Privacy Policy — CineMatch

CineMatch ("we," "our," or "the app") is an AI-powered iOS application for movie and TV show recommendations, episode tracking, and watchlist management. We are committed to protecting your privacy and being transparent about how we handle your data.

This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have.

1. Data We Collect

Account Information

When you create an account, we collect the information necessary for authentication:

Email address and display name (for email/password sign-up)
Apple ID identifier (for Sign In with Apple)
An anonymous identifier (for anonymous/guest accounts)

Authentication is handled through Firebase Authentication by Google.

Watchlist & Activity Data

Movies and TV shows you add to your watchlist, including watch status (e.g., watching, completed, plan to watch)
Your ratings and reactions (like, dislike, love, etc.) on content
Episode tracking data for TV shows you follow
Trakt connection state, sync preferences, and imported or exported watch activity if you choose to connect a Trakt account

Preferences & Interactions

Genre preferences and mood selections
Streaming-region preferences, provider preferences, content searches, browsing history within the app, and recommendation feedback
Detail-sheet behavior events, such as scroll activity, trailer interactions, and where-to-watch taps
Tokenized Concierge query topics, such as genre, mood, era, and similar intent signals, when you use Concierge

Personalization Signals

CineMatch uses first-party personalization signals by default to improve For You recommendations and help the app learn from how you browse, search, and ask for recommendations. These signals can include detail-sheet behavior events, a nightly taste-profile aggregation derived from your app activity, and tokenized Concierge query topics. You can turn individual personalization controls off at any time in Settings > Privacy > Personalization.

For Premium users, granting AI Features consent also enables raw Concierge prompt text storage for up to 60 days unless you turn that control off in Settings > Privacy > Personalization. Turning this control off deletes stored raw text from your device and asks our servers to confirm deletion.

AI Feature Messages and Context

When you enable AI Features and use OpenAI-backed functionality, we collect the prompts, messages, and relevant recommendation context needed to generate responses. This can include relevant watchlist items, ratings, reactions, preferences, filters, recent conversation context, generated AI output metadata, and AI report content if you choose to report an AI response.

Push Notification Tokens

If you enable notifications, we collect your device token through Firebase Cloud Messaging to send you air date alerts and other relevant notifications.

Calendar Access (Optional)

If you enable calendar integration, CineMatch requests access to your device calendars through Apple's EventKit framework. Calendar access is used to create episode air-date events and watch-session reminders, list writable calendars so you can choose where CineMatch saves events, show previews of CineMatch-created events, and remove events previously created by CineMatch. Calendar integration is optional and is not required to use the app.

Analytics (Optional)

We may collect app usage analytics and diagnostics to improve feature quality, onboarding, recommendations, and reliability. Some analytics records may be linked to your CineMatch account or app session while your account is active; we may also use aggregated or de-identified reporting. You can opt out of optional analytics sharing at any time in the app's Privacy Settings.

2. How We Use Your Data

Personalized Recommendations -- We use your watchlist, ratings, reactions, genre preferences, browsing interactions, Concierge query topics, and derived taste signals to power our hybrid recommendation engine and suggest movies and TV shows tailored to you. OpenAI-backed personalization is used only when you have enabled AI Features.
AI Concierge and Summaries -- With your AI Features consent, your prompts, relevant preferences, and recent conversation context are processed by OpenAI models via our server-side Cloud Functions to provide conversational recommendations, summaries, and ranking explanations. Messages are never sent directly from your device to OpenAI.
Episode Tracking & Notifications -- We use your tracked shows and device token to send air date notifications so you never miss a new episode.
Calendar Integration -- If you enable calendar integration, we use calendar access to add episode air dates and planned viewing reminders to the calendar you choose, and to find or remove events previously created by CineMatch.
Improving Accuracy -- Your ratings, reactions, and feedback help us improve recommendation accuracy over time.
Cross-Device Sync -- Your watchlist, preferences, and account data are synced across your devices via Firebase so you can pick up where you left off.

3. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services to operate the app. The exact services involved depend on the features you use.

Firebase (Google)

We use Firebase for authentication, data storage (Cloud Firestore), push notifications (Cloud Messaging), app-server logic (Cloud Functions), and related operational records such as account-linked analytics stored in Firestore. Your data is stored on Google's infrastructure and is subject to Firebase's Privacy Policy.

OpenAI

AI-powered recommendations, summaries, ranking explanations, and the AI Concierge chat are processed by OpenAI's models only after you enable AI Features. Data is sent to OpenAI through our server-side Cloud Functions -- never directly from your device. We do not intentionally send your email address or Apple ID to OpenAI, but prompts, messages, and support reports can contain personal information if you include it. See OpenAI's Privacy Policy.

TMDB (The Movie Database)

We use TMDB's API, directly and through Cloud Functions, to retrieve movie and TV show metadata, images, credits, reviews, ratings, external identifiers, and watch-provider availability. TMDB may receive lookup metadata such as search terms, TMDB IDs, content type, and region. We do not send TMDB your full CineMatch profile, watchlist, or ratings as a personal profile. See TMDB's Privacy Policy.

Apple

We integrate with Sign in with Apple and Apple's StoreKit/App Store systems for subscription purchases, renewal status, refunds, and account-level billing management. CineMatch receives transaction and entitlement status needed to unlock Premium features, but does not receive your full payment card details. See Apple's Privacy Policy.

Trakt

Trakt sync is optional and available only if you choose to connect a Trakt account. When connected, CineMatch uses Trakt OAuth through Cloud Functions and may exchange your Trakt username, access tokens stored by CineMatch, watchlist additions/removals, ratings, watched history, episode progress, and sync diagnostics according to your sync settings. No Trakt sync data is shared with Trakt if you do not connect a Trakt account. See Trakt's Privacy Policy.

OMDb

We use OMDb through Cloud Functions to enrich titles with IMDb-linked ratings, critic scores, plots, awards, and season/episode rating data. OMDb requests use lookup metadata such as IMDb IDs, season numbers, TMDB IDs, and content type; we do not send OMDb your full CineMatch profile. See OMDb's Terms and Privacy information.

TVMaze

We use TVMaze through Cloud Functions to enrich TV show details, episode lists, air dates, air times, and schedule information. TVMaze requests may include IMDb IDs, dates, country/region codes, and whether a request is for broadcast or web schedule data; we do not send TVMaze your full CineMatch profile. See TVMaze's Privacy Policy.

JustWatch and Streaming Availability

CineMatch displays streaming availability and provider links from TMDB watch-provider data, with JustWatch attribution where shown in the app. Availability lookups may include a TMDB title ID, content type, and selected or derived region. We do not send JustWatch your full CineMatch profile or full watchlist for these lookups. See JustWatch's Privacy Policy.

Metadata, ratings, schedule, and streaming providers may receive the request details needed to answer a lookup. Those requests can reflect titles you search, view, track, or ask about, but we do not send those providers a complete personal profile unless you deliberately connect a third-party account flow such as Trakt, where the data required for sync is shared.

4. Third-Party AI Processing and Consent

CineMatch asks for explicit permission before sending prompts, messages, and relevant recommendation context to OpenAI for AI Features. If you do not grant consent, or if you later revoke it, core recommendations, watchlist management, episode tracking, and subscription functionality remain available.

Provider -- OpenAI is the third-party AI provider for AI Concierge, AI-powered summaries, and AI-personalized recommendation explanations.
Data shared when enabled -- Prompts and messages, relevant watchlist items, ratings, reactions, preferences, filters, AI report content when applicable, generated AI output metadata, and recent conversation context may be sent to OpenAI.
Processing route -- Data flows from the CineMatch app to CineMatch Cloud Functions, then to OpenAI. The app does not call OpenAI directly.
Identity scope -- We do not intentionally include your email address, Apple ID, or payment details in OpenAI requests, but you should avoid typing sensitive personal information into AI prompts.
Personalization controls -- First-party recommendation personalization can remain on even if AI Features are off. You can separately control detail-sheet behavior events, nightly aggregation, Concierge query topics, and Premium raw Concierge text storage in Settings > Privacy > Personalization.
Revocation -- You can turn AI Features off at any time in Settings > Privacy > AI Features.
Effect of revocation -- OpenAI-backed features become unavailable or less tailored. You can continue using CineMatch's core recommendations, watchlist, and tracking features.

5. Data Storage & Security

Your data is stored in Google Cloud Firestore with security rules that restrict access to authorized users only.
Subscription data (tier, status, expiry) is protected server-side -- it can only be modified by our Cloud Functions, not by the client app.
All communication between the app, our Cloud Functions, and third-party APIs uses encrypted HTTPS connections.
We do not sell your data to third parties.
We do not sell your personal data or use it for third-party advertising tracking.

6. Your Privacy Controls

CineMatch provides in-app Privacy Settings that give you control over your data:

AI Features -- Grant or revoke permission for CineMatch to share prompts and relevant viewing preferences with OpenAI for OpenAI-backed features.
Personalization -- Control detail-sheet behavior events, nightly taste-profile aggregation, Concierge query topics, and Premium raw Concierge text storage.
Watching Activity -- Toggle whether your currently-watching activity is visible to others.
Watchlist Sharing -- Control whether your watchlist is shared.
Ratings & Notes -- Choose whether your ratings and notes are visible.
Collections -- Control the visibility of your collections.
Pause All Sharing -- Instantly pause all social sharing with a single toggle.
Calendar Integration -- Enable or disable optional calendar sync, choose the destination calendar where supported, and remove CineMatch-created calendar events.
Analytics Opt-Out -- Opt out of optional app usage analytics sharing. Operational logs and records needed for security, fraud prevention, billing, or reliability may still be kept where necessary.
Request Data Deletion -- Request full deletion of your data.

7. Data Deletion

You can delete your account and all associated data at any time:

In the app: Go to Settings > Account > Delete Account. This performs a cascading deletion that removes account-linked data from Firestore, including your watchlist, preferences, ratings, chat history, personalization signals, analytics records tied to your user ID, Trakt connection data stored by CineMatch, and account information.
Via our data deletion page: If you are unable to access the app, you can request data deletion through our data deletion page.
Via email: Contact us at hello@cinematchapp.net to request account and data deletion.

Upon deletion, your account-linked data is removed from our active systems. Data already processed by third-party services (including OpenAI, Apple, Trakt if connected, and metadata or schedule providers) is subject to their respective retention policies.

8. Children's Privacy

CineMatch is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected data from a child under 13, we will take steps to delete that information promptly. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal data, please contact us at hello@cinematchapp.net.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make changes, we will update the "Effective Date" at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Continued use of the app after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

10. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

Email: hello@cinematchapp.net