Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 9, 2026

This policy explains what data the Insect Identifier iPhone app (the "App") and this website (the "Site") collect, why, and who they share it with. The App and Site are operated by RLAM FZCO ("we", "us").

Summary

Photos you identify

When you take or choose a photo to identify, the App resizes it and sends it over an encrypted connection to our identification server. Our server forwards the photo to OpenAI, which analyzes it and returns the identification. Our server keeps no copy of the photo; it only records the name of the identified species and the time the request took, to monitor the service. OpenAI processes the photo under its API data usage policies: API data is not used to train its models and may be retained for up to 30 days for abuse monitoring.

The App sends the identified species name (not your photo) to iNaturalist to fetch reference photos.

The App only accesses your camera when you open the scanner, and only the photos you choose from your library.

Scan history

Your identifications, including the photos, are saved only on your iPhone. We can't access them. Deleting a scan or the App removes them.

Analytics

The App uses Google Analytics for Firebase to measure usage, for example when onboarding is completed, when the subscription screen is shown and whether identifications succeed. Firebase collects an app instance identifier, device and app information, and an approximate location derived from your IP address. If you allow tracking when the App asks, Firebase can also use your device's advertising identifier (IDFA) to measure which ads led to the install; if you don't, the App doesn't access it. You can change this anytime in Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking. See how Firebase uses data.

Subscriptions and attribution

Purchases are processed by Apple; we never see your payment details. We use RevenueCat to manage subscriptions. RevenueCat receives your purchase history, an anonymous app user ID, and the Firebase app instance identifier, so subscription events (such as a trial starting or renewing) can be reported to our analytics. If you allow tracking, RevenueCat also receives the advertising identifier to attribute subscriptions to ad campaigns.

If you installed the App from an Apple Search Ads advertisement, the App sends Apple's attribution token to RevenueCat to tell us which campaign led to the install. Apple provides this without the advertising identifier and without tracking you across other apps.

The website

If you use the Site's online identifier, the photo you upload is resized in your browser and sent to our identification server and to OpenAI, the same way as in the App. Our server doesn't keep the photo; it counts identifications per IP address for the current day, in memory only, to apply the daily limit.

The Site has no accounts, no cookies and no analytics. Our hosting provider (Railway) processes standard server logs such as IP addresses to deliver and protect the Site. Species photos are loaded from iNaturalist's servers, which receive your IP address when your browser requests them.

Sharing

We share data only with the service providers named above (OpenAI, Google Firebase, RevenueCat, Apple, iNaturalist and Railway), and only so they can provide their services to us, or when required by law. We don't sell personal data or use it for third-party advertising.

Retention

Photos aren't kept on our server. Analytics data is kept for up to 14 months. Subscription records are kept as long as needed to provide your subscription and meet legal and accounting obligations.

Your choices and rights

You can delete your scan history in the App at any time. Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct or delete your personal data, or to object to its processing. Because we don't link analytics data to your name or email, we may need your app instance details to find it. To make a request, use the support link on our App Store page.

Children

The App and Site are not directed to children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect personal data from them.

Changes

We'll update this page when our practices change and revise the date at the top.

Contact

Questions about privacy? Use the support link on our App Store page.