Privacy Policy for My Herbarium App

Last Updated: July 30, 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how Formulate ("we", "us", or "our") collects, uses, and shares information when you use our mobile application, My Herbarium App (the "App"). By using My Herbarium App, you agree to the practices described below.

1. Information We Collect

My Herbarium App is an educational reference tool that helps you explore medicinal herbs, their health benefits, nutritional profiles, herbal remedies for common conditions, and herbal recipes. We collect only the data necessary to operate the App:

User-Provided Data: When you save personal notes, bookmark herbs, store recipes, or configure your Gemini API key for the AI assistant, this information is stored locally on your device only (via a local SQLite database). We do not transmit, collect, or store this data on our servers.
AI Assistant Queries: If you use the built-in AI assistant (powered by Google Gemini), your prompts and herb-related questions are sent directly to Google's Gemini API using your own API key. We do not intercept, log, or store these queries on our servers.
Device & Usage Data: To serve relevant ads and ensure App functionality, we use third-party services (primarily Google AdMob) that may collect:
- Device model, operating system version
- Approximate location (derived from IP address, not precise GPS)
- Ad identifiers (e.g., Google Advertising ID)
- App usage patterns (e.g., frequency of feature use)

2. How We Use Information

To display ads via Google AdMob (including banner and interstitial ads).
To enable personalized advertising (see Section 3).
To improve App performance and user experience.

3. Advertising and Personalized Ads

My Herbarium App uses Google AdMob to display ads, including:

Banner ads
Interstitial ads shown during data import operations

We enable Google's Personalized Advertising to show ads relevant to your interests. This uses:

Your Advertising ID
Approximate location
App usage data

      ✓ Your Consent: Before loading personalized ads, My Herbarium App will prompt you for consent via Google's Consent Management Platform (CMP). You may:
      Accept personalized ads
Opt out (receive only non-personalized ads)

      You can change your preference anytime in the App's settings.
    

4. Data Sharing

We do not sell or rent your personal data. Third-party sharing is limited to:

Google AdMob — for ad serving and analytics (see Google's Privacy Policy).
Google Gemini API — only when you actively use the AI assistant feature with your own API key (see Google AI Terms).

No other third parties receive your data.

5. Data Security

All user-created data (personal notes, saved recipes, herb bookmarks, and API keys) remains on your device in a local SQLite database. We implement industry-standard security practices to protect against unauthorized access. However, no method of electronic transmission is 100% secure.

6. Your Rights

Depending on your location (e.g., under GDPR or CCPA), you may have the right to:

Access, correct, or delete your data (note: data is device-local; deletion occurs when you uninstall or clear app data)
Opt out of personalized advertising (via in-app consent prompt or device settings)
Withdraw consent at any time

To exercise these rights, contact us at the email below.

7. Children's Privacy

My Herbarium App is not intended for users under 13. We do not knowingly collect data from children. If we become aware of such collection, we will delete it promptly.

8. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically. The "Last Updated" date above will reflect changes. Continued use of the App after updates implies acceptance.

9. Contact Us

For questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:

Email: privacy@formulate.app