Willowkeep is a plant care companion app. Your plants, journal entries, and settings live entirely on your device. We don't run a backend database and we don't store your personal data in the cloud. This page explains exactly what that means.
Permissions we request
Camera
Willowkeep asks for camera access so you can photograph your plants. Photos are used in two ways: saved to your on-device journal, or submitted to an AI service to identify a new plant (see AI Plant Identification below). Camera access is only used when you actively choose to take a photo — the camera is never accessed in the background.
Location
Willowkeep uses your approximate location to fetch local weather data. Weather is used to adjust your watering reminders — for example, reminders are moved earlier on hot days, or skipped after significant rainfall. Your coordinates are sent to WeatherAPI.com to retrieve this data and are not stored by us. Location is fetched at most twice per day and only when a watering reminder is relevant. You can enter your city name manually instead if you prefer not to grant location access.
AI plant identification
When you use the “Scan New Plant” or “Ask Sprout” features, your photo or question is sent to an AI service. How that happens depends on your tier:
Free and Pro tiers
Requests are routed through a lightweight Willowkeep proxy (hosted on Vercel) which forwards the request to Google's Gemini API on your behalf. The proxy does not store the photo or the response — it only forwards the request and returns the AI's answer. No personally identifiable information is attached. We pay the AI cost for these tiers; in exchange the proxy enforces a rate limit per device so the service stays sustainable.
Keeper tier (Bring Your Own Key)
With the Keeper one-time purchase, you supply your own API key for Anthropic (Claude), OpenAI (ChatGPT), or Google (Gemini) in the app's Settings. Your key is stored only on your device using your platform's secure storage (Android Keystore). When you scan or ask a question, the app talks directly to your chosen provider from your phone — the request never passes through any Willowkeep server. We never see, transmit, log, or back up your API key. If you uninstall the app the key goes with it.
Data storage
All data — plant names, watering schedules, journal entries, and photos — is stored locally on your device using SQLite and your device's app-specific storage. No account is required to use Willowkeep. Uninstalling the app removes all data from your device. The app's Settings screen shows exactly how much storage Willowkeep is using.
Third-party services
- WeatherAPI.com. Used for local weather data. Your approximate location coordinates are sent to retrieve current conditions. See their privacy policy.
- Anthropic, OpenAI, Google AI. Used for plant identification. Photos you submit for scanning are processed by whichever AI provider is active for your tier. No personally identifiable information is attached. Refer to the respective provider's privacy policy for details.
- RevenueCat. Used to validate in-app purchases (Pro subscription and Keeper one-time purchase). Purchase data flows through Google Play and RevenueCat according to their respective privacy policies. We receive only your subscription status, not your payment details.
- Firebase (Google). Used for two narrow purposes. First, an anonymous sign-in token is generated at first launch and attached to every request sent to the Willowkeep AI proxy — it contains no personal information and cannot be linked back to you. Second, one analytics event (
plant_added) is fired when you add a new plant, recording only the plant's species and archetype. No names, photos, account details, or device identifiers are included. See Google's Firebase privacy policy.
What we don't do
- We collect one anonymous analytics event (
plant_added) to understand which plants people grow. No personal data is attached. We do not track your behaviour, build profiles, or sell data. - We do not sell or share your data with advertisers.
- We do not require an account or email address.
- We do not transmit your journal entries, plant names, or photos to any server except as described above (AI scanning and weather).
Children's privacy
Willowkeep is not directed at children under 13 and does not knowingly collect any personal information from children.
Changes to this policy
If we update this policy, the new version will be posted here with a revised date. Significant changes will be noted in the app's release notes.
Saying hello
Questions or concerns about your privacy? Reach us at contact@willowkeep.app. We read every message.
— The Willowkeep gardener