractual necessity: Processing your account information and diary entries is necessary to provide the core features of the App that you have requested.
• Legitimate interest: We process usage data (scan and chat counts) to manage service limits and maintain the App’s availability for all users.

Your rights under POPIA: As a data subject, you have the right to:

• Be notified that your personal information is being collected (this policy serves as that notification)
• Request access to your personal information
• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal information
• Request deletion of your personal information
• Object to the processing of your personal information on reasonable grounds
• Not be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing (note: AI-generated nutritional estimates are informational only and do not constitute binding decisions about you)
• Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa

Information Officer: To exercise any of your POPIA rights, or if you have questions about how we handle your personal information, please contact our Information Officer:

Pfumbi Makhuvha
Email: pcmacstudios@gmail.com

Information Regulator: If you are unsatisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa:

Website: inforegulator.org.za
Email: complaints.IR@justice.gov.za

9. Children’s Privacy

CalNova is not intended for children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

10. Medical Disclaimer

CalNova is not a medical device and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or medical condition. The nutritional information provided by the App is estimated using artificial intelligence and may not be fully accurate. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making significant changes to your diet or exercise routine.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated “Last updated” date. Continued use of the App after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or your data, please contact us at:

pcmacstudios@gmail.com