Privacy Policy
Last updated June 30, 2026
Green Thumb is a plant care tracking app developed by Ryan Roark. This privacy policy explains how the app handles your information.
Information We Collect
Green Thumb is designed with privacy in mind. The app stores only what is necessary to provide its features, and nearly all of that data lives entirely on your device.
- Plant data — plant names, species, notes, purchase dates, care logs (watering, fertilizing, repotting history), and photos you add are stored locally on your device using Apple's SwiftData framework.
- App settings & preferences — accent color, default plant view, notification reminder time, auto-sync preference, dismissed banner IDs, and your free identification usage count are stored locally on your device.
- Plant identification photos — when you use the Identify Plant feature, the photo you select or capture is sent to Plant.id, a third-party plant identification service. These photos are processed according to Plant.id's own privacy policy. You can choose not to use this feature if you prefer not to share photos with Plant.id. The app tracks how many free identifications you have used locally on your device.
- Web page content — when you use the Scan from Web feature, the visible text content of the page you are viewing is processed on your device using Apple Intelligence to extract plant care information. This text is never transmitted to Green Thumb or any third party.
- Notification preferences — your notification settings and care reminder schedule are stored locally on your device.
No Account Required
Green Thumb does not require you to create an account or provide any personal information such as your name, email address, or phone number. The app works entirely without registration.
Data Storage
All plant data, care history, photos, and preferences are stored locally on your device. Green Thumb does not operate any servers or databases that store your personal information.
iCloud Sync (Pro feature): If you are a Green Thumb Pro subscriber and are signed into iCloud, your plant data may be synced to Apple's iCloud servers via CloudKit. Green Thumb does not have direct access to data stored in iCloud — it is transmitted directly between your device and Apple's servers. You can disable iCloud sync at any time in the Green Thumb Settings screen or in your device's Settings app. iCloud data is subject to Apple's Privacy Policy.
Camera & Photo Library
Green Thumb requests access to your camera and photo library for two purposes:
- Plant photos — you can take a photo or choose one from your library to attach to a plant in your collection. These photos are stored only on your device (and in iCloud if sync is enabled).
- Plant identification — you can take or select a photo to identify a plant species. The photo is temporarily processed on your device before being sent to Plant.id (see Third-Party Services). Temporary copies used during processing are discarded after the request completes.
Camera and photo library access is only used when you explicitly initiate one of these actions. Green Thumb does not access your camera or photo library in the background.
Notifications
Green Thumb may send local push notifications to remind you to water, fertilize, or repot your plants. These notifications are scheduled entirely on your device based on your care history and your configured reminder time. No notification data is transmitted to external servers. Green Thumb does not send marketing or promotional push notifications. You can disable notifications at any time in your device's Settings app.
In-App Purchases
Green Thumb offers a Green Thumb Pro subscription that unlocks additional features. All purchases are processed by Apple through StoreKit. Green Thumb does not collect or store your payment information — billing is handled entirely by Apple and is subject to Apple's Terms of Sale. Your subscription status is verified locally through StoreKit and is not transmitted to Green Thumb's servers.
Data Export & Sharing
Green Thumb allows you to export your plant collection and care history as a CSV file at any time from the Settings screen. You can also generate shareable collection cards as images. Exported files and share cards are created temporarily on your device and are only shared through the standard iOS share sheet — you choose where they go. Green Thumb does not transmit export data to any server.
Analytics & Advertising
Green Thumb does not use any analytics SDKs, crash reporting services, or advertising networks. No usage data, behavioral data, or device identifiers are collected or transmitted by the app. The app contains no advertisements.
Third-Party Services
Green Thumb uses the following third-party services:
Plant.id
Used for plant identification when you take or upload a photo in the Identify Plant feature. Photos are processed according to Plant.id's privacy policy. You can choose not to use the identification feature if you prefer not to share photos with Plant.id.
Apple iCloud / CloudKit
Used for optional cross-device sync for Green Thumb Pro subscribers. Data is transmitted directly between your device and Apple's servers. See Apple's Privacy Policy for details.
Apple StoreKit
Used to process and verify Green Thumb Pro subscription purchases. All payment information is handled by Apple. See Apple's Terms of Sale for details.
Apple Intelligence
Green Thumb uses Apple Intelligence — Apple's on-device AI system — to generate personalized insights and recommendations for your plants. This includes analysis of your care history, watering and fertilizing patterns, and plant health trends to surface suggestions and help you better care for your collection.
All Apple Intelligence processing happens entirely on your device. Your plant data, care logs, and activity history are never sent to Apple or any third party as part of this feature. Apple Intelligence is subject to Apple's Privacy Policy.
Web Browsing
The Scan from Web feature includes an embedded web browser that allows you to navigate to plant care websites. When you scan a page, the visible text is processed entirely on your device using Apple Intelligence — nothing is sent to external servers. Web pages you visit through this browser are subject to the privacy policies of those individual websites. Green Thumb does not track, log, or store your browsing history.
Data Retention
Your data is retained on your device for as long as you use the app. You control when it is deleted. Green Thumb does not retain copies of your data on any external server.
Children's Privacy
Green Thumb does not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. The app does not require account creation or any personal information to use. If you believe a child under 13 has submitted information through the app, please contact us so we can address it.
Data Deletion
You can delete all app data at any time from within the app by going to Settings → Delete All Data. This permanently removes all plants, photos, care history, and preferences from your device. You can also delete all app data by deleting the Green Thumb app from your device.
If you have iCloud sync enabled, removing data from your device may not immediately remove data from iCloud. To fully delete iCloud data, go to Settings → [Your Name] → iCloud → Manage Account Storage → Green Thumb and delete the associated data.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Any changes will be reflected on this page with an updated date. Continued use of the app after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
Contact
If you have any questions about this privacy policy or how Green Thumb handles your data, please reach out: