Privacy Policy

What data Fern collects

Fern is designed to collect only what is necessary to provide you with a useful recovery tool. We do not collect calorie counts, weight, body measurements, or any nutritional data.

If you use the app without creating an account:

All data stays on your device in local storage
We collect no personal information whatsoever

If you create an account (optional):

Your email address, used to identify your account
A username you choose
Your log entries — feelings, meal moments, exercise logs, and urge logs — stored securely so you can access them across devices
App preferences such as your enabled modules and notification settings

If you subscribe to Fern Premium:

Subscription and billing information is handled entirely by Apple — we never see your payment details
RevenueCat (our subscription management provider) stores your subscription status and purchase history

3. How we use your data

We use the data Fern collects exclusively to provide and improve the app. Specifically:

To display your logs, patterns, and progress within the app
To sync your data across your devices if you have an account
To send you optional reminder notifications if you enable them
To manage your subscription status

We do not use your data for advertising. We do not sell your data. We do not share your personal or health-related information with third parties for any commercial purpose.

4. Data storage and security

Account data and logs are stored securely using Supabase, a managed database platform with industry-standard encryption at rest and in transit. Local-only data (for users without accounts) is stored on your device using AsyncStorage and never transmitted.

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your information, but no system is perfectly secure. Please use a strong, unique password for your Fern account.

5. Third-party services

Fern uses a small number of trusted third-party services to operate:

Supabase — authentication and cloud data storage (privacy policy)
RevenueCat — subscription and purchase management (privacy policy)
Apple App Store — app distribution, payments, and notifications (privacy policy)

We do not use any advertising SDKs, tracking pixels, or analytics platforms that share data with third parties.

6. Sensitive health information

The information you log in Fern — including feelings, meal experiences, and urges — is sensitive. We treat it accordingly:

It is never shared with advertisers, data brokers, or any third party
It is never used to train machine learning models
It is never sold under any circumstances
Access to your data within our team is strictly limited and governed by confidentiality obligations

7. Your rights

You have the right to:

Access the personal data we hold about you
Request correction of inaccurate data
Request deletion of your account and all associated data
Export your log data at any time using the in-app export feature
Withdraw consent for optional data uses (such as notifications) at any time

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at support@ferncare.co. We will respond within 30 days.

8. Data retention

We retain your data for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, your personal information and log entries will be permanently deleted within 30 days. Local-only data can be deleted at any time by uninstalling the app.

9. Children's privacy

Fern is not intended for use by children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the "last updated" date at the top of this page. For significant changes, we will notify you within the app. Your continued use of Fern after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding your privacy, please reach out:

Email: support@ferncare.co

Fern is not a replacement for professional medical or psychological care. If you are in crisis, please reach out to a qualified mental health professional or contact a crisis support service in your region.