Privacy Policy

Application: Plant Identifier: Scan & Care (Package: com.app.plantcarendidentify)

Last Updated: October 24, 2026

Welcome to Plant Identifier: Scan & Care ("we", "our", or "us"), provided and operated by App Studio Apps. We are committed to safeguarding your privacy and ensuring complete transparency about how your data is handled when you use our Android application available on Google Play.

1. Information We Collect

Our application is designed to provide instant plant identification, plant care guidance, and garden management tools while collecting only the minimal data necessary to deliver these features.

Data Category	Specific Information	How It Is Stored / Processed
Plant Identification Photos	Photos taken by the user to scan and identify plants, flowers, trees, and leaves.	Photos are processed temporarily for identification purposes using the device camera. Images may be transmitted to our image recognition API for accurate species identification and are not stored on external servers beyond the duration of the identification request.
Garden & Plant Collection Data	Saved plant profiles, identification history, care notes, watering logs, and reminder schedules.	Stored 100% locally on your Android device via encrypted SQLite/Room database. Never uploaded or shared externally.
Technical & Device Data	Android OS version, device model, language settings, network connectivity status, and approximate IP-based country.	Processed automatically by third-party advertising and analytics SDKs for ad delivery and crash diagnostics.
Advertising Identifiers	Google Advertising ID (GAID).	Used by Google AdMob for ad frequency capping and measurement, subject to your Google account privacy settings and GDPR/CCPA consent dialogs.

2. Android Permissions Declared & Purpose

In accordance with Google Play Developer Policy, every permission requested by the app is mapped to a direct functional purpose:

android.permission.CAMERA: Required to enable the core plant scanner feature — users point their camera at any plant, flower, or tree to receive an instant identification result. Camera access is activated only when the user initiates a scan. No images are captured in the background or without explicit user action.
Note: The device camera hardware is declared as optional (android:required="false") so the app remains installable on devices without a rear camera.
android.permission.INTERNET: Required to transmit plant scan images to the identification engine for accurate species recognition and to retrieve updated plant care guides and serve advertisements through Google AdMob.
android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE: Used to check whether an active internet connection is available before initiating plant identification API requests or ad requests.
android.permission.POST_NOTIFICATIONS: Optional on Android 13+ (API level 33 and higher). Used solely to deliver smart watering reminders and plant care schedule notifications configured by the user. You can enable or disable notifications at any time in your device settings.

Scoped Storage & Zero Media Permissions: Our application does NOT request or require READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE, READ_MEDIA_IMAGES, or WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permissions. All plant images taken within the app remain within the app's sandboxed private storage.

3. How We Use Collected Information

To perform instant plant, flower, and tree identification from user-submitted camera photos.
To deliver accurate plant care guides, disease diagnosis results, and botanical information for each identified species.
To power smart watering reminders, repotting alerts, and fertilizing schedules based on each plant's care requirements.
To maintain and display your personal garden collection and plant care history locally on your device.
To serve in-app advertisements via Google AdMob that keep the app available at no cost to users.
To detect, diagnose, and resolve technical crashes, bugs, and performance issues.
To ensure compliance with Google Play Developer Program Policies and applicable privacy laws.

4. Third-Party Services and SDK Disclosures

Google AdMob: Serves banner, interstitial, and rewarded advertisements. AdMob may collect and process device identifiers, IP addresses, and diagnostic information.
Learn more: Google Privacy & Terms | How Google Uses Data in Advertising
Google User Messaging Platform (UMP): Delivers European Economic Area (EEA) and UK GDPR consent dialogs compliant with IAB TCF v2.2.
Google Play Services: Provides core platform capabilities, in-app update management, and app review APIs.
Learn more: Google Play Services Privacy Policy
Firebase Crashlytics / Analytics (if enabled): Collects anonymous crash stack traces and app performance logs to help us resolve crashes quickly.
Plant Identification API: Plant scan images are transmitted to an AI-powered botanical recognition service solely for the purpose of identifying plant species, diseases, and care information. Images are processed transiently and are not retained by the service beyond the duration of the API call.

5. Data Sharing & Sale of Information

We do NOT sell, rent, lease, or trade your personal data or plant collection to any third party. Your garden history, care notes, identification logs, and device data never leave your device except where strictly necessary for plant identification API calls and ad delivery as described above.

6. User Accounts & Data Deletion Instructions

No Account Required: Plant Identifier: Scan & Care does not require user registration, login, or social authentication. You can use the full application anonymously without creating a user account.

Deleting In-App Data: You can wipe all plant identification history, garden collections, and care logs instantly by navigating to: Settings > Apps > Plant Identifier: Scan & Care > Storage > Clear Data or by uninstalling the application.
Resetting Google Advertising ID: Go to: Settings > Google > Ads > Delete Advertising ID to prevent ad networks from linking your app usage across sessions.
Direct Data Deletion Requests: Contact us at [email protected] for any data deletion inquiries.

7. GDPR Compliance (EEA and UK Users)

Right of Access & Portability: All your garden data and plant history reside directly in your local device storage.
Right to Rectification & Erasure: You can edit or delete any saved plant, care note, or reminder at any time within the app or by clearing app storage.
Consent Management: We utilize Google's certified Consent Management Platform (CMP) through the Google User Messaging Platform (UMP) SDK. You can review, grant, or withdraw advertising consent at any time.
Legal Basis: Data processed for plant identification and app functionality is based on legitimate interest; advertising data is processed based on user consent where required by GDPR.

8. CCPA / CPRA Compliance (California Residents)

You have the right to know what personal information is collected and how it is shared.
You have the right to request deletion of personal information.
We do not sell personal data for monetary consideration. You may opt out of cross-context behavioral advertising through Android OS settings or the in-app consent options.

9. Children's Privacy (COPPA Compliance)

Our application is designed for general audiences and is not directed toward children under the age of 13 (or under 16 in the EEA/UK). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided personal data, please contact us at [email protected] and we will take immediate action to delete such data.

10. Data Security Measures

All network communications for plant identification API calls and remote content delivery occur over secure, encrypted HTTPS / TLS 1.3 protocols. Your local garden collection and plant care data are stored within the Android app's sandboxed private storage, inaccessible to external applications.

11. Data Retention

Your plant collection, care logs, and identification history remain on your device for as long as the app remains installed. Plant images transmitted for identification are processed transiently and are not retained on external servers. Diagnostic crash logs transmitted to Google are retained according to Google's standard retention cycles (typically 90 days).

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy periodically. When updates occur, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this document. Continued use of the application after updates signifies acceptance of the revised policy.

13. Governing Law

This Privacy Policy shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with applicable consumer protection laws and regulations relevant to digital mobile software distributions on Google Play.

14. Contact Us

App Developer: App Studio Apps

Application: Plant Identifier: Scan & Care

Support Email: [email protected]