Your garden is personal. Plantiqo is designed to keep it on your device, send data to services only when a feature you use needs it, and give you clear controls.
1. Summary
- No Plantiqo account. You can use the app without signing up. We do not run a server that stores your garden.
- Your garden stays on your device. Plants, notes, care logs, photos and settings are stored locally in the app.
- AI only when you use it. A photo, voice clip or message is sent to Google Gemini only when you use an AI feature. You can turn AI off.
- Analytics and personalized ads are opt-in. Both are off until you turn them on in Profile › Privacy & Data.
- The free plan shows ads. Ads are non-personalized by default; the ad SDK still uses device identifiers for delivery, frequency capping and fraud prevention.
- You are in control. Export your data as JSON or delete everything in one tap.
2. Who we are
Plantiqo (“Plantiqo”, “the app”) is developed and published by BZOTech (“we”, “us”, “our”). This Privacy Policy explains what information the Plantiqo mobile app for iOS and Android and the website plantiqo.bzotech.com process, why, and the choices you have.
For any privacy question or request, contact us at [email protected].
3. Data stored on your device
Plantiqo is offline-first. The following information is created by you and stored in the app’s private storage on your phone. It is not uploaded to us:
- Your profile preferences (display name, experience level, language, units, reminder times, quiet hours).
- Your garden: zones, plants, species, care plans, tasks, care logs, notes and milestones.
- Photos you add to plants, health checks, recovery journeys and garden photo maps, and videos you create in the app.
- Health check results, AI chat history, AI garden briefs and the daily AI usage counter.
- The city you choose for weather alerts and cached forecasts.
- If you use your own Gemini API key, the key is kept only in the secure system storage (iOS Keychain / Android Keystore) and is shown masked.
This data stays on your device until you delete it, delete the app, or choose to back it up (see Google Drive backup). Deleting the app removes it from your device.
4. AI features (Google Gemini)
Plant identification, health checks, the AI assistant (chat), the AI Garden Brief and voice care logging are powered by Google’s Gemini models. When – and only when – you use one of these features, the app sends the content needed for that request:
- Photos you capture or select for identification, health checks or chat (compressed before sending).
- Voice recordings for voice logging. The microphone is used only while you record (up to 15 seconds); silent clips are not sent.
- Text you type, plus relevant garden context such as the plant’s species, care history, recent health checks, plant names and your selected language, so answers are specific to your plants.
You can choose how AI requests are processed in Profile › AI Settings:
- Plantiqo AI (built in): requests are sent through Firebase AI Logic to the Gemini API, operated by Google as our service provider. Firebase App Check verifies that requests come from a genuine copy of the app (using Apple App Attest or Google Play Integrity).
- Your own Gemini API key (BYOK): requests go directly from your device to Google’s Gemini API under your own Google account and key. Google’s terms for your key apply, which – depending on your Google plan – may allow Google to use the content to improve its services.
We do not store your AI requests or responses on our own servers, and we do not use them to train any model. AI results are saved only on your device. You can switch all AI features off in Profile › Privacy & Data; the rest of the app keeps working.
Reporting AI content. Every AI answer has a “Report” option. It opens your email app with a pre-filled message to [email protected] that may include the reported answer and your note. Nothing is sent unless you send that email.
5. Location and weather
Weather alerts are optional. You can either pick a city manually or allow approximate (coarse) location. Plantiqo never requests precise or background location.
To fetch forecasts, the app sends the approximate coordinates or the city name to Open-Meteo (open-meteo.com), a weather service that does not require an account. Forecasts are cached on your device for a few hours. We do not receive or store your location.
6. Google Drive backup (optional)
You can back up and restore your garden using your own Google Drive. When you connect, you sign in with Google on your device and grant the drive.appdata permission, which only allows Plantiqo to access a private, hidden app folder in your Drive – not your other files.
- The backup contains your garden database, settings and photos. It does not include created videos or your Gemini API key.
- Backups are transferred directly between your device and Google Drive. We never receive your Google account details, your backup files or your Drive content.
- Automatic weekly backup over Wi-Fi is enabled only after your first manual backup or restore. You can disconnect at any time in Profile › Backup, and remove the app data from Google Drive in your Google account settings (Drive › Settings › Manage apps).
Plantiqo’s use and transfer of information received from Google APIs adheres to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.
7. Analytics and crash reports (opt-in)
Usage analytics and crash reporting are off by default. If you turn on “Share analytics” in Profile › Privacy & Data, the app uses:
- Firebase Analytics – app interactions such as screen and feature names, option values and counts (for example “plant added” or “task completed”), together with an app instance identifier, device model, OS version, app version, language and approximate country.
- Firebase Crashlytics – crash and error reports including stack traces, device state and app version, to fix bugs.
We never include the content you create – plant names, notes, photos, voice recordings or AI messages – in analytics events. You can turn analytics off at any time; collection stops immediately.
The app also uses Firebase Remote Config to load settings such as daily AI limits and whether ads are enabled. This uses a Firebase installation identifier and does not involve your personal content.
8. Advertising
The free plan shows ads delivered through Appodeal and its ad network partners. Ads are never shown during onboarding and are removed with AI Plus. Optional rewarded ads give you extra AI requests.
- Non-personalized by default. Ads are not personalized unless you turn on “Personalized ads” in Profile › Privacy & Data.
- What ad SDKs process. To deliver and measure ads, limit how often you see them and prevent fraud, Appodeal and its partners may process your device’s advertising identifier (Android Advertising ID; on iOS the IDFA only if you allow tracking), IP address, device and app information, and ad interactions.
- iOS tracking. The App Tracking Transparency prompt is shown only if you turn on personalized ads. If you decline, the IDFA is not shared.
- EEA, UK and Switzerland. A consent management platform asks for your advertising choices as required by law. You can review them again with “Ad privacy choices” in Privacy & Data.
You can also reset or delete your advertising ID in your device settings. See Appodeal’s privacy policy for how it and its partners handle data.
9. Purchases
AI Plus subscriptions are sold and processed by Apple (App Store) or Google (Google Play). We do not receive your payment card details. The app checks your subscription status with the store on your device; we receive only anonymized sales reports from the stores.
10. Device permissions
| Permission | Used for | Required? |
|---|---|---|
| Camera | Scanning plants, health checks, progress and photo-map pictures | Optional – you can pick from your library or add plants manually |
| Photos | Choosing existing photos (system picker); saving videos you create to your gallery | Optional |
| Microphone | Voice care logging, only while you record | Optional – you can type instead |
| Approximate location | Local weather alerts | Optional – you can choose a city |
| Notifications | Morning care digest, weather and recovery reminders, scheduled on your device | Optional |
| Tracking (iOS only) | Personalized ads | Optional – asked only if you enable personalized ads |
You can change permissions at any time in your device settings.
12. Legal bases (EEA, UK)
Where the GDPR or UK GDPR applies, we rely on:
- Performance of a contract – to provide the features you request, such as AI answers, weather alerts, backup and subscriptions.
- Consent – for analytics and crash reports, personalized ads, location and other device permissions. You can withdraw consent at any time in the app.
- Legitimate interests – to keep the service secure (App Check), prevent fraud and show non-personalized ads that keep the free plan available.
13. Data retention
- On-device data is kept until you delete it in the app, use “Delete all data”, or uninstall the app.
- Google Drive backups stay in your Drive until you delete them or disconnect the app from your Google account.
- Analytics data (if enabled) is kept for no longer than 14 months; Crashlytics crash reports are kept for about 90 days.
- Emails you send us are kept as long as needed to answer you and for our records, then deleted.
- Data processed by Google, Appodeal and Open-Meteo is retained according to their own policies linked above.
14. Your choices and rights
In Profile › Privacy & Data you can at any time:
- Turn AI features, analytics and personalized ads on or off, and review ad privacy choices.
- Export your data as a JSON file.
- Delete all data stored by the app on your device.
Depending on where you live (for example the EEA, UK, Switzerland, California and other US states, Brazil, Japan or Vietnam), you may have the right to access, correct, delete, port or restrict the processing of your personal information, to object to processing, and to withdraw consent. Because almost all of your data is stored only on your device, the in-app controls are the fastest way to exercise these rights. For anything else, email [email protected]; we respond within 30 days. You may also complain to your local data protection authority.
California and other US state residents: we do not sell personal information. When you turn on personalized ads, ad partners may use device identifiers for cross-context behavioral advertising, which some laws treat as “sharing”. You can opt out at any time by turning personalized ads off; this does not affect any other feature.
15. Age requirement
Plantiqo is intended for adults aged 18 and over. The app is not directed to children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If you believe a child has provided information through the app, contact us and we will help remove it.
16. Security and international transfers
All network connections use encryption in transit (HTTPS/TLS). Your Gemini API key is stored in the operating system’s secure storage, and AI requests through Plantiqo AI are protected with Firebase App Check. No method of storage or transmission is completely secure, so please keep your device protected with a passcode.
Our service providers may process information in countries other than yours, including the United States. Where required, they rely on appropriate safeguards such as the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses.
17. This website
plantiqo.bzotech.com does not use cookies, analytics or advertising trackers, and loads no third-party scripts or fonts. Our hosting provider and its CDN (Cloudflare) process standard technical data such as IP address and browser information in server logs to deliver and protect the site.
18. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy as the app evolves. We will post the new version on this page and update the effective date above. If changes are significant, we will also let you know in the app before they take effect.
19. Contact us
BZOTech
Email: [email protected]
Website: plantiqo.bzotech.com