BalconyGardenWeb for iOS and Android — Privacy Policy
Last updated: 11 August 2026
We don’t run ads, we don’t sell data, and we don’t want data we don’t need.
This policy covers the BalconyGardenWeb apps for iPhone and Android. Both
apps behave the same way and are described together below; where the platforms differ
— only in who bills you — that is called out. The website has its own policy at
balconygardenweb.com/privacy-policy.
What stays on your device
Your plant list, notes, photos you attach to plants, care reminders, quiz progress, and settings are stored only on your device. Reminders are local notifications — they never touch a server. Deleting the app deletes all of this.
What is sent to our servers, and why
Four features talk to our own server. Identify: your photo goes to our server and then to Kindwise (Plant.id) to recognize the plant; we don’t keep a copy after the request completes. Ask: your question goes to our server and then to Anthropic (Claude) to generate the answer, together with relevant snippets from our articles. Watch: the app asks our server for the list of videos on our YouTube channel, and sends nothing about you beyond the device identifier below. Premium: the app sends your subscription transaction — from Apple on iPhone, from Google Play on Android — so the server can confirm it; see Purchases below.
The one identifier we use
The app generates a random device identifier on first launch. It isn’t your name, email, Apple ID, Google Account, or advertising ID. We use it only to protect the service from abuse, to count free-tier usage, and to hold your premium subscription if you buy one. Reinstalling the app resets it — on Android the app is excluded from Google’s automatic backup and device transfer precisely so that stays true.
What we never do
No user accounts. No advertising, ad SDKs, analytics SDKs, or trackers. No selling, renting, or sharing your data beyond the two processing providers named above.
Purchases
On iPhone, premium subscriptions are billed by Apple — we never see your payment details, and you can manage or cancel anytime in your Apple ID settings. To unlock premium in the app, the app sends the Apple-signed transaction — the transaction id, the product id and the expiry date — to our server, which checks it and stores it against your random device identifier so the subscription keeps working; that record is kept permanently. The app also gives Apple the same device identifier as the purchase’s app account token, so a subscription you restore can be matched back to your install.
On Android, premium subscriptions are billed by Google Play — we never see your payment details, and you can manage or cancel anytime under Subscriptions in the Play Store. The app sends the purchase token to our server, which checks it directly with Google Play and stores the resulting transaction id, product id and period end against your random device identifier, exactly as on iPhone. We do not receive your Google Account, your name, or your payment method.
Data we collect, in App Store terms
| Data | Used for | Linked to you | Tracking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photos you submit to Identify | App functionality | No | No |
| Questions you type into Ask | App functionality | No | No |
| Random device identifier | Abuse prevention, free-tier counting | No | No |
| Purchase history (your subscription transaction) | App functionality | No | No |
Data we collect, in Google Play terms
| Data | Purpose | Collected | Shared | Optional |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Photos (submitted to Identify) | App functionality | Yes, processed in transit and not stored | Yes — Kindwise (Plant.id) | Yes |
| Other user-generated content (your Ask questions) | App functionality | Yes, processed in transit and not stored | Yes — Anthropic | Yes |
| Device or other IDs (random per-install identifier) | App functionality, fraud prevention | Yes | No | No |
| Purchase history (your subscription transaction) | App functionality | Yes | No | Yes |
No data is collected for advertising or analytics, and none of it is used to track you
across apps or websites. Data is encrypted in transit. You can request deletion at the
address below.
Who processes your data
- Kindwise (Plant.id) — receives the photo you submit to Identify, to recognize the plant.
- Anthropic — receives your Ask question, to generate the answer.
- Apple — handles all subscription payments on iPhone. We never receive your payment details.
- Google Play — handles all subscription payments on Android, and confirms to our server that a purchase is valid. We never receive your payment details.
Requests reach these providers through our own server. We do not keep a copy of your
photo or question after the request completes.
Children
The app is not directed at children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect personal
information from them. There are no accounts, and nothing in the app asks for a name,
email address or date of birth.
Your choices
- Delete everything: deleting the app removes your plants, notes, photos, reminders and the device identifier from your phone. If you have subscribed, your subscription record stays on our server against the old random identifier so the subscription can be restored — it holds no name, email or payment details, and it is not linked to you. Write to us at the address below if you want it erased.
- Camera and photo access: optional, and only used when you start an identification. Revoke anytime in your phone’s Settings.
- Notifications: optional, scheduled entirely on your device.
- Watching a video: tapping a video in Watch opens it in the YouTube app or your browser, which is governed by Google’s privacy policy, not this one. Nothing about you is sent to YouTube by our app.
Changes
If this policy changes materially, the updated date above will change and the revised
policy will appear both here and inside the app.
Contact
Questions about this policy, or a request about your data:
[email protected]
