Wikiberries

Privacy Policy

Effective: August 20, 2026 Last updated: August 20, 2026

Wikiberries ("Wikiberries," "we," "us," or "our") is an iPhone application that provides a berry reference catalog, quizzes, study features, and an optional field journal. This Privacy Policy explains how the current version of Wikiberries handles information.

1. Summary

  • Wikiberries does not require an account.
  • We do not operate a server that receives information from the app.
  • We do not embed advertising, analytics, tracking technologies, or third-party software development kits in the app. Apple may separately provide App Store metrics and diagnostics as described below.
  • Information entered in the app is stored locally on the user's device, except when the user deliberately shares a Nearby Profile directly with another nearby Wikiberries user through Bluetooth.
  • We do not sell personal information.

For clarity, this Policy distinguishes between information that the app processes locally on a device and information collected by us as the developer. Under the current design, we do not collect app data on developer-operated servers.

2. Information processed on your device

App preferences and activity

Wikiberries stores settings needed to provide its features, including the selected favorite berry, list layout, study progress, daily-berry and seasonal-section preferences, and Journal protection preference. This information is processed locally and is not sent to us.

Field Journal

If you create a field observation, the app stores the information you choose to include, which may consist of:

  • the selected berry or an unidentified-berry designation;
  • observation date and time;
  • berry color, habitat, and ripening month;
  • a note;
  • one photo;
  • a location consisting of latitude, longitude, horizontal accuracy, and whether iOS supplied reduced-accuracy location; and
  • participant snapshots containing a name and, if selected, a phone number and small image.

Journal records are stored locally in encrypted form. Journal photos are stored as local app files and are protected by the security controls provided by iOS. Enabling Protect Journal adds Face ID, Touch ID, or device-passcode access control to the Journal interface; Journal-record encryption remains enabled whether or not Protect Journal is enabled.

Wikiberries does not upload Journal content to us, and Journal content is never included in a Nearby exchange.

Camera and Photos

The app accesses the camera only after you choose to take a photo. It accesses the Photo Library only after you choose to import a photo and grant the relevant iOS permission. Wikiberries processes the photo on the device and stores an app-local copy for the observation or optional Nearby Profile you selected. It does not upload the photo to us. The original image in your Photo Library remains under your control.

Location

The app requests When In Use location permission only after you choose to add your current location to an observation. It makes a single location request and stores the resulting coordinates and accuracy information in that observation. Wikiberries does not continuously track location, request background location access, include location in Nearby sharing, or send location to us.

Contacts and participant information

If you choose Add from Contacts, Wikiberries first explains the feature and then requests Contacts permission. The app may read contact names, organization names when needed to display a contact, available phone numbers, and thumbnail images so that you can search for and select a participant. The app does not upload your address book to us.

For each person you add, the saved observation contains only a historical snapshot: the person's displayed name, the one phone number you selected (if any), and a small image (if available). Contact identifiers are not saved, and saved participant information is not automatically refreshed from Contacts.

You may also enter a participant's name and optional phone number manually. You are responsible for having an appropriate basis or permission to store another person's information in your Journal.

Nearby Profile and Bluetooth sharing

You may create an optional Nearby Profile containing a required name and an optional phone number and thumbnail image. The profile is stored locally on your device.

Nearby sharing uses Bluetooth and is available only through explicit, foreground actions:

  1. When you open Visible Nearby and start visibility, other nearby Wikiberries users can see your profile name.
  2. When you start Add Nearby, the selected nearby user receives your profile name as part of the request.
  3. Both users see a four-digit comparison code. The receiving user must approve the request and tap Share Profile before their full profile is sent.
  4. The initiating user must make a final Add to Observation choice before the received profile is stored in an observation.

An approved transfer sends the profile name and, if included by its owner, the phone number and thumbnail directly to the other nearby device. Approximate Bluetooth signal strength and temporary Bluetooth/session identifiers are processed in memory to discover and distinguish nearby devices. They are not stored as part of an observation and are cleared when the Nearby flow ends.

Scanning, advertising, and active requests stop when the relevant screen closes or the app enters the background. Wikiberries does not use Bluetooth in the background.

The comparison code helps users confirm that both screens show the same session. It should not be treated as end-to-end authentication against an active Bluetooth relay or man-in-the-middle attack. Share a profile only when you recognize the other person and the codes match.

Once you share information with another user, that user receives an independent copy and may retain it in their local Journal. We cannot access, control, or remotely delete that copy.

Journal authentication

When you enable Protect Journal, Wikiberries asks iOS to authenticate you using Face ID, Touch ID, or the device passcode. The biometric comparison is performed by iOS. Wikiberries does not receive or store facial images, fingerprints, biometric templates, or your device passcode; it receives only the authentication result.

Notifications

Wikiberries requests notification permission only after your explicit action. Notifications are optional, and you can change this permission at any time in iOS Settings.

3. Information we collect

We do not collect information from the app on developer-operated servers. In particular, we do not collect Journal content, photos, location, contacts, Nearby Profiles, Bluetooth discovery information, or advertising identifiers. The app does not contain an in-app or third-party analytics or crash-reporting service.

Depending on your Apple privacy choices and whether you use an App Store or TestFlight version, Apple may make aggregated App Store metrics or crash and diagnostic reports available to us through Apple's developer tools. Apple, rather than Wikiberries code, collects and provides this information. We use any such information only to understand app reliability and improve Wikiberries, never for advertising or tracking. Apple's collection, retention, and user controls are governed by Apple's policies and device settings.

If you contact us outside the app, such as by email, we receive the information you voluntarily provide, which may include your email address, name, message, and attachments. We use it only to respond, provide support, protect the app and its users, or comply with law. Do not send sensitive Journal content in a support request unless it is necessary and you choose to do so.

4. How information is used

Information processed by the app is used only to provide the feature you selected, including saving preferences, displaying study progress, creating and protecting Journal observations, showing observation locations on a map, selecting participant details from Contacts, importing photos, discovering nearby users, completing an approved profile exchange, and managing notification permission.

We do not use app information for advertising, marketing profiles, cross-app tracking, automated decisions, or sale.

5. Sharing and third parties

Wikiberries does not share app information with advertising networks, data brokers, analytics providers, or affiliated companies. The current app includes no third-party runtime SDKs.

Information may be handled in the following limited circumstances:

  • A nearby Wikiberries user: profile information is sent only through the explicit Bluetooth flow described above.
  • Apple and iOS services: Apple provides the App Store, App Store metrics and diagnostics, operating-system permissions, camera and photo interfaces, Contacts, Location Services, Maps, Local Authentication, Bluetooth, notifications, and optional device backup services. Displaying a saved observation on a map may require Apple Maps to process the map region needed to provide map content. Apple's handling of information is governed by Apple's Privacy Policy.
  • Device backups: iOS may include app-local data in an iCloud or computer backup, depending on your device and backup settings. We do not control or receive those backups. You can manage iCloud backups in iOS Settings. Journal records included in a backup remain encrypted by Wikiberries, in addition to protections applied by the backup service.
  • Legal and safety obligations: information that you voluntarily provide to us in a support request may be preserved or disclosed if reasonably necessary to comply with law, enforce rights, prevent fraud or abuse, or protect safety.

Any service provider that we may use in the future to process user information on our behalf will be required to provide protection consistent with this Policy and applicable law. We will update this Policy and the app's App Store privacy disclosures before introducing such processing.

6. Retention and deletion

Data stored by the app

  • App preferences remain until you change or reset the relevant setting, clear the favorite, or delete the app.
  • Study progress remains until you use Reset Study Progress or delete the app.
  • A Nearby Profile remains until you edit it, use Delete Profile, or delete the app.
  • Nearby discovery and exchange state is temporary and is cleared when the flow stops.
  • Saved Journal observations, participant snapshots, and Journal photos remain on the device for the lifetime of the current app installation.

To delete all Wikiberries data stored on a device, use iOS to Delete App. Do not use Offload App, because offloading may retain app data for a later reinstall. Deleting the app does not necessarily delete copies already included in device backups or copies that you deliberately shared with another nearby user. Manage backups through Apple/iOS backup settings; for a shared copy, contact the recipient.

Revoking Contacts, Camera, Photos, Location, Bluetooth, Face ID, or Notifications permission stops future access but does not automatically remove information already saved in the app. Delete the app to remove all locally saved Wikiberries data.

Support communications

We retain support communications only for as long as reasonably necessary to respond, maintain support history, protect legal rights, and meet legal obligations. You may request deletion of a support communication using the contact information below, subject to any information we must retain by law.

7. Your choices and controls

You can:

  • decline any optional system permission and continue using features that do not need it;
  • review or revoke system permissions in iOS Settings > Privacy & Security or in Wikiberries' app settings page;
  • stop Bluetooth visibility or discovery by leaving the screen, tapping Stop, or sending the app to the background;
  • edit or delete your local Nearby Profile in Wikiberries Settings;
  • reset study progress in Wikiberries Settings;
  • disable notifications in iOS Settings; and
  • delete all app-local data by using iOS Delete App.

Because we do not maintain user accounts or receive app-local data on our servers, we cannot view, export, correct, or delete that local data remotely.

8. Children's privacy

Wikiberries is a general-audience app and is not intended for children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 on developer-operated servers. Features that store another person's details or share a Nearby Profile should be used only with appropriate permission and, where required, the involvement of a parent or guardian. If you believe that a child under 13 sent personal information to us in a support communication, contact us so that we can review and delete it as appropriate.

9. Security

We use measures designed to protect app-local information, including iOS sandboxing, file protection, Keychain storage, authenticated encryption of Journal records, explicit system permissions, and user-confirmed foreground Nearby sharing. However, no storage or wireless transmission method is guaranteed to be completely secure. Keep your device passcode private, keep iOS up to date, and share a Nearby Profile only with a person you trust.

10. Changes to this Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy when Wikiberries features, data practices, or legal requirements change. We will publish the revised Policy at the same public URL and update the effective or last-updated date. If a change materially affects how the app handles information, we will provide additional notice where required.

11. Contact

The data controller for Wikiberries is the developer identified as the app's Provider on the Wikiberries App Store product page. For privacy questions or requests concerning a support communication, email qstmikeapplres@protonmail.com and include "Wikiberries Privacy" in the subject line. You may also use the App Support link on the app's App Store product page.

We cannot access or delete information stored only on your device. To remove that information, follow the deletion instructions in Section 6 of this Policy.