Privacy Policy
This policy explains what information PlantSense collects, why, and what you can do about it. We keep it short and plain, because a privacy policy nobody can read protects nobody. It covers our website, our shop, and the PlantSense mobile app.
Last updated: 28th July 2026
Who we are
PlantSense is operated by Infinite Lives Group, based in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, United Kingdom. For the purposes of UK data protection law, Infinite Lives Group is the data controller for the information described here.
If you have any question about this policy or your information, contact us at hello@plantsense.co.uk or through our contact page.
The short version
- Monitoring your plants on your own home network is private to you. Those readings stay on your network and never reach us unless you choose to use the cloud service.
- The app works without an account for monitors on your own wifi. You only need an account for the cloud service.
- We only collect what we need to sell you a monitor, run your account, and provide the cloud service if you want it.
- We do not sell your data, and we do not use it for advertising. Ever.
- You can see, correct, download or delete your information at any time, including deleting your whole account from within the app.
The PlantSense app
The PlantSense app lets you set up and view your monitors. You can use it with no account at all to monitor plants on your own home wifi, in which case your readings stay on your network and are not sent to us. Signing in and switching on the cloud service is optional, and only then does the app send readings to us as described below.
What we collect, and why
When you buy something
To process an order we collect your name, email address, delivery and billing address, and your order details. Payment is handled by PayPal, so your card details go to PayPal and not to us. We never see or store your full card number.
Why: to take payment, send you your monitor, and meet our legal obligations such as keeping records for tax.
Legal basis: performance of our contract with you, and our legal obligations.
When you create an account
We store your name, email address and a securely hashed password. If you link monitors, we store which monitors are yours.
Why: so you can sign in, manage your monitors, and see your orders.
Legal basis: performance of our contract with you.
When you use the cloud service
If you switch on the optional cloud service, your monitors send us their readings, which are soil moisture measurements over time, along with the monitor identifier, its firmware version and its local network address. We store these against your account so you can see your plants when away from home and keep a history. If you add a photo of a plant, that photo is also stored against your account so it can appear across your devices.
Why: to provide the away from home features you have subscribed to.
Legal basis: performance of our contract with you.
The cloud service is entirely optional. A monitor works fully on your own home network without ever sending us a reading. If you never switch on the cloud service, we hold no readings from you at all.
Push notifications
If you turn on alerts in the app, such as a reminder when a plant needs watering or a warning that a monitor has gone offline, we use Google’s Firebase Cloud Messaging to deliver them. To do this the app registers a notification token with Firebase, which we store against your account so we can send alerts to your device. We only send you the alerts you have switched on. You can turn alerts off at any time in the app, or in your device settings.
Why: to send the alerts you have chosen to receive.
Legal basis: performance of our contract with you, and your consent to receive notifications.
When you suggest a plant
If you suggest a plant for our database, we record the plant details you provide and that the suggestion came from your account. If we publish it, the plant information becomes public, but your name and account are not shown alongside it.
Why: to review and, if suitable, add the plant to the shared database.
Legal basis: our legitimate interest in maintaining a useful, accurate database.
When you contact us
If you email us or use the contact form, we keep your message and contact details so we can reply and, if needed, refer back to it.
Why: to answer you and provide support.
Legal basis: our legitimate interest in helping our customers.
When you visit the site
Our website uses cookies that are necessary for it to work, such as keeping items in your basket and keeping you signed in.
Legal basis: necessary cookies rely on our legitimate interest in running the site. Any non-essential cookies would only be set with your consent.
How long we keep it
- Order records: as long as the law requires us to keep them, which for tax purposes is currently six years.
- Account details: until you close your account.
- Detailed cloud readings: kept for a set period, currently ninety days, after which only a daily summary is kept so you can still see past seasons. You can delete a monitor and its readings at any time from your account.
- Notification tokens: kept while alerts are enabled, and removed when you turn alerts off, sign out, or remove the monitor.
- Support messages: kept while relevant, then deleted.
Who we share it with
We share information only with the services we need to run PlantSense:
- PayPal, to take payment.
- Google Firebase Cloud Messaging, to deliver the app’s push notifications to your device.
- Our web host, who store the site and its data on our behalf under contract.
- Delivery services, to send you your order.
Each of these acts under contract and may only use your information to provide their service to us. We do not sell your information, and we do not share it for anyone else’s marketing.
Where your information is held
Your information is stored in the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area. Some services we use, such as Google Firebase for notifications, may process limited data (such as a notification token) outside the UK, including in the United States. Where this happens we rely on the appropriate safeguards those providers put in place, as required by UK data protection law.
Advertising and tracking
We do not use your information for advertising, and we do not track you across other companies’ apps or websites. We do not share your information with data brokers or advertising networks. The PlantSense app contains no third-party advertising or tracking software. The only third parties it communicates with are our own service and Google Firebase, which we use solely to deliver the notifications you have switched on.
Your rights
Under UK data protection law you have the right to:
- See the information we hold about you.
- Have inaccurate information corrected.
- Have your information deleted, where we are not required to keep it.
- Receive a copy of your information in a portable form.
- Object to, or ask us to restrict, certain uses of your information.
- Withdraw consent at any time, where we relied on your consent.
Much of this you can do yourself from your account or in the app, including deleting a monitor and its readings, and turning off alerts. For anything else, contact us and we will help. We aim to respond within one month.
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk.
Deleting your account
You can delete your PlantSense account, and the information held against it, at any time. You can do this from within the app or your online account, or by contacting us at hello@plantsense.co.uk and we will action it for you. When you delete your account we remove your account details and your stored monitor readings, keeping only what the law requires us to retain, such as order records for tax.
Keeping it safe
We protect your information with appropriate measures. Passwords are stored hashed, not in plain text. Monitor access tokens are stored hashed. The site and the app use encrypted connections. No system is perfectly secure, but we take reasonable care and keep our practices under review.
Children
PlantSense is not aimed at children, and we do not knowingly collect information about children. If you believe a child has given us information, contact us and we will remove it.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. When we make a significant change we will update the date at the top, and where appropriate let account holders know.
Contact
For anything about your privacy or this policy, reach us at hello@plantsense.co.uk or through our contact page. We are a small British company and we answer our own emails.