Privacy Policy

Last updated: August 2026 · Applies to the Material Merge iPhone app and this website.

1. Information we collect

Account information

If you create an account with an email address, we collect your first name, an optional last name, and your email address. These are stored in Firebase Authentication and are used only to identify your account within the app.

Passwords are never visible to us. They are hashed and managed entirely by Firebase Authentication. Password resets are delivered as a secure email link.

Guest users

You can use Material Merge without creating an account. Guest mode uses Firebase anonymous authentication, which issues a random user ID tied to your device. No name or email is collected. If you later create a full account, the items you already added are carried over. If you log out of a guest session, that guest data is permanently deleted — the app warns you before this happens.

Photos

Photos you add of your clothing and accessories are uploaded to Firebase Storage under your account. They are used to display your items in the app, and — once, at the moment you add an item — to generate an AI description (see section 2).

Item and outfit data

Anything you record about an item: name, item type, category, colour, brand, size, tags, notes, storage location, laundry or wear status, lend-out status, favourite status, and whether the item is hidden from your shared closet. Saved outfits and boards are stored the same way. All of it is written to Cloud Firestore under your account.

Device preferences

Small display settings, such as your card-density preference and whether you've seen the tutorial, are stored locally on your device. They are not personal information and are not transmitted to us.

2. AI processing

When you add an item with a photo, that photo is sent to the Anthropic Claude API to suggest a name, item type, colour, brand, size and tags. You can edit or overwrite every one of those suggestions before saving.

The request is made by our own server-side Cloud Function, not from your phone directly, and it requires you to be signed in (guest sessions included). The photo is sent for that single analysis and is not retained by us for any purpose beyond your own item record. Anthropic's handling of API data is governed by Anthropic's Privacy Policy.

If you add an item without a photo, no AI processing takes place.

3. How we use your data

• To store and display your closet, items, outfits and boards.
• To sync your data across sessions and devices signed in to your account.
• To generate AI descriptions for photos you add.
• To operate the optional shared-closet link, if you turn it on.
• To answer support messages you send us.

We do not sell or rent your personal data, and we do not share it with third parties for advertising or marketing.

4. Service providers

Material Merge relies on these providers to operate:

5. Storage and retention

Your data is stored in Google Firebase infrastructure. Items, outfits and profile records live in Cloud Firestore; photos live in Firebase Storage. The app also keeps an encrypted local cache on your device so it keeps working offline — changes you make offline are saved locally and sync when you're back online.

We keep your data for as long as your account exists. When you delete your account, it is removed as described in section 12.

6. Security

Data is transmitted over encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS) and stored on Google's infrastructure. Firestore and Storage security rules restrict access so that a signed-in user can only read and write their own records — with the single deliberate exception of a closet you have explicitly chosen to share (section 9).

No system is perfectly secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. Please use a strong, unique password if you sign in with email.

7. Analytics and crash reporting

Material Merge does not use Firebase Analytics, Firebase Crashlytics, or any other third-party analytics, crash-reporting or advertising SDK. No behavioural data, usage events, advertising identifiers or crash logs are collected or transmitted to any analytics service. There are no third-party trackers in the app or on this website.

8. Authentication

Sign-in is handled by Firebase Authentication. You can:

• create an account with an email address and password;
• use Sign in with Apple;
• use Google Sign-In;
• or continue as a guest with anonymous authentication.

Firebase Authentication handles all credential storage and password hashing — we never have access to your raw password. Google sign-in is governed by Google's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy; Apple sign-in is governed by Apple's Privacy Policy. If you use Sign in with Apple and choose to hide your email, we only ever receive Apple's private relay address.

9. Shareable closet profiles

Sharing is off by default. If you turn on Share My Closet, you choose a username, and your closet becomes viewable at a public read-only link. Anyone with that link can view it without signing in, so treat it as public.

You stay in control of exactly what appears:

• You choose which fields are visible — brand, category, size, colour, storage location, personal notes and tags are each individually toggleable.
• You can mark any individual item as private so it never appears on the shared link.
• You can turn sharing off again at any time, which stops the link from resolving.

Sharing requires a full account. It is not available in guest mode.

10. Data export requests

When you tap Export My Data in Settings, the app creates a request record containing your user ID, the time of the request and a status of "pending". That record tracks the request — it is not itself a copy of your data. A notification is emailed to our support team.

Our team then manually prepares a copy of your data (profile information, items and their metadata, locations, laundry and outfit data, and sharing preferences) and emails it to your registered address, typically within 24–48 hours. The app does not generate an instant downloadable file, and it tells you plainly when a request has been received versus fulfilled.

11. Your rights and choices

• Access — all of your data is visible and browsable inside the app.
• Correction — you can edit any item or outfit at any time.
• Deletion — you can delete individual items and outfits directly, or delete your entire account (section 12).
• Export — request a copy of your data from Settings, or by email.
• Withdraw sharing — turn off Share My Closet at any time.

Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights under laws such as the GDPR or CCPA, including the right to object to processing or to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority. Contact us and we will help.

12. Account and data deletion

You can delete your account from Settings → Account & Settings → Delete Account inside the app. This is permanent and cannot be undone. Deleting your account removes:

• every item record and every saved outfit;
• every photo you uploaded, from Firebase Storage;
• your user profile record, including your username, sharing preferences and custom storage locations;
• any pending data-export request records;
• and your Firebase Authentication account itself.

Guest sessions work the same way: logging out of a guest session permanently deletes that session's data, and the app warns you before it does.

If you would rather we do it for you, email support@materialmerge.com from your registered address.

13. Children's privacy

Material Merge is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact us and we will delete it.

14. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be reflected by the "Last updated" date above, and the same policy text is available inside the app under Settings.

15. Contact

Questions about this policy or your data: support@materialmerge.com