Privacy Policy
Last updated: October 11, 2026
Gardero (“we”, “us”, “our”) is a personalized garden care calendar operated by Jiří Zoudun, based in the Czech Republic. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal data when you use our mobile app, website (gardero.app), waitlist, and blog.
We respect your privacy and aim to collect only what we need to provide you with a great gardening experience.
1. What Data We Collect
Website & Blog
- Page views and usage statistics — collected via Google Analytics 4, with analytics cookies set only if you accept them in the cookie banner. This covers the pages you visit, how far you read an article, your approximate location (country and city, derived from your IP address, which Google Analytics does not store), device and browser type, language, and how you arrived (for example a search engine, an AI assistant, or a referring website).
- Cookieless measurement — if you decline analytics cookies or have not chosen yet, your browser sends Google only cookieless signals (such as a page view) without any cookie or persistent identifier. Google uses them solely for aggregated, modelled statistics; they cannot be used to recognise you on later visits.
- Waitlist sign-up event — when you join the waitlist, analytics records that a sign-up happened and the country you selected, never your email address.
Waitlist
- Email address — when you sign up for early access. Stored in Google Sheets and/or Buttondown (our email newsletter service).
Mobile App
When you create an account and use the Gardero app, we collect:
- Account information — email address, display name, and authentication data (including Google or Apple sign-in tokens).
- Garden and plant data — plant names, species, cultivars, planting dates, climate zone, and care task completion history.
- Plant photos — when you use the plant identification feature, photos are sent to our identification service to recognize the plant species. Photos are processed for identification only and are not stored by us afterward.
- Device tokens — to send you push notifications about seasonal care tasks (only with your permission).
- Subscription information — your plan status (free or Pro), purchase dates, and transaction identifiers. Actual payment processing is handled entirely by Apple App Store or Google Play — we never see your payment card details.
- Location information — your approximate location (e.g., city or region) may be collected to determine your climate zone and provide locally relevant care recommendations. This data is processed on our backend servers.
- App usage events — such as completing onboarding, adding plants, or interacting with the paywall. Used to improve the app experience.
2. Why We Collect It (Legal Bases)
Under the GDPR, we process your data based on these legal grounds:
| Legal basis | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Your consent | Waitlist signup, push notifications, website analytics cookies (Google Analytics) |
| Performance of a contract | Account creation, garden data, plant care features (including photo identification), subscription management |
| Legitimate interest | App usage analytics and cookieless, aggregated website measurement to improve our product |
You can withdraw consent at any time — see “Your Rights” below.
3. Third-Party Services
We use the following services to operate Gardero:
| Service | Provider | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Firebase Authentication | Google (US) | User account management and sign-in |
| Firebase Cloud Messaging | Google (US) | Push notifications |
| Firebase Analytics | Google (US) | App usage analytics |
| Google Cloud SQL | Google (EU region) | Database hosting for your garden data |
| Google Cloud Run | Google (EU region) | Backend API hosting |
| Plant.id | Kindwise (Czech Republic) | Plant identification from photos |
| RevenueCat | RevenueCat Inc. (US) | Subscription and entitlement management |
| Google Analytics 4 | Google Ireland Ltd / Google LLC (US) | Website analytics (cookies only with your consent) |
| Buttondown | Buttondown LLC (US) | Waitlist and email newsletter |
| Apple App Store | Apple Inc. (US) | App distribution and in-app purchases |
| Google Play Store | Google (US) | App distribution and in-app purchases |
For AI-powered care recommendations, we send plant species and climate zone information (not personal data or photos) to an AI provider (OpenAI or Google AI) to generate care schedules.
4. International Data Transfers
Your data is primarily stored in the EU (Google Cloud, EU region). Some of our service providers are based in the United States. For these transfers, we rely on:
- EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF) for providers that are certified under the framework.
- EU Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) included in our data processing agreements with US-based providers.
5. Data Security
We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your data, including encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS), secure authentication, and access controls on our infrastructure. Our backend runs on Google Cloud Platform, which provides enterprise-grade security and compliance certifications.
6. Data Retention
- Waitlist emails — kept until we launch and complete the early access period, or until you unsubscribe.
- Account and garden data — kept for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we delete your data within 30 days.
- App analytics — aggregated and anonymized; raw event data retained for up to 14 months (Firebase Analytics default).
- Website analytics — Google Analytics event data is retained for 14 months and then deleted automatically; aggregated reports may be kept longer.
7. Your Rights
Under the GDPR, you have the right to:
- Access — request a copy of your personal data.
- Rectification — correct inaccurate data.
- Erasure — request deletion of your data (“right to be forgotten”).
- Data portability — receive your data in a machine-readable format.
- Restriction — ask us to limit how we process your data.
- Object — object to processing based on legitimate interest.
- Withdraw consent — for any processing based on consent, at any time.
To exercise any of these rights, email us at support@gardero.app. We will respond within 30 days.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Czech data protection authority (ÚOOÚ — Úřad pro ochranu osobních údajů) or your local EU supervisory authority.
8. Cookies
The Gardero website uses a small number of first-party cookies:
| Cookie | Purpose | Type | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
gardero_locale | Remembers your preferred language | Strictly necessary | 30 days |
gardero_consent | Remembers your cookie choice | Strictly necessary | 6 months |
_ga, _ga_<ID> | Google Analytics: distinguishes visits and sessions | Analytics (only with your consent) | Up to 2 years |
Analytics cookies are set only after you click Accept in the cookie banner. You can change or withdraw your choice at any time via the Cookie settings link at the bottom of the website; withdrawing consent removes the Google Analytics cookies. We use Google Consent Mode, so while consent is not given, Google receives only the cookieless signals described in section 1.
We do not use any advertising cookies, and we do not share website data with Google for advertising or personalisation.
9. Children’s Privacy
Gardero is not directed at children under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 16. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will delete it.
10. Changes to This Policy
We may update this privacy policy from time to time. When we make significant changes, we will notify you through the app or by email. The “Last updated” date at the top reflects the most recent revision.
11. Contact
For any questions about this privacy policy or your personal data:
Email: support@gardero.app