Effective: August 2026
UAte ("we", "our") provides nutrition and meal-tracking tools for UMass Amherst dining. This policy describes what we collect and how we use it.
Information we collect
- Account: UMass students sign up with a UMass email address (e.g. @umass.edu) and verify ownership via email link or a one-time code. Visitors may create an account with any email. We store your account type, school affiliation, and verification status.
- Promotional access: From time to time early verified UMass students may receive complimentary premium access for a fixed period when paid features are enabled (not billed through Apple for that period).
- Profile & logs: Name, goals, dietary preferences, meal logs, ratings, and optional photos you upload.
- Location (optional): With your permission, UAte uses your device location while the app is open to suggest the nearest dining hall on the Menu tab. Location is used on-device for this default and is not stored on our servers.
- Health (optional): With your permission, steps, sleep, weight, and active energy from Apple Health.
- Photos & camera: Food photos you attach to meals, profile photos, community rating photos, and fridge images you scan for recipe suggestions.
- Usage: Product interaction events (e.g. feature opens, purchases) collected via Firebase Analytics to improve the app. Not used for advertising or cross-app tracking.
How we use data
- Personalize calorie and macro targets and meal suggestions
- Sync your data when you sign in with your UMass email
- Process subscriptions through Apple's App Store when in-app purchases are offered (we do not store payment card data). During campus free launch, verified students have full access without a subscription.
- Respond to support requests
- Power AI features (Coach, fridge vision, plate scan, natural-language logging) via our backend on Render, which calls Groq for inference — only after you agree in the app
AI processing (Groq via Render)
UAte AI features send content to our backend (uate-backend.onrender.com on Render), which forwards it to Groq, a third-party AI provider, for inference only. We ask for your explicit permission in the app before the first request. You can turn AI sharing off anytime in Settings → Privacy.
When you consent and use these features, the following may be processed:
- AI Coach: Your messages, goals, and meal/menu context
- Meal plan assistance: Goals, preferences, and dining menu context (when used)
- Fridge Vision: Photos of your fridge or pantry you choose to scan; ingredient lists for recipes
- Plate scan: Meal photos you choose to scan for macro estimates
- Natural-language logging: Text you type or dictate for meal or workout estimates
Images and text are used to return results to you. We do not sell this content for advertising. Do not include sensitive personal information in coach messages. Groq processes data under its own privacy terms; our privacy commitments and in-app consent apply to how UAte shares data with them.
Fridge and plate images are not stored in our community feed and are not kept as a photo gallery on our servers after the request.
Sharing
We do not sell your personal information. Data may be processed by service providers (cloud hosting, analytics, email delivery, AI inference) under contractual safeguards. Social features may show pseudonymous activity you choose to share, including community food ratings and photos.
Retention & deletion
You can delete your account in the app (Settings → Account → Delete my account and data). This permanently removes your cloud profile and associated data where technically feasible.