Privacy Policy

The short version: Forge stores everything on your phone. We never see your data, never collect it, and don't have servers to send it to. The only external call the app ever makes is an optional barcode lookup — and nothing about you goes along with it.

Who we are

Forge is a personal training app built by Tate Gillespie. You can reach me at tate.gillespie@gmail.com with any questions about this policy.

Forge is open-source software. The full source code is available on GitHub, so anyone can verify exactly what the app does and does not do.

What data Forge collects

Nothing. Forge does not collect, transmit, or store any personal information on external servers. There are no user accounts, no sign-ups, and no cloud sync. Every workout log, meal entry, body measurement, and setting you create lives only on your device.

Here is what the app stores locally and why:

Workout logs — exercises, sets, reps, and weights you enter during training sessions
Nutrition logs — meals and foods you add manually or via barcode scan
Body measurements — weight, body fat %, and circumferences
Goals and settings — your training phase, target macros, and app preferences

All of this data is stored in a SQLite database in Forge's private storage on your device. It never leaves your phone unless you export it, or turn on saving to Apple Health (see below).

The one network request Forge makes

When you scan a food barcode, Forge sends that barcode number to the Open Food Facts API — a free, open-source food database — to look up nutrition facts. That is the only external network call the app makes.

What is sent: a barcode number (e.g., 0012345678905).
What is not sent: your name, location, device ID, Apple ID, or any information that identifies you.

Open Food Facts is a non-profit project with its own privacy terms. They log API requests as any web server does, but those logs contain only the barcode, a timestamp, and a generic IP address — nothing that connects the request to you as a Forge user.

Barcode scanning is optional. You can log all food manually without ever triggering this request.

Scanning a barcode also requires camera permission, which iOS will prompt you for the first time you open the scanner. The camera feed is used only to detect barcodes in real time — no images, video, or frames are stored, recorded, or transmitted. You can revoke camera access at any time in Settings → Forge → Camera.

Apple Health (optional)

Forge can connect to Apple Health in two directions. Each is off until you turn it on, and iOS asks your permission for each kind of data through its standard permissions dialog.

Reading. When you finish a training session, Forge reads the duration, heart rate, and active calories of the workout your Apple Watch recorded, to show them on your session summary. With Read workouts turned on, Forge also lists cardio workouts recorded by other apps (such as your Apple Watch) during the current week, so you can add them to your cardio log.

Writing. If you turn on Save measurements or Save workouts in Profile → Apple Health, Forge saves the following to Apple Health:

Body measurements — weight, body fat percentage, waist circumference, height, and the lean body mass and BMI calculated from them
Strength workouts — each finished session as a workout, with its time span, the number of sets completed, and the total volume
Cardio — each logged session as a workout of the matching type, with its duration and distance

Editing an entry in Forge replaces the copy in Apple Health, and deleting a cardio session removes the workout Forge saved for it. Turning a switch off stops new saves but leaves what's already in Apple Health; you can delete those entries in the Health app.

You can change or revoke Apple Health access at any time in Settings → Health → Data Access & Devices → Forge.

Data Forge reads from Apple Health is kept only in Forge's local database on your phone. Data Forge writes to Apple Health is stored and managed by Apple Health, like data from any other app. Forge does not send health data anywhere else.

Required disclosures for HealthKit data: Forge will not use or disclose health, fitness, or medical data obtained from Apple Health to any third party for advertising, marketing, data brokerage, or other use-based data mining. Forge will not sell, rent, or trade this data under any circumstances. Health data is read on your device, used to populate your session summary and cardio log, and stored only in Forge's local database on your phone.

iCloud backup

iOS may include your Forge data in your iCloud backup if you have iCloud backup enabled on your device. This is standard iOS behavior for all apps. Forge does not initiate or control iCloud sync — it is entirely governed by your device settings.

If you do not want Forge data included in iCloud backups, you can exclude it in Settings → [Your Name] → iCloud → Manage Storage → Backups → [Your Device].

Third-party SDKs and analytics

Forge contains no analytics SDKs, no crash reporters, no ad networks, and no tracking libraries. There is no Firebase, no Mixpanel, no Amplitude, no Facebook SDK — nothing that phones home about how you use the app.

The libraries Forge uses are limited to rendering the UI, reading/writing local files, and accessing Apple Health. None of them collect or transmit user data.

Note about this website: the marketing page you are reading (forge.tatertot365.com) uses Vercel Web Analytics and Vercel Speed Insights to measure aggregate page views and load performance. These are website-only and have no relationship to the Forge app itself — they do not run in the app, do not have access to any of your data, and do not track individual visitors across sessions.

Children's privacy

Forge does not collect personal information from anyone, including children under 13. Because no data is collected, Forge is consistent with COPPA requirements, though it is not specifically designed for children.

Changes to this policy

If we ever add a feature that changes how data is handled (for example, optional cloud backup), we will update this policy and note the date of the change at the top. We will not make changes that reduce your privacy without first surfacing them clearly in the app.

Your rights

Because Forge never receives your data, there is nothing for us to delete, export, or correct on our end. All your data is on your phone — you own it entirely.

Export everything — open Profile → Export data → Export backup to generate a JSON file containing every workout, meal, and measurement. You can then share it to Files, iCloud Drive, email, or any destination of your choosing. The file is generated on your device. The same screen also exports spreadsheet-friendly CSV files.
Erase everything — open Profile → Erase all data to permanently delete every workout, food entry, measurement, and goal on this device. This is irreversible.
Uninstall — removing the app from your device deletes all of its data, including the local database.
Apple Health — anything Forge saved to Apple Health belongs to Health, so erasing Forge's data or uninstalling the app doesn't remove it. Delete it in the Health app: tap your profile picture, then Apps → Forge, or open any data type and use Data Sources & Access.

If you have questions or concerns about privacy, email tate.gillespie@gmail.com.