Specia Privacy Policy
Last updated: September 25, 2026
Specia (“the app”) identifies plants from your photos and keeps a personal
collection of your observations. This policy explains what data the app
collects, where it goes, and the choices you have.
Data the app collects
- Account information. If you create an account, your email address and
display name are stored to sync your collection across devices.
- Photos. Photos you take or pick for identification are stored on your
device and uploaded to cloud storage so they can sync and be shown back to
you (and to a human botanist if you request a review).
- Location. If you grant location access, each identification is stamped
with GPS coordinates so your observations appear on your map. Location is
never tracked in the background — it is read only when you identify a plant.
- Identifications. Species names, confidence scores, and AI-generated
notes related to your photos.
- Push notification token. If you allow notifications, a device push token
is stored with your profile so the app can notify you when a botanist
answers one of your submissions. Notifications are delivered through Expo’s
push service and Google Firebase Cloud Messaging. The token is removed when
you sign out or delete your account.
How your data is used
- To identify plants: photos are sent to plant-identification providers
(Pl@ntNet, Plant.id, and/or iNaturalist) over HTTPS.
- To answer optional “AI insights” and “second opinion” requests: the species
name and/or photo is sent to a large-language-model provider.
- To sync your collection: your observations and photos are stored in a
Supabase-hosted database and private storage bucket, readable only by you.
- To review submissions: if you explicitly send an observation to a botanist,
reviewers with the botanist role can see those photos, your notes, and your
display name.
Your data is never sold, never used for advertising, and never shared with
third parties other than the identification/AI providers described above,
and only for the purpose you triggered.
Data retention and deletion
Your data stays until you delete it. You can delete individual observations
in the app at any time (long-press an entry in Collection), which removes them
from the cloud as well. You can delete your entire account and all associated
cloud data in the app via Profile → Delete account. Photos saved on your
device remain on your device and can be removed by uninstalling the app.
Permissions
- Camera — required to photograph plants for identification.
- Photo library — optional, only if you identify from existing photos.
- Location (while in use) — optional; only used to stamp observations for
the map. Denying it does not affect identification.
- Notifications — optional; only used to tell you when a botanist answers
a submission. Denying it does not affect anything else.
Security
Data travels over HTTPS. Cloud data is protected by row-level security so
only you (and botanist reviewers, for submissions you explicitly send) can
access it.
Children
The app is not directed at children under 13 and does not knowingly collect
data from them.
Changes
If this policy changes, the updated version will be posted at this URL with a
new “last updated” date.
Questions or deletion requests: tjohns92109@gmail.com