The short version
Pixelgarden collects no personal data. There is no account, no sign-in, no email, no analytics, and no advertising. All your habit data stays on your device. The optional garden sharing feature uses Apple's CloudKit only what you explicitly choose to share ever leaves your device, and even then it's just your garden name and plant info.
What we collect
Nothing, in the traditional sense. Pixelgarden does not collect, store, or transmit any personally identifiable information.
All habit data your plant names, streaks, check-in history, and settings is stored locally on your device using SwiftData. It never leaves your device unless you explicitly choose to share your garden.
Garden sharing (optional)
If you choose to share your garden, Pixelgarden uses Apple's CloudKit public database to store and serve your shared garden data. This is entirely opt-in.
When you share your garden, the following information is stored in CloudKit:
- Your garden name (a name you choose not your real name)
- Your plant names and their current stage and streak counts
- A randomly generated token used to identify your garden link
This data is governed by Apple's CloudKit privacy policy. You can revoke sharing at any time from Settings this generates a new token and makes your old link stop working immediately.
Friend watering
When someone waters a plant in your shared garden, a device identifier (not tied to any personal information) is stored in CloudKit to enforce the once-per-day watering limit. This identifier is not shared with us and is not used for any other purpose.
Analytics and tracking
Pixelgarden contains no analytics SDK, no crash reporter, no ad network, and no third-party tracking of any kind. We do not know how many times you've opened the app, which features you use, or anything about your behaviour within it.
We have deliberately chosen to forgo crash reporting and usage analytics in order to maintain a genuinely privacy-respecting product.
Advertising
There are no ads in Pixelgarden. There never will be. The app is supported by a single one-time in-app purchase of 2.99.
Children
Pixelgarden is rated 4+ on the App Store. Because we collect no personal data, there are no special considerations for users under 13. No data is collected from any user, regardless of age.
Data retention and deletion
Since all data is stored locally on your device, you can delete it at any time by deleting the app. If you have shared your garden, you can revoke sharing in Settings before deleting the app to remove your data from CloudKit.
Pixelgarden has no server-side user accounts, so there is no "delete my account" process because there is no account to delete.
Changes to this policy
If we ever change this privacy policy in a meaningful way, we will update this page and the date at the top. We will never retroactively introduce data collection on existing users without clear, explicit notice.
Questions?
If you have any questions about this privacy policy or how Pixelgarden handles data, you can reach us through the support link on the App Store page.