The short version
- Your photos stay on your phone. Spotzo identifies animals with AI that runs on your device. Your photos are never uploaded to us.
- We collect very little. If you create an account: your email address and your game progress (which species you have collected and when, card levels, your streak and your Paws), and the display name and showcase if you set them. Guests keep everything on their own phone.
- No location, no ads, no tracking. Spotzo does not collect your location and has no advertising or analytics tools.
- We never sell your personal data. Ever.
- You're in control. Delete your account in the app at any time, or ask us by email.
This summary is for convenience only. The full policy below is what governs your use of Spotzo.
This Privacy Policy explains how Spotzo ("Spotzo", "we", "us", or "our") collects, uses, and protects your information when you use the Spotzo mobile application (the "App") and the website at spotzo.app (the "Site"), together the "Services". Spotzo is a game in which you photograph real animals, an on-device AI identifies the species, and you earn collectible cards.
By using the Services, you agree to this Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Services.
Contents
- Who we are
- Information we collect
- How on-device AI works
- How we use your information
- Legal bases (GDPR)
- How we share information
- Device permissions
- Data retention and deletion
- Data security
- Your privacy rights
- California (CCPA) notice
- Children's privacy
- International transfers
- Changes to this Policy
- Contact us
1. Who we are
Spotzo is an independent mobile game for Android. For the purposes of the EU/UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the data controller is the operator of Spotzo, reachable at support@spotzo.app.
2. Information we collect
We collect only what we need to run the game. The table below summarizes it; details follow.
| Category | What exactly | Why | Where it is kept |
|---|---|---|---|
| Account (once you request a sign-in code or sign in with Google) | Your email address and an account ID we generate; if you sign in with Google, also the name and profile picture link Google shares | To sign you in with a one-time code and keep your progress safe across phones | Our backend provider (Supabase) |
| Game progress (only if you sign in) | Which species you have collected, when you spotted them, card levels, your streak (the current one, the longest one, the day of your last spot and your streak freezes), and your Paws balance and its history (amounts and what they were for) | To save your collection and restore it on a new phone | Our backend provider (Supabase), and on your phone |
| Photos you take | The pictures you take of animals in the App | To identify the species and become the art on your card | Only on your phone. Never uploaded. |
| Display name and showcase | The name you choose (optional) and the cards you pin to your profile | To personalize the App and, if you sign in, to give them back to you on a new phone. No other player sees them | On your phone; if you sign in, also with our backend provider (Supabase) |
| Reminder settings | Whether reminders are on, and at what time | To remind you only when you asked for it | Only on your phone |
| Technical data (only if you sign in) | The IP address and device description of each signed-in session, and request logs (time, request, IP address) | Security: to spot and stop abuse and attacks | Our backend provider: session records until you sign out or delete your account; request logs up to 7 days |
Guests
You can play without an account. As a guest, everything (your collection, progress and photos) stays on your phone and nothing is sent to us. If you later sign in, the progress saved on your phone is uploaded to your new account so you do not lose it. Photos still stay on your phone.
Account and sign-in
To sign in, you enter your email address and we email you a one-time code. We do not use passwords. Your account is created when you request a code; if you never enter the code, email us and we will delete it.
You can also sign in with Google. Google then shares your email address, your name and a link to your Google profile picture with our backend provider, which stores them with your account. We use only the email address (to identify your account); we do not show your name or picture in the App and do not use them for anything else. Google handles the sign-in itself under its own privacy policy. You can remove Spotzo's access at any time in your Google Account (Security, Third-party connections).
Google user data
If you choose Continue with Google, Spotzo asks Google only for your basic profile: your email address, your name and a link to your profile picture (Google's standard "email" and "profile" permissions). Spotzo does not ask for, and cannot see, anything else in your Google Account, such as your contacts, photos, files, calendar or email.
- How we use it: only to create your Spotzo account and to sign you in. We do not use it for advertising, we do not sell it, and we do not use it to train artificial-intelligence models.
- Where it is stored: with our backend provider Supabase, together with your account (see section 6).
- Who we share it with: no one else, unless the law requires it.
- How long we keep it: until you delete your account (in the App: Settings, Delete account), when it is deleted with the rest of your account. You can also remove Spotzo's access in your Google Account at any time.
Spotzo's use and transfer to any other app of information received from Google APIs will adhere to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.
Photos you take
When you spot an animal, the App uses your camera to take a photo. The photo becomes the artwork on your card and is stored only on your phone. It is not uploaded to our servers. If we ever add an optional cloud backup of photos, it will be off until you turn it on, and we will update this Policy first.
What we do not collect
- We do not collect your location, your contacts, your photo library (only photos you take in the App), or your microphone audio.
- We do not use advertising, analytics or tracking tools in the App or on the Site.
- We do not knowingly collect data from children under 13 (see §12).
- We do not sell your personal information.
The website
The Site is a static website. It sets no tracking cookies and runs no analytics. If you join the waitlist, the email address you enter is collected through our form provider (Formspree) and sent to us so we can tell you when Spotzo launches; you can ask us to remove it at any time. Our hosting provider (Cloudflare) processes standard technical data such as IP addresses to deliver the Site and protect it from attacks, and may set a strictly necessary security cookie to tell people from bots.
3. How on-device AI works
Your photos are processed on your device. Spotzo's species-identification model runs entirely on your phone. No photo is sent to us or to any third party to recognize the animal in it. This is a core design choice for your privacy.
4. How we use your information
- To provide the game: identify species, create cards, and save your collection, streaks, quests, badges and Paws.
- To create and secure your account and sign you in.
- To keep the Services secure: prevent cheating and abuse, and investigate attacks.
- To communicate with you about the Service (for example, your sign-in code, or an important notice about your account or this Policy).
- To comply with law and enforce our terms.
We do not use your personal data for automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects on you, and we do not profile you for advertising.
5. Legal bases for processing (GDPR)
If you are in the European Economic Area or the UK, we rely on the following legal bases:
- Performance of a contract: to provide the game and your account.
- Consent: for camera access and reminder notifications. You can withdraw consent at any time in your phone's settings.
- Legitimate interests: to keep the Services secure and stable and to prevent cheating and abuse, balanced against your rights.
- Legal obligation: where we must process data to comply with applicable law.
6. How we share information
We do not sell your personal data and do not share it for advertising. We share limited data only with service providers who help us run Spotzo, under terms that require them to protect it:
| Provider | Purpose | Data involved |
|---|---|---|
| Supabase (backend and sign-in) | Your account, your saved game progress, security logs | Email address, account ID, game progress, the display name and showcase you set, technical logs; with Google sign-in also the name and profile picture link Google shares |
| Google (only if you sign in with Google) | Confirming who you are | Handled by Google under its own privacy policy |
| Resend (email delivery) | Sending your sign-in codes | Email address |
| Cloudflare (website hosting) | Serving and protecting the Site; forwarding email sent to support@spotzo.app to our mailbox | Standard technical data such as IP address; the emails you send to that address |
| Formspree (website waitlist form) | Collecting waitlist sign-ups | The email address you enter on the Site |
| Google Play (app distribution) | Installing and updating the App | Handled by Google under its own privacy policy |
Sharing a card is always your choice: when you tap Share, your phone's share menu opens and you decide where the image goes.
Not active today: in-app purchases. If we add them (through Google Play and our payment partner RevenueCat), we will update this Policy before they go live to explain what those partners receive.
We may also disclose information if required by law, to protect the rights, safety, or property of Spotzo or others, or as part of a business transfer (such as a merger or acquisition), in which case we will notify you.
7. Device permissions
- Camera: required to photograph animals; used only while you are spotting.
- Notifications: optional; used only for reminders you switch on (such as keeping your streak). They are scheduled on your phone; we do not run a push-notification service.
- Internet: to sign in and save your progress.
Spotzo does not ask for location, contacts, microphone or photo-library access. You can grant or revoke any permission at any time in your phone's settings.
8. Data retention and deletion
- Your account and game progress are kept for as long as your account exists. One limit: for each account we keep the newest 20,000 sightings (the record of which species you spotted and when); when there are more, the oldest are removed automatically. Your cards and their levels are not affected.
- Delete your account in the App: Profile → Settings → Delete account. This permanently removes your account, your saved progress and your Paws from our backend straight away. Daily backups that may still contain them are replaced within about a week.
- Or ask us by email from the address you sign in with, at support@spotzo.app, and we will delete everything within 30 days. You can also find these steps at spotzo.app/delete-account.
- Technical data: request logs are kept up to 7 days; session records until you sign out, delete your account, or do not use the App for 180 days (you then simply sign in again).
- Photos and anything else stored on your phone stay until you delete them or uninstall the App.
- Waitlist emails are kept until 3 months after launch, or until you ask us to remove them.
- Emails you send us (for example to support@spotzo.app) are kept for up to 12 months after the matter is closed, then deleted.
9. Data security
We protect your information with encryption in transit (HTTPS/TLS), database rules that let each account reach only its own data, a sign-in session that is encrypted on your phone, daily backups, and regular security checks. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, but we work to protect your data and to fix vulnerabilities promptly. To report a security issue, email support@spotzo.app.
10. Your privacy rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:
- Access the personal data we hold about you;
- Correct inaccurate data;
- Delete your data ("right to be forgotten");
- Port your data to another service;
- Object to or restrict certain processing; and
- Withdraw consent at any time, without affecting prior processing.
To exercise any of these rights, email us at support@spotzo.app. We will respond within the time required by applicable law (generally within one month). You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.
11. California privacy notice (CCPA/CPRA)
If you are a California resident, you have the right to know what personal information we collect (see §2), to request access to and deletion of it (see §10), and to not have it sold or "shared" for cross-context behavioral advertising. We do not sell or share your personal information, including for any consumer under 16. We will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights. To make a request, contact support@spotzo.app.
12. Children's privacy
Spotzo is intended for users aged 13 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 (or the minimum age of digital consent in your country, where higher). If you believe a child has provided us personal information, contact support@spotzo.app and we will delete it. Spotzo has no advertising.
13. International data transfers
Your information may be processed in countries other than where you live, including the United States, where our service providers operate. Where required, we rely on appropriate safeguards (such as the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses) to protect your data when it is transferred internationally.
14. Changes to this Policy
We may update this Policy from time to time, for example before adding a new feature that handles data differently. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date above and, for material changes, give a more prominent notice (such as in the App) before the change takes effect.
15. Contact us
Questions or requests about this Policy or your data? Contact us at:
Email: support@spotzo.app
Web: spotzo.app