Privacy Policy

1. About This App

PlantSense AI (com.plantsense.ai) is an Android app developed by EssexWeb, based in Essex, UK. It helps users identify plants, receive care guidance, track plant health, and manage watering reminders.

PlantSense AI is intended for a general audience aged 13 and over. It is not designed or marketed as a children's app.

This policy applies to the PlantSense AI mobile app. The general website privacy policy covers essexweb.uk separately.

2. Information We Collect

Depending on how you use the app, we may collect and process the following information:

• Email address: collected when you sign in via one-time passcode (OTP). Used solely for authentication and account management.
• Plant photos: photos you choose to upload are sent to OpenAI's GPT-4o Vision API for plant identification and health assessment. Photos are not stored permanently on our servers.
• Plant care data: plant names, notes, reminders, and related garden data you save within the app. This data is stored locally on your device via AsyncStorage.
• Anonymous device identifiers: RevenueCat is used for subscription management and may collect anonymous device IDs to track subscription status.
• Device notification preferences: used for watering reminders when you choose to enable them.

3. How We Use Your Information

• To authenticate your account via email OTP
• To identify plants from photos you submit
• To generate health assessments and care guidance
• To save your plant collection and care details locally
• To send watering and plant-care reminders when enabled
• To manage free and Pro subscription access
• To maintain app security, performance, and reliability

4. Third-Party Services

PlantSense AI uses the following third-party services to operate:

• OpenAI API (GPT-4o Vision): plant photos and related prompt data are sent to OpenAI for identification and health analysis. OpenAI processes this data under its own API data usage policies.
• RevenueCat: manages subscription status and in-app purchases. Collects anonymous device identifiers to track entitlements.
• Google Play: handles billing for paid subscriptions. Payment card details are processed by Google under its own terms and privacy policies.
• Cloudflare Workers, D1, and R2: our backend infrastructure for API processing and temporary storage. Hosted on Cloudflare.
• Email service (plantsense-service.essexweb.uk): used to deliver OTP codes for sign-in. Only your email address is processed for this purpose.

5. What We Do Not Do

• We do not serve advertisements in the app
• We do not use tracking or analytics SDKs to monitor your behaviour
• We do not sell, rent, or share your personal data with third parties for marketing purposes
• We do not store your plant photos permanently on our servers

6. Device Permissions

PlantSense AI may request access to the following permissions:

• Camera or Photos: to let you scan plants and upload images for analysis
• Notifications: to send watering and care reminders if you choose to enable them
• Internet Access: to process AI scans, send OTP codes, and sync app functionality

You can manage these permissions in your device settings at any time.

7. Data Storage and Security

Plant data, notes, and reminders are stored locally on your device using AsyncStorage. Account information is stored in our Cloudflare D1 database. Photos are transmitted to the OpenAI API for processing but are not retained on our servers after analysis.

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to help protect information handled through the app. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. Data Retention

We retain account information only for as long as your account is active and reasonably necessary to provide the app's features, maintain subscriptions, resolve support issues, and meet legal obligations.

You can request deletion of your account and associated server-side data at any time via our account deletion page.

9. Children's Privacy

PlantSense AI is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. Because the app allows users to upload photos for plant identification and analysis, parents or guardians who believe a child has provided personal information through the app should contact us so we can review and delete it where appropriate.

10. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have rights to request access to, correction of, deletion of, or restriction of personal data we process about you.

To request deletion of your PlantSense AI account and associated server-side data, use our account deletion request page.

To make a privacy request, contact [email protected].

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will update the date on this page.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions about this policy or about PlantSense AI, please contact us:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: essexweb.uk