Last updated: April 21, 2026

Tilth is built with the idea that your garden’s memory should belong to you. This policy explains, in plain terms, what information the app handles, where it goes, and what you can do about it.

The short version

  • Your garden data lives on your device. Plant names, beds, photos, check-ins, diagnoses, soil readings — all stored locally in an encrypted SwiftData store. We never copy it to a server.
  • Some features need the internet. Diagnoses call an AI model; weather comes from Apple and a weather provider; usage counts go to an anonymous analytics service. We only send what each feature strictly requires.
  • We don’t collect personal information. No names, emails, addresses, or phone numbers. No cross-app tracking identifiers. No ad networks.
  • You can delete everything by deleting the app. There is no account to close, no server copy to wipe. Uninstalling Tilth removes every plant, photo, and diagnosis from your device.

What data Tilth handles

On your device only

These stay on your iPhone in Tilth’s private storage and are never sent anywhere:

  • Your garden’s name, bed names and properties, plant names and varieties
  • Photos you take for check-ins or diagnoses
  • Check-in notes, actions, and weather snapshots
  • Soil composition, pH readings, amendment log
  • Diagnosis records (your concern, the AI’s response, your rating)
  • Transplant events

Sent to third-party services when you use a feature

Certain features require a network call. When you invoke them, Tilth sends only what that feature needs, nothing else:

  • AI diagnosis (when you tap “Why isn’t this growing?”)
    • What we send: the plant’s profile, its bed’s soil and light conditions, recent weather history for your location, your typed concern, and an optional photo you attached.
    • Sent via our own Cloudflare Worker proxy, which forwards to Anthropic’s Claude API.
    • Anthropic’s privacy practices: https://www.anthropic.com/privacy
  • Weather (Weather tab, diagnosis context)
  • USDA hardiness zone detection (when you grant location)
    • What we send: your garden’s latitude and longitude.
    • Sent to the Claude API via our proxy to translate coordinates into a USDA zone. If you decline location, you can pick a zone manually in onboarding — no coordinates are sent in that case.
  • Plant profiles (the “ideal conditions” shown when you add a plant)
    • What we send: the plant’s common name you typed in.
    • Sent to the Claude API via our proxy. The returned profile is cached on your device so the same plant isn’t re-queried.
  • In-app feedback (Settings → Send feedback)
    • What we send: the category you picked, your free-text message, your app version and device model (iPhone model, iOS version). No names, no emails.
    • Sent to a private Telegram chat where we read beta feedback, via our Cloudflare Worker proxy.
  • Anonymous usage analytics (always on)
    • What we send: counts of feature usage (a bed was created, a diagnosis was submitted, the paywall was shown). Events include your app version, iOS version, and device model. No content from your garden — we don’t know what plants you grow or what you asked the AI.
    • Sent to TelemetryDeck, a privacy-focused analytics service.
    • User identification uses an anonymous hashed identifier that cannot be traced back to you.
    • TelemetryDeck privacy: https://telemetrydeck.com/privacy

Our Cloudflare Worker proxy

Every network call to an AI or weather service routes through a Cloudflare Worker we run. The proxy:

  • Holds the actual API keys server-side so they don’t ship on your device.
  • Rate-limits per-device by an anonymous UUID stored in your Keychain (no personal link to you).
  • Logs the HTTP method, path, and response status for operational monitoring.
  • Does not log request bodies, response bodies, or identifying information about you.

Data we do NOT collect

  • Your name, email, phone number, or address.
  • Your contacts, calendar, reminders, or other on-device data outside Tilth’s own storage.
  • Your Apple ID or Game Center information.
  • Advertising identifiers (IDFA). Tilth does not use App Tracking Transparency because it does not track you across apps or websites.

Permissions we request

  • Location (while using the app) — so Weather and USDA zone detection work. You can decline and set your zone manually; the Weather tab will explain what’s affected.
  • Camera — so you can photograph plants during check-ins and diagnoses.
  • Photo library — so you can attach existing photos to check-ins and diagnoses.

Each permission is optional. Declining one disables the feature that depends on it and nothing else.

Your rights and choices

  • Delete all data. Uninstalling Tilth removes every plant, photo, diagnosis, and preference from your device. There is no server copy.
  • Revoke permissions. Toggle location, camera, or photo access in iOS Settings → Tilth at any time. The app adapts gracefully.
  • Export your data. A future version of Tilth will let you export your garden as a portable archive (Markdown + photos). This is a planned feature; the placeholder in Settings currently reads “Coming soon.”
  • Opt out of analytics. Analytics is on by default during the beta. A future version will add a toggle to opt out.

Children

Tilth is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect information from children. If you believe a child has used the app and sent information, contact us and we will help identify anything to delete.

Security

  • Tilth’s on-device storage uses Apple’s default data protection, which encrypts at rest when the device is locked.
  • Network calls use HTTPS end to end, including to our own Worker proxy.
  • The Keychain UUID used for proxy rate limiting is stored in the iOS Keychain with default device-bound protection and never leaves your device except as a request header.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as Tilth adds features or changes which services it uses. Material changes will be announced in the app’s release notes. The “Last updated” date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision.

Contact

Questions, concerns, or data-deletion requests: mikespearman.e@gmail.com