This Privacy Policy explains how Raxnet LLC (“Raxnet,” “we,” “us”) collects, uses and shares information when you use the Plant Cove mobile app and website (together, “Plant Cove”). We’ve tried to write it plainly. If anything is unclear, write to us at [email protected].
1Your privacy, your plants
The plants you keep and the notes you write about them are yours. We collect only what Plant Cove needs to work, we don’t sell your personal information, and you can delete your data at any time. You can withdraw your consent by deleting your account or the app’s data, as described below. Your use of Plant Cove is also governed by our Terms of Use, including its age requirements.
2Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. We’ll post the new version here and change the effective date above. If a change materially affects how we handle information we’ve already collected, we’ll tell you in the app and ask for your consent where the law requires it.
3Age and consent
Plant Cove relies on the age information provided by the Apple App Store or Google Play to meet age requirements. We don’t collect government IDs or exact birthdates, and we use any age information we receive only to comply with the law.
Plant Cove isn’t directed to children under 13, and we don’t knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child has given us personal information, contact us and we’ll delete it.
4Information you give us
- Your plant collection. Plant names, species, rooms, pots, care intervals, check-in history and journal entries (notes, stamps and dates).
- Photos you add. Pictures you take or choose from your library for a plant’s notebook. Plant Cove only opens your camera or photo library when you ask it to, and only uses the photos you pick. When you add a plant from a photo, we send that photo to Pl@ntNet to identify the species, as described under Service providers and partners.
- Account information. Your name, email address and, if you sign in with Apple or Google, the identifier that service provides.
- Messages to us. When you email us or send feedback, we keep what you send and your contact details so we can reply.
5Information collected automatically
- Device and app information. Device model, operating system and app version, language and time zone, used to keep check-ins on schedule and to fix problems.
- Diagnostics. Our servers keep logs of requests and errors so we can find and fix problems. When the app or our servers hit an error, a report goes to Sentry with the device model, operating system and app version, the screens opened and taps made just before it, and a replay of the screen with all text and images masked. We don’t use this information for advertising.
- Notifications. Whether you want check-in reminders is saved with your account. You can turn them off in the app or in your device settings at any time.
- Website logs. When you visit our website, our website host, Cloudflare, records standard information such as IP address, browser type and the pages you visit.
6How we use information
- To run Plant Cove: show your shelf, identify the plants you photograph and fill in their care details, keep your notebooks, schedule check-ins and sync your collection across your devices.
- To improve Plant Cove: learn which features help, fix bugs and plan what to build next.
- To talk with you: answer your messages and send important notices about your account, security or changes to our policies. These are essential to the service, so you can’t opt out of them.
- To keep Plant Cove safe and meet our legal obligations.
We don’t sell your personal information, and we don’t use your plants, photos or notes for advertising.
7Aggregated and de-identified information
We may combine information so it no longer identifies anyone (for example, how many plants a typical shelf holds) and use it to improve Plant Cove. We won’t try to re-identify it.
8Where your information is stored
Your account, collection, photos and notes are stored with our hosting provider, DigitalOcean, in the United States, so you can restore them and use them on more than one device. If you live outside the United States, your information will be transferred to and processed there.
9Data retention
We keep your information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide Plant Cove. When you delete a plant, a photo or your account, we remove the related data from our active systems promptly; copies in backups are removed within 30 days. Server logs are kept for up to 90 days. We may keep some information longer where the law requires it.
10Your choices
- Update your plants, notes and account details in the app at any time.
- Export a copy of your data by writing to [email protected].
- Delete your account in the app, under You › Sign-in and security › Delete account, or by asking us. Deleting your account explains both ways and what is removed.
- Permissions for the camera, photo library and notifications can be turned on or off in your device settings.
11Cookies and similar technologies
Our website doesn’t currently use analytics or advertising cookies. If we add website analytics in the future, such as Google Analytics, we’ll update this policy to explain what’s collected and how to opt out. The website loads its fonts from Google Fonts, so your browser contacts Google when you open a page. The app doesn’t use advertising identifiers.
12Service providers and partners
We share information only with the services that help us run Plant Cove, and only as much as each needs to do its part:
- DigitalOcean hosts our servers and database, where your account, collection, photos and notes are stored.
- Pl@ntNet, a plant identification service run by a group of French research institutes, receives the photo when you add a plant from one, so it can suggest the species. We send the photo on its own, without your name, email address or anything else from your account. Pl@ntNet’s terms say the photo is held only while it is being identified and is not stored.
- Anthropic provides the AI model, Claude, that writes the care basics for a species the first time anyone adds it. We send only the name of the species. Your photos, notes and account details are never sent.
- Resend delivers the emails Plant Cove sends you, such as confirming your address or resetting your password, and receives your name and email address to do so.
- Sentry receives error reports and performance measurements from the app and our servers so we can find and fix problems. They carry your account id, device details and the screens you were on, but not your name, email address, photos or notes.
- Google provides the mailbox behind [email protected], so it holds the messages you send us.
- Cloudflare hosts this website.
Where these services handle your personal information for us, they may use it only to provide their service to us.
Purchases made through the App Store or Google Play are handled by Apple or Google under their own privacy policies. We never see your payment card details.
13Legal requirements
We may disclose information if the law requires it, or if we believe in good faith that it’s needed to protect the rights, property or safety of Raxnet, our users or others. Where we’re allowed to, we’ll let you know first. If Raxnet is part of a merger, acquisition or sale of assets, your information may transfer as part of that deal, and this policy will continue to apply to it.
14Links to other websites
Plant Cove may link to websites we don’t run. We aren’t responsible for their privacy practices, so please read their policies.
15Security
We use industry-standard safeguards, including encryption in transit and at rest, and we limit access to the people who need it. No system is perfectly secure, so we can’t promise information will never be accessed without permission. If a breach affects your personal information, we’ll notify you by email as the law requires. Please help by keeping your device and sign-in details secure.
16Your California privacy rights
If you live in California, the California Consumer Privacy Act gives you the right to know what personal information we collect and how we use it, to ask us to delete or correct it, to opt out of its sale or sharing, and not to be treated differently for using these rights. We don’t sell or share personal information as the law defines those terms. To make a request, email [email protected]. We’ll need to verify your identity, usually by confirming the email address on your account.
17Questions and disputes
If you have a concern about how we handle your information, please contact us first and we’ll do our best to resolve it. You may also contact the Federal Trade Commission or your local data protection authority. Any dispute we can’t resolve together is handled as described in the Terms of Use.
18Reporting a security issue
If you believe you’ve found a security vulnerability in Plant Cove, please report it to [email protected]. While testing, please don’t use automated scanners, access other people’s data or disrupt the service.
19Contact us
Raxnet LLC
206 E Huron St
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
[email protected]