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PlantMD Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 14, 2026

This policy explains what data PlantMD ("the app") collects, why, and how it's used.

What we collect

Photos you take or choose. When you diagnose a plant or use species identification, the photo is sent to our backend server, which forwards it to Anthropic's Claude API to generate a diagnosis or species guess. We do not store your photos on our servers beyond what's needed to process the request; photos you save are stored locally on your device (via Apple's SwiftData framework), not on our servers.

Plant and care data you enter. Nicknames, species, watering schedules, and care task settings are stored locally on your device. This data is not transmitted to us except when you initiate a diagnosis, species identification, or Botanist chat request, in which case only the relevant photo or chat text is sent — not your full plant list.

Botanist chat messages. Messages you send to the Botanist chat feature are sent to our backend and forwarded to Claude to generate a response. Chat history is stored locally on your device.

Purchase information. Subscription purchases are handled entirely by Apple via StoreKit. We do not receive or store your payment details. We only learn whether you have an active subscription, via Apple's standard transaction verification.

Notifications. Watering and care reminders are scheduled locally on your device using Apple's notification system. We do not use a push notification server, so we never see when or whether a reminder fires.

What we don't do

• We don't use third-party advertising or analytics SDKs.
• We don't sell or share your data with data brokers.
• We don't track you across other apps or websites.
• We don't require account creation — there's no PlantMD account or login.

Third parties involved

• Anthropic (Claude API): processes photos and chat text you submit to generate diagnoses, species guesses, and chat replies. See Anthropic's own privacy policy at anthropic.com/legal/privacy.
• Apple (StoreKit, local notifications, iCloud if applicable): handles subscription payments and on-device notification scheduling.
• Google Cloud Run: hosts the backend server that relays diagnosis, species identification, and Botanist chat requests to Claude.

Data retention

Local data (plants, photos, chat history, care settings) stays on your device until you delete the app or the relevant item. You can delete individual plants, diagnoses, or chat messages at any time within the app. Server-side, photo/text payloads sent for processing are not retained after the response is returned, beyond standard operational logging.

Children's privacy

PlantMD is not directed at children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect data from them.

Your choices

• Camera and photo library access can be revoked anytime in iOS Settings → PlantMD.
• Notification permission can be revoked anytime in iOS Settings → Notifications → PlantMD.
• You can delete any plant, diagnosis, or chat message from within the app, which removes it from local storage immediately.

Contact

Questions about this policy: kahuna@me.com

Changes to this policy

We'll update the "Last updated" date above when this policy changes. Material changes will be reflected in the app's release notes.