Privacy Policy

Introduction

Welcome to folio, a nature observation app that turns chance encounters with living things into lasting memories. folio is operated by an individual developer ("we," "us," or "our").

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use the folio iOS application. Please read this policy carefully. If you disagree with its terms, please discontinue use of the app.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by updating the "Last updated" date at the top of this document.

Information We Collect

Information you provide directly

• Email address — collected when you sign in with Apple or Google. In the case of Sign in with Apple, you may choose to hide your real email; we will receive the relay address Apple provides.
• Memory notes — optional text you write to accompany a species encounter.

Information collected automatically

• Photos / Camera — images you capture or select from your photo library for species identification. Your photo is uploaded to our servers to process the request.
• Location (GPS) — the approximate location at the time of a sighting, used to record where you encountered a species. Location is accessed only when you actively use the identification feature.
• Timestamps — the date and time of each encounter, extracted from photo metadata or recorded at the moment of identification.
• Device information — basic device identifiers and OS version, used for debugging and compatibility.

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Identify species in photos you submit and generate watercolor portraits of those species.
• Build and display your personal Collection (My folio), including encounter location, time, and species information.
• Associate your data with your account so it persists across sessions.
• Enforce usage limits for free-tier users.
• Process in-app subscription purchases via Apple's payment system.
• Respond to support inquiries sent to folio.foraging@gmail.com.
• Improve species identification accuracy and overall app quality.

We do not sell your personal information. We do not use your data for remarketing or advertising.

Third-Party Services

Google Gemini API

Your photos are transmitted to Google's Gemini API for species identification and watercolor portrait generation. We do not store your original photos after identification is complete. See Google's Privacy Policy.

Supabase

We use Supabase as our database provider to store account information, encounter history, and generated portraits. See Supabase's Privacy Policy.

Cloudflare R2

Generated portraits and image assets are stored using Cloudflare R2 object storage. See Cloudflare's Privacy Policy.

Sign in with Apple / Google Sign-In

Authentication is handled by Apple or Google. We receive only an email address (or relay address) and a unique identifier. We do not receive your password.

Apple In-App Purchases

All subscription payments are processed by Apple via the App Store. We do not collect or store payment card information.

Location Data

• Location is accessed only when you actively use the identification feature, not continuously in the background.
• You may deny location access; the app will still function, but encounter location will not be recorded.
• We do not share your location data with third parties for advertising or analytics purposes.

Camera & Photo Access

Photos submitted for identification are transmitted to the Gemini API for processing and are not retained on our servers after identification is complete. The watercolor portrait generated from your encounter is stored separately and does not contain the original image.

Data Retention

We retain your account data and encounter history for as long as your account remains active. If you delete your account, we will delete your personal data within 30 days, except where retention is required by law. To request deletion, contact folio.foraging@gmail.com.

Children's Privacy

folio is intended for users who are 13 years of age or older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at folio.foraging@gmail.com and we will delete it promptly.

Your Rights — California Residents (CCPA / CPRA)

Effective January 1, 2023, California residents have the right to:

• Know what personal data we collect, its sources, and how it is used.
• Delete personal information we have collected.
• Correct inaccurate personal information.
• Opt out of sale or sharing — we do not sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.
• Non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights.

To exercise these rights, contact folio.foraging@gmail.com. We will respond within 45 days.

Your Rights — EU / EEA Residents (GDPR)

Under the General Data Protection Regulation, you have the right to access, rectify, erase, restrict, or port your personal data, and to object to its processing. Our legal basis for processing is the performance of our contract with you. To exercise any of these rights or to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, contact folio.foraging@gmail.com.

CalOPPA

In accordance with the California Online Privacy Protection Act (effective January 1, 2014), we will notify users of any material policy changes by updating the effective date at the top of this document. We honor Do Not Track signals and do not track users across third-party websites.

Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures including encrypted data transmission (HTTPS/TLS), access controls, and secure cloud infrastructure. However, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure.

Contact

We aim to respond to all inquiries within 5 business days.