Effective date: July 24, 2026
Bird Identifier ("the app") is built to work without accounts and with as little data as possible. This page explains exactly what the app processes and why.
Sound identification runs entirely on your iPhone using BirdNET, the acoustic model from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Audio you record is analyzed on the device and is never uploaded to our servers or any third party.
When you identify a bird by photo, the image is sent over an encrypted connection to our server, which forwards it to an AI provider (OpenAI) to identify the species. Photos are processed to produce the identification and are not stored on our servers. Per OpenAI's API policy, API data is not used to train their models. Your scan history and collection, including thumbnails, are stored only on your device.
If you enable location, the app sends your approximate coordinates to eBird (Cornell Lab of Ornithology) to show nearby birding hotspots and recent sightings, and uses your region and the time of year to improve on-device sound identification. Location is used only while you use those features and is not stored on our servers. See Cornell Lab's privacy policy. Location access is optional; without it, the app shows a default list.
The app sends an anonymous per-install identifier (Apple's identifierForVendor) with each photo scan. We use it solely to rate-limit requests and prevent abuse. It resets if you delete the app and cannot be used to identify you personally.
Purchases are processed by Apple. We use RevenueCat to manage subscription status; RevenueCat receives an anonymous app user ID and purchase information from Apple. See RevenueCat's privacy policy. We never see your payment details.
Your collection lives on your device — deleting the app deletes it. Server logs (rate-limiting counters) expire automatically within hours.
The app is not directed at children under 13 and does not knowingly collect data from them.
We may update this policy; the effective date above will change accordingly. Questions: inkpocket.app@gmail.com