Melby
Privacy Policy
Last updated: 1 September 2026
Melby works without an account. Your entries stay on your phone; you never give us an email address, a name or a password. Below is exactly what is stored where, and what leaves your device.
What stays on your device
Your profile (goal, age, height, weight, activity level) and your food journal are stored on your device and backed up to the private iCloud space tied to your Apple ID. They are not sent to our servers.
iCloud sync
Your entries live in a private iCloud database tied to your Apple ID and sync between the devices you sign into with that Apple ID. Apple manages that space and we cannot see it. You do not need to create an account or give us an email address. If iCloud is off on your device the app still works completely; the data simply stays on that device. To turn it off: iPhone Settings > (your name) > iCloud > Apps Using iCloud.
Movement data (Health — optional, off by default)
If you turn it on, Melby reads only your daily step count and active energy from Apple Health; it never writes anything to Health. This data never leaves your device: it is not sent to our server, not backed up to iCloud, not stored in Melby's own records, and never used for advertising or profiling — we don't show ads at all. Melby reads it from Health again each time it is shown. You can revoke access at any time in the Health app; when you do, your goal goes back to the activity level you chose.
What is sent to a server
Meal photos
A photo is passed through our server to an AI service for analysis and is not kept once the analysis is done. Photos are never used for advertising or profiling.
Recognition hint
To make recognition more accurate, the names of the foods you log most often (at most 25) are sent alongside the photo — for example "Red lentil soup, Menemen". No dates, amounts, calories or anything that identifies you is sent, and these names are not kept either.
Quick add text
A line like "2 eggs 1 bagel" that you type or say is resolved on your device first; when that works, nothing is sent anywhere. A line your device cannot resolve is passed through our server to an AI service for analysis and is not stored afterward.
Voice entry
What you say into the microphone is turned into text. When your language supports it this happens on your device and the audio never leaves it; when it does not, the audio goes to Apple for transcription and the app tells you so on screen. Melby keeps no audio recordings.
Barcode lookups
Only the barcode number is sent to Open Food Facts to look up a product.
Leaderboard (optional, off by default)
If you turn it on, the only things shared are your generated nickname (e.g. "Determined Panda #374" — you never type a name anywhere, it is built from fixed word lists), your behavior score (logging, quests, water) and the invite codes of the groups you belong to. Group names come from fixed lists too; nobody can enter free text on the leaderboard. Your foods, calories, weight, goals, photos and real name are never sent. When you leave the leaderboard your records and group memberships are deleted completely.
What we do not collect
No account, no email, no advertising identifier, no third-party analytics. The app contains no third-party SDKs and shows no ads.
Melby Pro purchases
Purchases and subscriptions are handled entirely by Apple (the App Store). Melby never sees your payment details, card number or Apple account, and does not share purchase data with third parties. Pro status is kept only on your device.
Deleting and exporting your data
Settings > My Data offers three levels:
| Level | Deletes | Keeps |
|---|---|---|
| Clear the journal | food, water and quest entries | profile, weigh-ins, favorites, badges |
| Reset progress | the above + weigh-in history + badges | profile |
| Delete everything | everything, profile included | — |
From the same screen you can export your food, water and weigh-in entries as CSV. Deleting from this screen also applies to iCloud, so the data goes from your other devices too. Deleting the app removes the data on that device; the iCloud copy stays until you remove Melby's data under iPhone Settings > (your name) > iCloud.
“Delete everything” does not touch your data in Health: that data belongs to the Health app, not to Melby.
Health notice
Calories and nutrition values in Melby are estimates, not medical advice. Talk to a health professional about your nutrition plan.
Contact
Questions: chemincyruxstudio@gmail.com