1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide

Account Information (Optional): If you choose to create an account for community features, we collect your email address and display name via Google Sign-In.
Support Communications: When you contact us for support, we collect the information you provide in your messages.
Community Content: Posts, comments, and plant photos you voluntarily share in community features.

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

App Usage Analytics: Anonymous usage data (features used, session duration) to improve the app. This data cannot identify you.
Crash Reports: Technical information when the app crashes, helping us fix bugs.
Device Information: Device type, operating system version, and app version for compatibility purposes.

1.3 Information We Do NOT Collect

Photos: Plant photos are processed entirely on your device and are never uploaded to our servers (unless you opt-in to Plant.id or share to community).
Precise Location: We never access GPS or precise location. Location for weather is approximate (city-level) and optional.
Contacts: We do not access your contacts or phone data.
Personal Files: We only access photos you explicitly choose to identify.
Browsing History: We do not track your activity outside the app.

2. Location Data (Weather-Smart Care)

Location is 100% Optional

You can use BotanAI without ever sharing your location. If you choose not to enable location, you can still search for your city manually to get weather-based care recommendations.

What We Collect

Approximate location only (city-level, ~3km accuracy)
We use Android's "coarse location" permission, not GPS/precise location

How We Use It

To fetch local weather data (temperature, humidity, rain forecast)
To provide personalized watering recommendations for your plants
To suggest skipping watering during rainy weather

What We Do NOT Do

No precise/GPS location - We only need city-level accuracy
No background tracking - Location is only accessed when you open the app
No location history - We don't store where you've been
No sharing with advertisers - Your location is never sold or used for ads

Your Control

Location permission is only requested when you tap "Use Current Location"
You can revoke permission anytime in your device settings
You can always search for your city manually instead
Denying location does not affect other app features

3. How We Use Your Information

To provide and maintain the BotanAI service
To provide weather-based plant care recommendations (if location enabled)
To enable community features (if you opt in)
To improve app performance and fix bugs
To respond to your support requests
To send important service announcements (with your consent)

We never sell your data. We do not share your personal information with advertisers or data brokers.

4. Plant.id API (Online Fallback)

BotanAI primarily uses on-device AI for plant identification. However, for enhanced accuracy, you may optionally enable the Plant.id API as a fallback feature.

Consent Required: This feature is opt-in only. You will be prompted before any photo is sent to Plant.id.
When Used: Only when offline identification confidence is low and you explicitly choose to use online verification.
Data Sent: Only the plant photo you are identifying. No other personal data is transmitted.
Plant.id Privacy: Plant.id processes images according to their privacy policy.

5. Data Storage and Security

Local Storage: Your plant collection, care schedules, and photos are stored locally on your device.
Weather Location: Your selected city/location is stored locally on your device, not on our servers.
Cloud Storage (Optional): If you use backup features, data is encrypted and stored securely on Firebase.
Encryption: All data transmitted to third-party services uses industry-standard TLS encryption.
Access Controls: Strict access controls limit who can access any stored data.

6. Data Retention

Local data remains on your device until you delete it or uninstall the app.
Account data is retained until you request deletion.
Analytics data is anonymized and aggregated within 30 days.
Support communications are retained for 2 years to provide better service.
Weather/location data is ephemeral (used to fetch weather, then discarded).

7. Your Rights (GDPR, CCPA, and Global)

Regardless of where you're located, we respect your privacy rights:

Right to Access

Request a copy of your personal data we hold.

Right to Rectification

Request correction of inaccurate personal data.

Right to Erasure

Request deletion of your personal data ("right to be forgotten").

Right to Portability

Receive your data in a portable, machine-readable format.

Right to Object

Object to processing of your personal data.

Right to Withdraw Consent

Withdraw consent at any time for optional features.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@botanai.app. We respond within 30 days.

8. Children's Privacy

BotanAI is designed for general audiences but is not directed to children under 13 (or 16 in some jurisdictions). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have collected information from a child, please contact us immediately at privacy@botanai.app.

9. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services:

Service	Purpose	Data Shared
Firebase (Google)	Authentication, cloud backup, analytics	Email (if signed in), anonymous usage data
Plant.id (Kindwise)	Online plant identification (opt-in)	Plant photos only (when you consent)
Open-Meteo	Weather data for care recommendations	City-level coordinates (no personal data)
Groq	AI Plant Doctor chat	Your questions (no personal identifiers)
Google Play	App distribution, in-app purchases	Purchase data (handled by Google)

Each service has its own privacy policy governing their data practices. We encourage you to review them.

10. International Data Transfers

BotanAI is available worldwide. When you use third-party services (Firebase, Plant.id, Open-Meteo), your data may be processed in countries outside your own. These services comply with applicable data protection regulations, including GDPR requirements for EU-US data transfers.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date. For significant changes, we will provide prominent notice in the app.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or want to exercise your data rights, contact us:

Privacy Requests: privacy@botanai.app

General Support: support@botanai.app

Website: botanai.app

Response Time: We aim to respond to all privacy requests within 30 days.

Privacy Policy

Privacy-First by Design