Summary: Verde does not collect, store, or sell your personal data. All device communication happens on your local network. The only external services used are weather APIs and Apple iCloud — both under your control.
1. Who we are
Verde is an iOS app developed and published independently. If you have any privacy questions, contact us at masadh@yahoo.com.
2. Data we do NOT collect
Verde does not:
- Collect, transmit, or store any personal information on external servers
- Use analytics SDKs or third-party tracking
- Serve advertising
- Sell or share your data with any third party
- Require account creation or login
3. Data stored on your device
The following data is stored locally on your iPhone and/or synced via your personal iCloud account:
- Device configuration — names, IP addresses, and settings for your soil sensors and valves
- Watering schedules — times and thresholds you configure in the app
- App preferences — weather source, notification settings
This data never leaves your device or iCloud account. You can delete it at any time by removing the app or clearing iCloud data in your iPhone's settings.
4. Local network access
Verde communicates directly with your irrigation sensors and smart valves on your local Wi-Fi network using mDNS service discovery and HTTP. This communication stays entirely within your home network and does not pass through any external server.
5. Weather services
To check rainfall and skip unnecessary watering, Verde optionally connects to one of two weather services:
- Open-Meteo (open-meteo.com) — a free, open-source weather API. Verde sends your approximate location coordinates to retrieve a weather forecast. Open-Meteo does not require an account and does not track users. See their terms.
- Apple WeatherKit — Apple's weather API, governed by Apple's own privacy policy at apple.com/legal/privacy.
Weather data is fetched on demand and is not stored beyond the current session. You can disable weather integration entirely in the app's settings.
6. Apple HomeKit
If you link devices to Apple Home, HomeKit data is stored in your personal HomeKit database managed by Apple. This is governed by Apple's privacy policy. Verde never has direct access to your HomeKit home data — it communicates through Apple's HomeKit framework on your device.
7. iCloud sync
Verde uses iCloud Key-Value storage to sync your device list and schedules across your iPhones. This data is stored in your personal iCloud account and is only accessible by you. Apple's iCloud practices are governed by Apple's privacy policy.
8. Location data
Verde may ask for your location to automatically set your weather coordinates for rain detection. Your precise location is never sent to our servers (we have none). It is used only to query the weather API of your choice. You can manually enter coordinates in the app's settings to avoid granting location permission.
9. Push notifications
Verde may send local notifications (e.g., watering completed, low battery) using Apple's local notification framework. These are generated on-device and do not involve any external push notification servers.
10. Children's privacy
Verde is a garden automation utility not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect any information from children.
11. Data retention and deletion
All app data resides on your device and iCloud. To delete all Verde data:
- Delete the Verde app from your iPhone (removes local data)
- Go to Settings → [your name] → iCloud → Manage Account Storage → Verde and delete iCloud data
12. Changes to this policy
If we update this policy, we will update the "Last updated" date above. Continued use of the app after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
13. Contact
For any privacy concerns or questions, email masadh@yahoo.com.