Effective date: July 13, 2026
Last updated: July 13, 2026

Wildways ("the app") is a native-plant and pollinator field companion published by Biota Mfg ("we", "us"). This policy explains what the app collects, how it is used, and the choices you have. Questions: wildways@biotamfg.co.

We keep data collection to the minimum needed to run the app. We do not sell your personal data, and we do not use it for advertising or cross-app tracking.

What we collect

If you create an account (optional). To save plants, contribute photos, or suggest plants, you create an account with your email address and a password, handled by our authentication provider (Supabase). Most of the app — finding native plants for your region — works with no account at all.

Your region. You can set your region by entering a ZIP code, picking a state, or (only if you grant permission) using your approximate device location. Location is used once to resolve the ecoregion and hardiness zone for your area; the resulting region (e.g. city/state and zone) is stored on your device so the app remembers it. To look up your USDA hardiness zone, your ZIP code is sent to a third-party service (phzmapi.org). We do not store your precise GPS coordinates.

Community photos and tips (only if you contribute). If you post a photo or tip, we store the image and caption, the plant it relates to, and your account ID. Approved photos and captions are public to other users of the app. Before upload, photos are resized and their location/EXIF metadata is stripped. To keep the community safe, each uploaded image and caption is screened by an automated moderation service (OpenAI) before it can appear; a copy of the moderation result is retained for audit.

Plant identification. The identifier is a step-by-step questionnaire that runs entirely on your device — it does not take, send, or store any photo, and needs no account. Your answers stay on your device.

Safety actions. If you report content or block a contributor, we store that action (linked to your account) so we can act on reports and honor your blocks.

Suggestions. If you suggest a plant to add, we store what you submit (name, optional region and reason) and your account ID.

We do not use third-party analytics, advertising, or crash-tracking SDKs.

How we use it

• To show the native plants and pollinators for your region.
• To let you save plants, contribute photos/tips, and suggest plants.
• To moderate community content and enforce reports and blocks.
• To respond to support requests.

Who we share it with

• Service providers who run the app on our behalf: Supabase (hosting, database, authentication, image storage) and OpenAI (automated content moderation of uploaded photos/captions). They process data only to provide these services.
• Other users, for community photos and captions you choose to post publicly.
• phzmapi.org, which receives your ZIP code to return a hardiness zone.
• We may disclose information if required by law or to protect the safety of users.

We never sell your data or share it with advertisers.

Your choices and rights

• Delete your account and content anytime in the app (Account → Delete account). This removes your account, your contributions, and your images.
• Delete individual posts anytime from the plant page.
• Block any contributor so you no longer see their posts.
• Location is optional — you can always set your region by ZIP or state, and you can revoke location permission in your device settings.
• Contact wildways@biotamfg.co to access or delete your data or ask questions.

Data retention

Account data and contributions are kept until you delete them (or your account). Reports and moderation records are kept as needed for safety and audit.

Children

Wildways is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them.

Changes

We may update this policy; material changes will be reflected by the "Last updated" date above.

Contact

Biota Mfg — Wildways · wildways@biotamfg.co