Legal
Privacy Policy
Effective date: 20 July 2026
Ramification is built to work entirely on your device. This policy explains what that means in practice: what the app can access, what it stores, and — because it comes up so rarely with apps today — what it never does.
The short version
Ramification has no account system, no server, and no analytics. Everything you enter — trees, pots, photos, care history — is stored in a local database on your phone. Nothing is transmitted anywhere unless you personally choose to export or share it. We don't see your data, sell it, or share it with anyone, because we never receive it in the first place.
What the app stores, and where
All collection data (trees, pots, care events, tasks, tags, and your settings) lives in a SQLite database on your device. Photos you take or add are stored as files on your device, referenced by the database. None of this is copied to a server — there isn't one. If you delete the app, this data is deleted with it, which is also why the app periodically reminds you to back up if it's been a while since your last export.
Permissions the app requests, and why
Camera. Used to scan a tree or pot's QR tag, and to photograph your trees and pots for your own records. Photos are saved locally; the camera is never accessed in the background.
Photo library. Used only when you choose to add an existing photo to a tree or pot record. The app doesn't scan or access your library beyond the photo you pick.
Location. Used once, at your choice, to set your collection's general location so seasonal care reminders (repotting windows, pruning timing, and so on) are calibrated to your climate rather than a generic default. This is a one-time capture, not ongoing tracking — the app does not access your location in the background or log movement over time. You can skip this entirely and enter a location manually instead, and you can change or clear it later in Settings.
When data leaves your device
Only when you tell it to, through one of these features:
- Export/backup — creates a backup file of your collection that you save or share wherever you choose (iCloud, email, AirDrop, a file manager, etc.). The app hands this off to your device's normal share sheet; we have no visibility into where it ends up.
- Restore — imports a backup file you select back into the app.
- Transfer a tree — if you sell or give away a tree, you can generate a file with that tree's (and its pot's) history to hand to the new owner, again through your device's share sheet.
None of these happen automatically or silently. Each is a deliberate action you take.
Third parties
The app does not use analytics, advertising, or crash-reporting SDKs, and it makes no network requests during normal use. Some in-app care guidance includes citation links to outside bonsai reference sites (for example, a source article for a particular species' pruning schedule) — these are plain links you can choose to tap, not content the app fetches automatically, and visiting one is subject to that site's own policy, not this one.
If a future version of the app adds optional cloud backup or paid subscriptions, this policy will be updated before that feature ships, and it will remain opt-in.
Children's privacy
Ramification is not directed at children and does not knowingly collect information from anyone under 13.
Changes to this policy
If this policy changes, the effective date above will be updated and, for any material change, the app will surface a notice rather than changing silently.
Contact
Questions about this policy or your data can be sent to hello@ramification.app.
This policy describes the Ramification iOS app, which works fully offline. The email signup on this website is separate: that address is used only to send occasional product updates, and you can unsubscribe from any email at any time.