Matchabook - Matcha Journal

Privacy Policy

Effective date: November 1, 2026

What we store, and where

• Your matcha and tool records — tins, usage logs, tea utensils (chasen, chawan and the like), photos, and notes are stored in a local database on your iPhone.
• Photos — only photos you actively pick, or take with the in-app camera, are saved into the app's local database. The app cannot access the rest of your photo library; the camera is used only when you tap "Take Photo", and captured photos are not saved to your system photo library.

iCloud sync

When your device is signed in to iCloud with iCloud Drive enabled, your records sync between your devices through the private database of your own iCloud account — for example, your data follows you to a new iPhone. This data is held by Apple's iCloud service, protected by your Apple Account, and the developer has no means of reading it. Without iCloud, the app still works normally with data stored on-device only.

Diagnostics & usage analytics (Google Firebase)

Starting with 1.9.0, Matchabook uses Google Firebase Crashlytics and Analytics to help us understand the app's stability and overall usage:

• Crashlytics (crash reporting) — when the app crashes, it collects anonymous crash diagnostics (the stack trace at the time, the device model and iOS version, and a randomly generated installation identifier) so we can find and fix the problem.
• Analytics (usage analytics) — collects anonymous, aggregated usage information such as app opens and screen views, along with device model, iOS version, approximate region (estimated from IP address, not precise location), and a randomly generated app-instance identifier.

This data does not include your name, email, or anything that directly identifies you. It is not used for advertising or cross-app/website tracking, is never sold to third parties, and is processed by Google under its privacy policy. The matcha content you record on your device (tins, usage, photos, videos, etc.) is not sent to Firebase and remains only on your device and in your own private iCloud database.

Community shared labels (optional)

Starting with 1.9.0, you can turn on "Help improve the label database" in Settings. When on, the custom labels you add have their plain text — label name, brand and category — uploaded anonymously to a shared catalog we host via Google Firebase (Firestore), for other users to reference and download; a string derived by hashing your device identifier (which cannot be reversed to identify you) is also stored to support de-duplication and prevent abuse. This feature is off by default and entirely voluntary, and never uploads your photos, videos, purchase dates, prices, notes, or any other personal records. Uploaded entries are grouped by app language for mutual reference; anyone can report inappropriate content, which is hidden automatically once a threshold is reached and removed by us. You can turn this off in Settings anytime (already-uploaded entries remain in the shared catalog).

Community statistics (optional)

Starting with 1.10.0, you can opt in to "Community stats" in Settings. When you do, the app contributes your matcha consumption and label ratings anonymously and in aggregate (added as increments; no per-entry sequence that could be traced back to you is stored), used to compute community rankings and averages such as "most enjoyed" and "highest rated" so you can compare with everyone. Each contribution carries a string derived by hashing your iCloud user identifier — which cannot be reversed to identify you — used only to count the pool of active contributors and prevent duplicate ballot-stuffing. This feature is off by default and entirely voluntary; a first-launch screen explains it before you choose, and it never uploads photos, purchase dates, prices, notes, or any personal records that identify you. You can opt out in Settings anytime.

Community recipes (optional, from 1.12.0)

Starting with 1.12.0, you can share your recipes to "Community recipes" and browse and add recipes others have shared. Sharing is always something you do, one recipe at a time: the app first lists exactly what will be public (the recipe name, the label it suits, amounts, ingredient and tool names, brewing steps and hints, notes, and the author nickname you choose), and only after you tap "Share" is it uploaded to the developer's Firebase backend (Cloud Firestore and Cloud Functions, located in Taiwan). No photos, real name, email or account data are included. So that you can later update or withdraw what you shared, and still be recognized as the same author on a new phone, the app derives an irreversible hash from your iCloud user identifier and uses it as the author identity; it is not the original identifier and cannot be used to work out who you are. Other users see only the recipe's content and your nickname. You can update or withdraw a shared recipe at any time, and change your nickname (the byline on all your shared recipes updates with it). Content goes through a word filter and server-side checks, users can report inappropriate content, and recipes reported by several people are hidden automatically. Simply browsing others' recipes requires no data from you.

Radar comments (optional, from 1.13.0)

Starting with 1.13.0, when you rate a label you can also leave a short text comment (up to 200 characters). This is a separate consent from the anonymous statistics: before your first share, the app lists exactly what will be public (the comment text you wrote and your author nickname), and only after you agree and tap share is it uploaded to the developer's Firebase backend (Cloud Firestore and Cloud Functions, located in Taiwan). No photos, real name, email or account data are included. Authorship works the same way as community recipes: an irreversible hash derived from your iCloud user identifier lets you update or withdraw your comment and be recognized as the same author on a new phone. A comment appears only on that label's "Brand Radar" page and can be read only by Pro users; others see just the comment and your nickname. You can edit or withdraw a comment at any time, and change your nickname in Settings (the byline on all your shared recipes and comments updates with it). Content goes through a word filter and server-side checks, users can report inappropriate content, and comments reported by several people are hidden automatically. If you don't share a comment, no text is uploaded.

What we don't do

• We never sell your data, and we do not share your matcha records with any third party
• No advertising SDKs, and no cross-app/website user tracking
• Your matcha records (tins, usage, photos, videos) stay on your device and your own iCloud — they are never uploaded to Firebase or any developer server

Notifications

Expiry reminders, and the optional "revisit" reminders you can turn on, are local notifications, scheduled and delivered entirely by your device. No server is involved. The wording of revisit reminders comes from a read-only remote text file and no data from you is sent; a notification may attach a photo from your own records, which is handled on the device only.

Export and deletion

You can export your usage log as a CSV file from within the app (exported files are yours to manage). Deleting a tin or record removes it from the database, and the deletion syncs to the copy in your iCloud. Uninstalling the app deletes on-device data; synced iCloud data can be removed under Settings → Apple Account → iCloud → Manage Account Storage.

In-app purchases

Matchabook Pro purchases are handled by Apple's App Store. We never see your payment information.

Changes to this policy

If future features require changes to this policy, we will update this page and note the new effective date.

Contact

Questions about privacy? Email us at kimiyin@gmail.com