ChowRadar

Privacy Policy

Last updated: August 14, 2026

The short version

Your loyalty points, tiers, and history are stored only on your device. We never receive them.
Screenshots and photos you import are processed on your device and are never uploaded anywhere.
We use Firebase Analytics to understand how features are used. It collects standard device identifiers and in-app events, but no names, emails, or precise location.
We use Firebase Crashlytics to find and fix crashes. When the app crashes it sends a diagnostic report — no loyalty data, and nothing that identifies you.
There are no ads and no advertising ID collection.
There are no accounts — you never sign in, and we don't sell or share your personal data.

ChowRadar ("the app", "we", "us") helps you track restaurant loyalty points across multiple brands and see which rewards are the best value. This policy explains what information the app handles and how. It applies to the ChowRadar mobile app.

Information stored on your device

The core of the app runs entirely on your device. The following is saved locally using your device's app storage and is not transmitted to us or any third party:

Your points balance and loyalty tier for each brand you track.
Which brands and rewards you have enabled or disabled.
Your import history (when and how you updated points).
Your reward redemption history.
Whether you have completed the first-launch setup.

This data stays on your device and is removed when you uninstall the app.

Screenshots and photos (points import)

ChowRadar can read your points balance from a screenshot or photo of a loyalty app or receipt. When you choose an image:

Text recognition runs entirely on your device using Google's on-device ML Kit. The image is analyzed locally to find a points number.
The image is not uploaded to us or to any server, and the app does not retain the image after the import.
Access to your camera or photo library is used only for the import you initiate, and only when you tap to select or capture an image.

Information collected automatically (analytics)

To understand which features are useful and to improve the app, ChowRadar uses Google Firebase Analytics. Firebase Analytics automatically collects standard information such as device model, operating system version, general app-usage and session data, and Google's analytics identifiers.

In addition, the app logs a small set of non-identifying usage events:

onboarding_completed — number and names of brands you chose to track.
brand_tracking_changed — a brand was added or removed from tracking.
points_imported — a points update occurred (brand, source, point values).
reward_redeemed — a reward was marked redeemed (brand, reward, point values).
reward_sort_mode_changed — you switched between dollar and calorie sorting.
reward_category_changed — you switched the reward category filter.
meal_filter_changed — a rewards filter was toggled.
points_activated — you began a points update.
notifications_toggled — you turned reward notifications on or off.
tab_viewed — which screen you viewed.

These events contain only brand names, counts, point values, and interface choices. They do not include your name, email address, contacts, or precise location.

Crash and error reporting

To find and fix problems that would otherwise go unreported, ChowRadar uses Google Firebase Crashlytics. When the app crashes or hits an unexpected error, Crashlytics sends a diagnostic report containing:

The stack trace and relevant application state at the moment of the crash.
Device and operating-system information used to reproduce the problem, such as device model, OS version, and app version.
A short trail of the in-app events listed above that occurred immediately before the crash, which helps identify what triggered it.

Crash reports do not contain your loyalty points, tiers, history, or any imported image, and they are not linked to your identity — there are no accounts, and the app never sets a user identifier. Crash reporting is disabled in development builds and active only in released versions of the app.

Push notification services

ChowRadar includes Firebase Cloud Messaging so it can tell the app when the reward catalog has been updated. Where this is active, the service registers an app installation identifier — and, on iOS, a notification token issued by Apple — so the message can reach your device. These identifiers are tied to the app installation, not to you, and are removed when you uninstall the app.

Catalog-update notifications are currently delivered on Android only. The messaging component is present on iOS but disabled, and a future update may enable it.

Reward catalog updates

The app may download an up-to-date reward catalog (a static catalog.json file) over an encrypted HTTPS connection so reward values stay current without an app update. This is a one-way download of public reward data; no personal information is sent in the request.

Advertising

ChowRadar contains no advertising and does not collect an advertising identifier. The Android advertising-ID permission is explicitly removed from the app.

How we use information

Information handled by the app is used only to:

Provide the app's core function — tracking points and recommending rewards on your device.
Understand aggregate feature usage so we can improve the app.
Diagnose problems and maintain reliability.

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use it for advertising.

Sharing and third-party services

We do not share your personal information with third parties except as needed to run the analytics and crash reporting described above. The app relies on services provided by Google:

Google Firebase Analytics — usage analytics.
Google Firebase Crashlytics — crash and error reporting.
Google ML Kit — on-device text recognition (no data leaves the device).
Firebase Cloud Messaging — catalog-update notifications.
Firebase Hosting — serves the reward catalog file.

Google's handling of data collected through these services is governed by the Google Privacy Policy.

Data retention and deletion

Because your points and history live only on your device, you can delete all of it at any time by clearing the app's data or uninstalling the app. Analytics data collected by Firebase is retained according to Google's default retention settings for Firebase Analytics, and crash reports are retained according to Google's default retention settings for Crashlytics.

Security

Your loyalty data stays in your device's app storage rather than on our servers, and network requests use encrypted HTTPS connections. No method of storage or transmission is completely secure, but keeping your data on your device limits its exposure.

Children's privacy

ChowRadar is not directed to children under 13 and does not knowingly collect personal information from children.

Not affiliated with restaurant brands

ChowRadar is an independent app and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any of the restaurant brands it references. All brand names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the app evolves. Material changes will be reflected by updating the "Last updated" date above. Continued use of the app after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

Contact

Questions about this policy or your data can be sent to lmazurek42@gmail.com.