Privacy Policy
Effective date: June 28, 2026
Simmernook is a hands-free, voice-first cooking companion. You pick a recipe, prop your phone on the counter, and talk your way through the cook while an AI Simmernook guides you in real time.
This policy explains what data the app handles, why, who processes it, and the choices you have. It is written to reflect how this specific app actually works — not boilerplate.
If you have any question about your privacy or want your data deleted, contact the developer: Sajid Inamdar — sajid.s.inamdar@gmail.com
The short version
- The app sends your microphone audio to an AI service (Google Gemini) through our own server so the companion can hear you and respond by voice.
- It keeps a text transcript of the conversation so the companion can pick up where you left off if the connection drops. The transcript is linked only to a random, per-install device ID — not your name, email, or any account (the free tier has no account).
- We do not store your IP address, do not sell your data, and do not use it for advertising or cross-app tracking.
- Transcripts are deleted when a cook ends, unless you opt in to keeping them.
- You can delete saved transcripts and turn off AI processing in Settings, or email us to request deletion.
What we collect, and why
Microphone audio (while you are cooking). When you start a cook and grant microphone access, the app streams your microphone audio to our server (the “relay”), which forwards it to Google Gemini to generate the live cooking guidance. The audio is processed in real time to produce the companion’s responses. We do not record your microphone except as needed to provide the live companionship session, and we do not store the raw audio after the session.
Conversation transcript. As you talk with the companion, the spoken exchange is converted to text and stored as a transcript in our database (Amazon DynamoDB). The transcript exists so that if your connection drops or the AI session is recycled mid-cook, the companion can be re-given the context and continue without making you start over. Each transcript is keyed only to a random device identifier generated on your device when you install the app — it contains no name, email, phone number, or account, because the free tier has no sign-in.
Product-interaction and diagnostic events. To keep the app working and improve it, we log operational events — for example: a cook started or finished, a timer was set or fired, the connection dropped and reconnected, an audio route changed, or an error occurred. These logs are tied to the same random device/cook identifiers and timing information. They help us debug problems (such as dropped connections) and understand whether features work. They do not include the words you say (those live only in the transcript described above).
Device identifier. A random, app-generated identifier stored on your device. It lets us associate your cook session and its transcript across a reconnect without knowing who you are.
What we do not collect
- We do not store your IP address in our application logs.
- We do not collect your name, email, contacts, photos, precise location, or any account identity in the free tier (there is no login).
- We do not build advertising profiles or track you across other apps or websites.
How your data is processed
Your phone --microphone audio--> Our relay server (AWS) --audio--> Google Gemini (the AI companion)
^ | |
+-------- companion's voice <-------------+---- transcript text <------------+
|
Transcript + session state
stored in AWS DynamoDB
(keyed to a random device ID)- Our relay server runs on Amazon Web Services. It holds the connection to Google Gemini for the duration of your cook and passes audio and text between your phone and the AI.
- Google Gemini generates the companionship. As part of providing real-time “session resumption,” Google may temporarily retain the AI session’s state for up to 24 hours so a brief drop can be resumed seamlessly. This temporary state is held by Google under its own terms.
Data retention
- Microphone audio: streamed for live processing; not stored by us after the session.
- Transcripts: deleted when a cook ends, unless you opt in to retention. If you opt in, we keep the transcript for up to 90 days for troubleshooting and product improvement, after which it is deleted. You can delete saved transcripts at any time (see “Your choices”).
- AI session state held by Google Gemini: temporary, up to 24 hours, for session resumption.
- Operational / diagnostic logs: retained for a limited period for reliability and abuse prevention, then aged out.
Service providers
We use a small number of processors to run the service. We share only what is needed for them to perform their function, and they are not permitted to use it for their own purposes beyond providing the service to us:
- Google — the Gemini AI that powers the companion (processes your audio and the conversation in real time).
- Amazon Web Services (AWS) — hosting of our relay server and storage of transcripts and session state (Amazon DynamoDB). Our infrastructure runs in the United States.
What we will never do without your explicit consent
- We do not sell your personal data.
- We do not use your data for advertising or cross-app/cross-site tracking.
- We do not use your transcripts or audio to train machine-learning models without a separate, future, explicit opt-in from you. If we ever want to do this, we will ask you clearly and specifically first, and it will be optional.
Your choices and rights
- Delete saved transcripts. In the app’s Settings, you can delete transcripts we’ve stored.
- Revoke AI-processing consent. In Settings, you can turn off AI processing / transcript retention. (Turning off AI processing will disable the companion, since the companion relies on it.)
- Microphone permission. You can revoke microphone access at any time in your device’s system Settings. Without the microphone, the companion cannot hear you.
- Request deletion or access by email. Email sajid.s.inamdar@gmail.com from the device or with your random device ID (shown in the app’s Settings) and we will delete the data associated with it. Because the free tier has no account, your device ID is how we locate your data.
Children
Simmernook is not directed to children under 13 (or the minimum age in your country), and we do not knowingly collect data from them. If you believe a child has used the app, contact us and we will delete the associated data.
Security
We use industry-standard measures (TLS in transit, access-controlled cloud storage, secrets kept out of the app and in a managed secret store) to protect your data. No method of transmission or storage is perfectly secure, but we work to protect your information and limit what we collect.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as the app evolves. We will revise the effective date above and, for material changes, provide notice in the app. Continued use after an update means you accept the revised policy.
Contact
Questions, requests, or concerns:
Sajid Inamdar — sajid.s.inamdar@gmail.com