Wildlife Photographers Toolkit
Privacy Policy

Wildlife Photographers Toolkit ('the App') is operated by Nicholas Byrne-Chinn ('we', 'us', 'our'). This policy explains what data the App collects, how it is used, and your rights in relation to that data.

Information We Collect

• Location data — used on-device to calculate sun position, moon position, golden hour, and blue hour times for your current location. Your location is never transmitted to our servers or shared with third parties.
• Photos you choose to analyse — when you use the Enhanced AI Identification feature, a photo you select or capture is sent to Google's Gemini AI service for species identification. See the AI Features and Third-Party Services section below for full details.
• User-created content — shot planning notes and saved locations you create within the App, stored locally on your device.
• Usage data — anonymous, aggregated data about how features are used, to help us understand which tools are most valuable and prioritise improvements.
• Device information — device type and OS version, collected for crash reporting and compatibility purposes.

How We Use Your Information

• Location data is used solely to provide accurate sun, moon, and golden hour calculations. It is processed entirely on your device and is never stored remotely or shared.
• Photos you submit to the Enhanced AI Identification feature are transmitted to Google's Gemini API solely to generate an identification response. They are not stored by us and are not retained by Google beyond the duration of the API request.
• Anonymous usage analytics help us identify bugs, prioritise features, and improve the App experience.
• Crash and device data is used to diagnose and fix technical issues.

We do not sell your personal data to third parties. We do not use your data for advertising purposes.

AI Features and Third-Party Services

The App includes two methods of wildlife species identification:

On-Device Identification uses Google's ML Kit on your device to provide an instant identification result without any internet connection or data transmission. This processing happens entirely on your iPhone and no data leaves your device. Please note that the on-device model is optimised for North American species and may be less accurate for wildlife found elsewhere in the world.

Enhanced AI Identification is an optional feature that provides a more detailed identification by sending your photo to Google's Gemini AI. When you use this feature:

• What data is sent: The photo you select or capture is transmitted to Google's Gemini API, along with a text prompt requesting species identification.
• Who receives it: The data is sent to Google LLC (1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA), the provider of the Gemini AI service.
• Purpose: To provide you with a more accurate, AI-generated species identification and contextual notes based on the image you submit.
• Data retention: We do not store the photos you submit. Google does not retain submitted images or API request content beyond the processing of your request, in accordance with their API usage policies.
• Usage limit: To manage service costs, Enhanced AI Identification is limited to 2 uses per week per device. This resets automatically every 7 days.
• Your consent: The App will ask for your permission before sending any photo to Google's Gemini service for the first time. You can decline and continue using all other features of the App, including on-device identification, without restriction.

The Enhanced AI Identification feature requires an active internet connection. All other App features — including on-device identification, sun/moon calculators, weather, bird sightings, and shot planning — function without sending data to any third-party AI service.

Data Storage

Shot planning notes, saved locations, and App preferences are stored locally on your device using standard iOS storage. This data is not transmitted to external servers. It may be included in iCloud backups if you have iCloud backup enabled on your device — this is subject to Apple's own privacy policy.

Anonymous usage analytics may be processed by a third-party analytics provider. No personally identifiable information is included in these analytics.

Permissions

• Location (When In Use) — required to calculate sun, moon, and golden hour times for your position. The App will ask for this permission and will function with reduced accuracy if denied.
• Camera / Photo Library — requested only when you choose to use the species identification feature or add reference images to your shot plans. The App does not access your camera or photo library without your explicit interaction.

Offline Use

The App is designed to work fully offline for core features. On-device species identification works without an internet connection. The Enhanced AI Identification feature requires an active internet connection in order to contact Google's Gemini API. All other features — calculators, shot planning, and saved sightings — do not require an internet connection.

Data Retention

Local data persists on your device until you delete the App. Anonymous analytics data is retained in aggregated form only and cannot be used to identify you. Photos submitted to the Enhanced AI Identification feature are not stored by us or retained by Google after your request is processed.

Your Rights

To delete all local App data, uninstall the App from your device. To request deletion of any analytics data associated with your device, or for any other data enquiries, contact us using the details below. For enquiries relating to data processed by Google, please refer to Google's privacy policy.

Children's Privacy

The App is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated date at the top. Continued use of the App after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.