Privacy Policy

Personal Information

When you use our Service, we may collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us, including:

• Account information when you create an account (email address, username)
• Profile information and preferences
• Contact information for customer support
• Feedback and communications you send to us
• Custom plant names and care notes you add to your garden

Usage and Device Information

We automatically collect certain information about your device and usage of the Service:

• Device identifiers (device model, operating system version, device ID)
• App usage statistics and performance data
• Crash reports and technical diagnostics
• IP address and general location information
• App interaction data (features used, time spent in app)
• Push notification preferences and engagement

Camera and Photo Information

To provide our plant identification and garden management features:

• Images captured through the app's camera functionality
• Photos selected from your device's photo library (with permission)
• Image metadata such as timestamp, location data (if enabled), and camera settings
• AI-generated plant identification data and confidence scores
• Plant photos saved to your personal garden collection

Location Information

With your explicit permission, we may collect:

• Approximate location data to provide region-specific plant care recommendations
• Location metadata from photos (if enabled in your device settings)
• General geographic information to suggest local growing conditions

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide, maintain, and improve our plant identification Service
• Process plant photos through our AI identification models
• Create and manage your personal plant garden
• Provide personalized plant care recommendations and watering reminders
• Process your transactions and manage your account
• Develop and enhance our AI plant identification capabilities
• Provide customer support and respond to your inquiries
• Send you push notifications for plant care reminders (with your consent)
• Send you technical notices, updates, and administrative messages
• Analyze usage patterns to improve user experience and AI accuracy
• Detect, prevent, and address technical issues
• Conduct research to improve plant identification accuracy

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We may share your information only in the following circumstances:

Service Providers

We may employ third-party companies and individuals to:

• Facilitate our Service and provide technical infrastructure
• Process AI plant identification requests
• Provide cloud storage and data backup services
• Perform Service-related activities and analytics
• Assist us in analyzing how our Service is used
• Send push notifications and manage user communications

Aggregated and Anonymized Data

We may share aggregated, anonymized usage data and plant identification statistics that cannot identify individual users to:

• Improve our AI models and plant database
• Conduct research on plant identification trends
• Partner with botanical institutions for educational purposes

Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities, court orders, or legal processes.

Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, or asset sale, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will provide notice if your information becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction, including:

• Encryption of data in transit and at rest
• Secure cloud storage with access controls
• Regular security audits and updates
• Limited employee access on a need-to-know basis

However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy:

• Account data: Until you delete your account or request deletion
• Plant identification history: As long as your account is active
• Usage analytics: Up to 2 years for service improvement
• Support communications: Up to 3 years for quality assurance
• Legal compliance: As required by applicable law

You can delete your account and associated data at any time through the app settings.

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
• Deletion: Request deletion of your personal information and account
• Portability: Request transfer of your plant garden data to another service
• Objection: Object to processing of your personal information for certain purposes
• Restriction: Request limitation of processing in certain circumstances

To exercise these rights, please contact us at support@plantscope.app.

Our app requests access to your device's camera and photo library to provide plant identification services:

• Camera Access: Used only when you actively take photos for plant identification
• Photo Library Access: Used only when you select existing photos to identify
• Permission Control: You can revoke these permissions at any time through your device settings
• Data Processing: Photos are processed through our AI models and handled according to your account settings

We may send you push notifications for:

• Plant care reminders and watering schedules
• Important app updates and new features
• Tips and educational content about plant care

You can control notification preferences through:

• App settings within PlantScope
• Your device's notification settings
• Opting out of specific notification types

Our Service is not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately, and we will take steps to remove such information.

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your country of residence, including the United States. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your information during such transfers, including:

• Standard contractual clauses approved by relevant authorities
• Adequacy decisions by competent privacy authorities
• Other legally compliant transfer mechanisms

We may use cookies and similar tracking technologies to:

• Remember your app preferences and settings
• Analyze app usage and performance
• Provide personalized plant care recommendations
• Improve our services and user experience

You can control cookie preferences through your device settings, though this may affect app functionality.

Our Service may integrate with or contain links to third-party services:

• App Stores: Apple App Store for downloads and purchases
• Cloud Services: For data backup and synchronization
• Analytics Providers: For app performance and usage analysis
• Payment Processors: For handling premium subscriptions

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third parties. We encourage you to read their privacy policies.

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act:

• Right to know what personal information is collected and how it's used
• Right to delete personal information (with certain exceptions)
• Right to opt-out of sale of personal information (we do not sell personal information)
• Right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights

To exercise these rights, contact us at support@plantscope.app with "CCPA Request" in the subject line.

If you are in the European Union, you have rights under the General Data Protection Regulation:

• Legal basis for processing your data (consent, legitimate interest, contract performance)
• Right to withdraw consent at any time
• Right to lodge complaints with your local data protection authority
• Data Protection Officer contact information (if applicable)

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. We will notify you of any material changes by:

• Posting the new Privacy Policy within the Application
• Sending an in-app notification or email notification
• Updating the "Effective Date" at the top of this document

Changes are effective when posted. Your continued use of the Service after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the new Privacy Policy.

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal information, please contact us:

• Email: support@plantscope.app
• Subject: Privacy Policy Inquiry
• Website: plantscope.app/privacy

For data protection inquiries specifically, please use "Data Protection Request" in the subject line.