CKD Companion

Last updated: June 2026

1. Information We Collect

• Account information: Name and email address when you register or sign in via Google or Apple (if you use Apple's Hide My Email, we receive a private relay address).
• Authentication data: When you use Sign in with Google or Sign in with Apple, we receive only your name and email from those providers; we never receive your Google or Apple password. Passwords for email sign-up are stored only as a secure hash.
• Health & lab information you enter: Lab values you type, import (PDF, CSV, Excel), or scan by photo (eGFR, creatinine, BUN, electrolytes, and more), plus dates, notes, medications, doses, schedules, supplements, symptoms, meals, and profile details (e.g., CKD stage, kidney-stone-former status).
• Photos: Images of lab reports or meals you capture or upload for analysis.
• Apple Health data (iOS only, read-only, opt-in): If you grant permission, the App reads selected metrics — steps, body weight, blood pressure, and resting heart rate — and clinical lab results (Apple Health Records) that you choose to import.
• Health Connect data (Android, read-only, opt-in): If you grant permission, the App reads the metrics you authorize to display kidney-relevant trends.
• Purchase data: Subscription and in-app purchase status processed by the Apple App Store, Google Play, or our payment processor. We never receive or store your full payment-card details.
• Usage & diagnostic data: Basic device type, OS, app version, and crash/diagnostic data used to keep the App reliable. We do not use advertising identifiers.

2. How We Use Your Information

• To provide the App's core features: lab tracking, trend analysis, food/meal analysis, medication management, reminders, and reports.
• To generate AI-powered insights (see Section 3).
• To authenticate you and secure your account.
• To process subscriptions and in-app purchases.
• To send reminders and notifications you enable.
• To maintain, troubleshoot, and improve the App.

3. AI Processing

Some features (extracting values from lab photos/PDFs, food analysis, trend summaries, and the AI coach) send the relevant content to trusted third-party AI providers — Anthropic (Claude) and, where applicable, OpenAI — to generate results. Only the minimum data needed is sent, it is transmitted securely, and it is used solely to return your result. We do not permit this content to be used to train these providers' models. Anthropic's practices are described in their Privacy Policy and OpenAI's in their Privacy Policy.

4. Health Data (Apple Health & Health Connect)

CKD Companion can optionally integrate with Apple Health (HealthKit) on iOS and Health Connect on Android. This is strictly opt-in — nothing is read unless you grant permission on your device.

• What we read: Only the data you authorize — steps, body weight, blood pressure, resting heart rate, and, on iOS, clinical lab results from Apple Health Records that you choose to import.
• How we use it: Solely to display your data and import lab values into your record inside the App.
• What we never do: We never use Apple Health or Health Records data for advertising, marketing, or data mining; we never sell or share it with data brokers; and we do not use it for any purpose other than providing the App's features at your direction.
• Your control: You can revoke access at any time from your device's Health / Health Connect settings, which immediately stops all reading of that data.

Our use of Apple Health and Clinical Health Records complies with Apple's HealthKit requirements and applicable health-data laws.

5. Payments & Subscriptions

Premium subscriptions and in-app purchases are processed by the Apple App Store, Google Play, and/or Stripe, Inc. We never store your payment-card details. Stripe's practices are covered by their Privacy Policy.

6. Data Sharing

• We do not sell your personal data and do not share it for advertising.
• We share data only with service providers who help operate the App under confidentiality obligations: AI providers (Anthropic, OpenAI), secure cloud hosting/storage, authentication providers (Apple, Google), and app-store/payment processors (Apple, Google, Stripe).
• We may disclose data if required by law or to protect rights, safety, and security.

7. Data Storage & Security

Your data is stored in a secured database and uploaded images in access-controlled cloud object storage. We use encryption in transit (HTTPS/TLS), hashed passwords, access controls, and optional biometric (Face ID / fingerprint) app lock. No method is 100% secure, but we take reasonable measures to protect your information.

8. Your Rights & Data Deletion

• Access & portability: View and export your data (including a full backup) from within the App.
• Correction: Update or correct your data within the App.
• Deletion: Delete your account and all associated data using the in-app account-deletion option, our online deletion request form, or by emailing privacy@metabolicmess.org. We process requests within 30 days.

9. Children's Privacy

CKD Companion is intended for adults managing their health and is not directed to children under 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

10. Data Retention

We retain your data for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we remove your personal data within 30 days, except where retention is required by law.

11. International Users

Your information may be processed in countries other than where you live, including the United States, handled consistent with this Policy.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically. Material changes will be posted here with a revised effective date. Continued use after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

13. Contact Us