YardBird ("the app", "we") is an independent, single-developer app. This policy explains what happens to your data when you use it. The short version: we do not store your photos, we do not know your name, and we show no ads.
1. What we collect
Photos you submit for identification
- A photo you take or pick is uploaded over HTTPS to our backend and forwarded to an AI vision model so it can name the species.
- The photo itself is not written to disk, a database, or a bucket anywhere in our stack. It exists only in memory for the duration of the request.
- We keep a SHA-256 fingerprint of the image plus the text result in a cache for 24 hours so that re-identifying the same photo is instant and free. The fingerprint cannot be turned back into the photo.
- Photos you take never leave your device unless you press the identify button, and the camera is opened through your own device camera app.
Identification metadata
- Anonymous request id, model used, the species names returned with their confidence, token counts, cost, response time and timestamp.
- This is what lets us keep the free daily allowance honest and watch our own inference bill. It is retained only as long as needed for those purposes and is deleted on request.
Anonymous device id
- On first launch the app generates a random identifier and stores it on your device. It is sent with each identification so we can count "3 free IDs per day" per device.
- It is not derived from your IMEI, advertising ID, phone number or any hardware serial, and we have no way to link it back to you personally.
Your bird records
- Your identification history, "My Birds" life list and app settings are stored only on your device, inside the app's private storage. They are not uploaded, not synced, and not shared. Uninstalling the app or clearing its storage removes them.
Subscription information
- Purchases are handled by Google Play. We receive a purchase token and the resulting entitlement ("pro", expiry date) through RevenueCat, which lets us unlock your subscription on a new device.
- We never see your card number, billing address or payment history.
2. What we do not collect
3. Who we share data with
| Service | What they receive | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Cloudflare (Workers, D1, KV) | The photo during the request (not persisted), the anonymous id, and the identification metadata listed above | Runs our backend |
| Alibaba Cloud Model Studio (Qwen-VL) | Your photo and the identification prompt | Primary species-recognition model |
| Google Gemini | Your photo and the identification prompt | Fallback model when the primary is unavailable |
| RevenueCat | Purchase token, entitlement state, anonymous app-user id | Subscription management |
| Google Play | Purchase and refund records, install and crash reports | Distribution and billing |
We do not sell user data, and we do not share it for advertising or marketing purposes.
4. Where data is processed
Our backend runs on Cloudflare's United States infrastructure. Model inference happens in the region configured for each provider. Photos you keep on your phone stay on your phone.
5. Security
- All traffic uses HTTPS/TLS.
- API keys are held in server-side secrets, never inside the app.
- Administrative access to the backend is limited to the developer.
- No system can be guaranteed perfectly secure; that is one reason we deliberately store as little as possible.
6. Your choices
- Stop any collection: stop using the app, or uninstall it. Nothing you have stored on-device survives uninstall.
- Access, correct, export or delete: email us from the address you used to contact us and describe what you want. Because we only hold anonymous ids, send us the approximate date and time of the identification so we can find the matching rows.
- EU/UK/California residents: the rights above are the practical form of your GDPR, UK GDPR and CCPA/CPRA rights (access, deletion, no sale of personal information). You may also complain to your local supervisory authority.
7. Children
YardBird is not directed at children under 13 and is not listed as a family or children's app. We do not knowingly collect data from children. If you believe a child has sent us a photo, contact us and we will delete the related records.
8. About AI results
Species suggestions are produced by an AI model and are labelled as such inside the app ("AI suggestion · confirm with your field guide"). They are informational, not expert advice, and can be wrong — never rely on them to identify a protected, dangerous or venomous species.
9. Changes to this policy
If we change this policy in a way that affects how we handle data, we will update the date at the top of this page and, where the change is material, note it in the app's next release.
10. Contact
Data controller: the independent developer of YardBird.
Email: wd933781@gmail.com (please include "privacy" in the
subject line).