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Terms and Conditions

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Please read these Terms and Conditions ("Terms") carefully before using the Pocket Botanist mobile application ("App", "we", "us", or "our"). By downloading, installing, or using the App, you agree to be bound by these Terms. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH THESE TERMS, PLEASE DO NOT ACCESS OR USE THE APPLICATION.

1. Acceptance of terms

By accessing or using Pocket Botanist, you confirm that you are at least 13 years of age (or the minimum age required in your jurisdiction), that you have the legal capacity to enter into a binding agreement, and that you agree to these Terms and our Privacy Policy.

If you are using the App on behalf of an organization, you represent and warrant that you have the authority to bind that organization to these Terms.

2. Description of service

Pocket Botanist is a mobile application that provides plant identification, diagnosis, and care information powered by Google's Gemini AI. The App offers the following features, which may vary depending on your account type:

  • Plant Identification: Submit photos of plants to receive identification results, care tips, and related information.
  • Plant Text Search: Look up any plant by common or scientific name and receive the same kind of result as a photo identification.
  • Plant Diagnosis: Submit photos to identify potential diseases, pests, or deficiencies affecting your plants and receive treatment suggestions.
  • AI Chat:On Premium, hold a per-plant conversation with the AI that draws on the plant's care history and botanical profile, with a separate chat thread available for diagnosis follow-ups.
  • Companion Planting: Receive suggestions for plants that grow well together.
  • Regional Care Advice: On Premium, the App uses your USDA hardiness zone (derived from your device location, with permission) to tailor care notes for your climate.
  • Scan History & Collection: Save and manage a personal collection of identified plants, with notes, reminders, photos, care logs, and location tags.
  • Plant Care Reminders: Set local push notifications to remind you to water, fertilize, repot, prune, or mist your plants.
  • Care Streak: The App tracks consecutive days you have logged at least one care action and displays your current streak.
  • Map View: View a map of locations where you have identified plants.
  • Collection Export: Export your plant collection as a PDF or CSV file.
  • Weather-Based Tips: Receive gardening tips based on current local weather conditions.
  • Achievements: Earn achievements based on your plant collection and care activity.

3. Accounts and registration

Anonymous Use

You may use the App without creating a named account. An anonymous account is automatically created when you first launch the App, allowing you to access core features subject to the usage limits described in Section 4.

Named Accounts

You may create a named account by signing in with Sign in with Apple (on iPhone and iPad), a Google account, or an email magic link. By creating an account, you agree to:

  • Provide accurate and truthful information.
  • Keep your sign-in credentials secure and not share them with others.
  • Notify us immediately at hello@pocketbotanist.app if you suspect any unauthorized access to your account.
  • Be responsible for all activity that occurs under your account.

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms.

Account Linking

If you upgrade from an anonymous account to a named account, or link multiple sign-in methods (e.g., email, Apple, and Google), your existing scan history and usage data will be associated with your named account.

4. Usage limits and fair use

To ensure fair access for all users, the App enforces the following daily limits for AI requests. Plant identification, plant text search, and plant diagnosis share a single daily counter:

  • Guest users (anonymous accounts): 3 requests per day (combined identification, text search, and diagnosis).
  • Free members: 5 requests per day (combined identification, text search, and diagnosis).
  • Premium members: High-volume access (see Fair Use below).

AI chat and diagnosis chat are Premium features with their own daily counter.

Daily counters reset at midnight in your device's local timezone. Usage is tracked locally on your device and, for signed-in users, in the cloud to prevent circumvention across multiple devices or app reinstalls. For guest users, usage is tracked against a per-device Firebase Installation ID.

Fair Use (Premium)

While Premium is marketed as "unlimited", this means unlimited for normal personal use. To protect service quality and prevent abuse, the following technical limits apply to all users including Premium subscribers:

  • Burst rate limit: A maximum of 3 AI requests per 10-second window. Requests that exceed this rate will be temporarily rejected and may be retried after a short delay. This limit is enforced server-side and cannot be bypassed.
  • Daily hard cap: A daily ceiling exists for all tiers to prevent runaway usage that could affect other users or result in unreasonable third-party API costs. This cap is set well above what any individual user would reasonably reach during normal use.

You must not use the App in any automated, scripted, or batch manner that would generate AI requests at a volume inconsistent with normal personal use. Such use may result in your account being suspended under Section 6 (Acceptable Use) regardless of your subscription tier.

We reserve the right to adjust these limits at any time with reasonable notice. Material changes to Premium limits will be communicated in advance.

5. AI-powered features and accuracy disclaimer

Plant identification, plant text search, diagnosis, companion planting, regional care advice, in-app chat, and other care guidance are all powered by Google's Gemini AI. By using these features, you acknowledge and agree that:

  • Results are not guaranteed to be accurate. AI-generated plant identifications, chat replies, and care recommendations may contain errors, omissions, or inaccuracies. Results should be treated as a helpful guide only, not as definitive expert advice.
  • Not a substitute for professional advice. The App is not a substitute for advice from a qualified botanist, horticulturist, veterinarian, physician, or other professional. Always consult a qualified expert before making decisions based on App output, particularly where plant safety or human/animal health is concerned.
  • Plant toxicity information. Any information provided about plant toxicity (to humans, children, or pets) is for general informational purposes only and may be incomplete. Do not rely solely on the App to determine whether a plant is safe. If you suspect poisoning, contact emergency services or a poison control center immediately.
  • Your inputs are sent to Google.When you use AI-powered features, your plant photos, text queries, chat messages, and, if location tagging is enabled, your approximate location are sent to Google's Gemini API for processing. See our Privacy Policy for details.

6. Acceptable use

You agree to use the App only for lawful purposes and in a manner that does not infringe the rights of others. You must not:

  • Submit images or content that is unlawful, harmful, offensive, or that violates any third-party rights.
  • Attempt to circumvent usage limits through technical means, multiple accounts, or any other method.
  • Reverse-engineer, decompile, disassemble, or otherwise attempt to derive the source code of the App.
  • Use the App for any automated, scraping, or data harvesting purpose.
  • Interfere with or disrupt the integrity or performance of the App or any related services.
  • Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any part of the App or its underlying systems.
  • Use the App in any way that could damage, disable, overburden, or impair our servers or networks.

7. Intellectual property

The App, including its design, graphics, text, features, and functionality, is owned by us and is protected by intellectual property laws. You are granted a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to use the App for personal, non-commercial purposes in accordance with these Terms.

You retain ownership of any content you create within the App (such as notes and exported files). By using the App, you grant us a limited license to store and process your content solely as necessary to provide the App's features (e.g., syncing your scan history to the cloud).

You must not use our name, logo, or branding without our prior written consent.

8. Third-party services

The App integrates with third-party services including but not limited to:

We are not responsible for the content, policies, or practices of any third-party services. Your use of those services is governed by their respective terms and privacy policies.

9. Disclaimer of warranties

THE APP IS PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS WITHOUT ANY WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, OR THAT THE APP WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS.

WE DO NOT WARRANT THE ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, OR USEFULNESS OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE APP, INCLUDING AI-GENERATED PLANT IDENTIFICATION RESULTS, CARE TIPS, TOXICITY INFORMATION, OR DIAGNOSIS OUTPUTS.

10. Limitation of liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, WE SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS OR REVENUES, WHETHER INCURRED DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, OR ANY LOSS OF DATA, USE, GOODWILL, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH:

  • Your use of or inability to use the App.
  • Any reliance on AI-generated plant identification, diagnosis, or care information provided by the App.
  • Any unauthorized access to or use of our servers and/or any personal information stored therein.
  • Any interruption or cessation of transmission to or from the App.
  • Any bugs, viruses, or other harmful code that may be transmitted through the App by any third party.

IN NO EVENT SHALL OUR TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ALL CLAIMS ARISING FROM OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS OR YOUR USE OF THE APP EXCEED THE AMOUNT YOU HAVE PAID TO US IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM, OR £50 (FIFTY POUNDS STERLING), WHICHEVER IS GREATER.

SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF CERTAIN WARRANTIES OR LIABILITY, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU IN FULL.

11. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless us and our officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses, including reasonable legal fees, arising out of or in any way connected with your access to or use of the App, your violation of these Terms, or your violation of any third-party rights.

12. App availability and modifications

We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue the App or any of its features at any time, with or without notice, and without liability to you. We may also update these Terms at any time. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page. Your continued use of the App after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

The App offers both free and paid subscription tiers. Subscriptions are sold and billed by the Apple App Store or Google Play and are also governed by that store's terms. You can view, manage, or cancel a subscription in your App Store or Google Play account. We reserve the right to introduce new paid tiers, change pricing, or alter feature availability at any time with reasonable notice.

13. Termination

We may terminate or suspend your access to the App immediately, without prior notice or liability, for any reason, including if you breach these Terms. Upon termination, your right to use the App will cease immediately.

You may stop using the App at any time. To request deletion of your account and associated cloud data, please contact us at hello@pocketbotanist.app.

14. Governing law and dispute resolution

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

Any dispute arising out of or in connection with these Terms, including any question regarding their existence, validity, or termination, shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales, except where applicable law in your jurisdiction requires otherwise (for example, EU consumer protection law may provide you with additional rights in your country of residence).

If you are a consumer in the European Union, you may also have the right to use the EU Online Dispute Resolution platform at https://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr.

15. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable or invalid under applicable law, that provision will be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary so that the Terms will otherwise remain in full force and effect and enforceable.

16. Entire agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and us regarding your use of the App and supersede any prior agreements or understandings.

17. Contact us

If you have any questions about these Terms and Conditions, please contact us.

Email: hello@pocketbotanist.app