Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 2, 2026

Overview

Huck ("Huck", "we", "our") is a wildlife identification and collection app. You point your camera at an animal, bird, plant, or insect, Huck helps identify it, and you build a personal field guide of the species you discover. This policy explains what data is collected, how it is used, who it is shared with, and your choices, both in the Huck iOS app and on this website (huck-app.com). Huck does not require you to create an account. We do not sell your personal information.

Data we collect

Photos & camera content

When you capture or upload an image to identify a species, the image is sent to our secure backend and analyzed by an AI vision service to identify the species in the photo. Photos you choose to save with a sighting are stored locally on your device as part of your collection. Images submitted for identification are used only to return a result and are not retained by our backend after processing is complete.

Ask Huck (AI search)

When you ask a question in plain words, the text of your question, the current date, and your approximate location (rounded to roughly a city or region, never a precise point) are sent to Google's Gemini API to answer it. Because we use Google's paid API tier, Google does not use this content to train its models; it is retained only briefly for abuse detection and legal compliance. We keep short, truncated, anonymous logs of the questions asked to improve results.

Location data (optional)

With your explicit permission, Huck may use your location to tag your sightings so they appear on your personal map, improve identification with region-appropriate species data, and alert you when wildlife is reported near you (if you enable notifications). Location is optional. You can use Huck without granting location access, choose approximate rather than precise location, or revoke access at any time in iOS Settings.

Notifications (optional)

If you enable notifications, Huck stores on our backend a device push token issued by Apple, an approximate (coarse) location used to determine when wildlife is reported near you, the species you mark as favorites, and your subscription status. This information is linked to an anonymous identifier, not your name or an account. Notifications are delivered through Apple's Push Notification service and can be turned off at any time within Huck or in iOS Settings.

Sightings & collection data

As you use Huck, the app stores the species you identify, your collection progress, rarity tiers, levels, badges, and challenge activity. This data is stored primarily on your device.

Usage analytics

To improve the app experience, Huck collects usage data including app launches, screen views, and feature interactions; onboarding progress; paywall interactions and subscription events; and identification and collection events.

Subscription data

When you start a free trial or purchase a subscription, purchase and entitlement information is processed to manage your access to premium features. Payments are handled entirely by Apple; we never receive your card or payment details.

Advertising & attribution data

Huck works with advertising and measurement partners to understand how people discover the app and to show relevant ads. For these purposes we and our partners may collect your advertising identifier (IDFA), but only if you grant permission via the App Tracking Transparency prompt; device and app identifiers, device type, and operating system version; install and attribution data (which ad or campaign led you to install); and in-app events such as installs, trials, and purchases, used to measure ad performance.

Device information

To ensure compatibility and diagnose issues, we collect device model and operating system version.

Website email signups

If you enter your email address in a signup form on huck-app.com, we store it, along with whether you ticked the box to receive promotional updates and the date you did so, to send you the updates you requested. We use privacy-respecting, aggregate analytics to understand how the site is used. Before we send any promotional email we ask you to confirm your subscription, and every email includes a one-click unsubscribe. Email signups are stored with Upstash and Vercel and retained until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete them.

Advertising & tracking

Huck uses third-party advertising and analytics SDKs to promote the app and measure the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns. These partners include TikTok for Business, Meta (Facebook & Instagram), and Google, for ad attribution, measurement, audience building, and campaign optimization.

On iOS, these SDKs only access your advertising identifier (IDFA) or track you across apps and websites if you grant permission through Apple's App Tracking Transparency prompt. If you decline, we and our partners will not use the IDFA or link your activity to third-party data for ad targeting, though we may still receive limited, privacy-preserving measurement (such as Apple's SKAdNetwork install reporting). You can change your tracking choice at any time in iOS Settings under Privacy & Security > Tracking.

How we use data

The data we collect is used to:

• Identify species from the photos you submit
• Answer your Ask Huck questions
• Build and display your collection, map, levels, and challenges
• Send you notifications about wildlife reported near you, including species you have favorited
• Process and manage subscriptions
• Measure and improve our advertising campaigns
• Improve app usability, reliability, and performance
• Send website email updates you signed up for

Third-party services

Huck uses the following third-party services to operate:

• AI vision service — Receives photos you submit to identify the species. Images are processed and not retained beyond what is necessary to return a result.
• Google (Gemini API) — Answers your Ask Huck questions. Receives the question text, the date, and your approximate location. On the paid tier this content is not used to train Google's models and is retained only briefly for abuse detection.
• RevenueCat — Subscription management. Receives an anonymous user ID and purchase data to manage premium access.
• Mixpanel — Product analytics. Receives usage events and non-identifying user properties.
• TikTok, Meta, and Google — Advertising and measurement partners, as described in the Advertising & Tracking section above.
• Apple — Handles all payments and, via SKAdNetwork, provides privacy-preserving ad attribution. Apple's Push Notification service delivers notifications to your device.
• Vercel and Neon — Host our backend and database. If you enable notifications, your push token, approximate location, and favorited species are stored here to deliver nearby-wildlife alerts.
• iNaturalist, Stadia Maps, Stamen Design, and OpenStreetMap — Wildlife sightings shown on our maps come from iNaturalist; map tiles are provided by Stadia Maps, Stamen Design, and OpenStreetMap contributors.

Important safety note

Huck's identifications are provided for general informational and educational purposes and may not be accurate. Huck does not provide foraging, edibility, medical, or safety advice. Never handle, consume, or rely on the app to assess the safety of any wild species. Always consult a qualified expert.

Data security

Your data is protected using industry-standard security measures including encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS) and authenticated API endpoints. Photos submitted for identification are transmitted securely and are not retained after processing.

Data retention

Your collection and sightings are stored on your device and remain until you delete them or remove the app. Photos submitted for identification are not retained after processing. If you enable notifications, the related data (push token, approximate location, and favorites) is stored only to provide the notifications feature and retained only as long as necessary for that purpose. Analytics and advertising data are retained only as long as necessary for the purposes described above and in accordance with our partners' policies.

Your choices & rights

You control camera and photo permissions in iOS Settings. Location access is optional and can be revoked at any time in iOS Settings. Notifications are optional and can be turned off in Huck or in iOS Settings. You can decline or revoke app tracking at any time via Apple's App Tracking Transparency controls. You can delete your collection data by removing the app.

You can also ask us to access, correct, or delete your information, or withdraw consent, by emailing privacy@huck-app.com. Depending on where you live (for example the EU/UK under GDPR, or California under the CCPA), you may have additional rights, which we honor.

Huck in ChatGPT

Huck is also available as a plugin inside ChatGPT, which lets you identify wildlife and look up species without the app. When you use it, this is what we handle:

Photos and recordings you share. A photo or audio clip you attach is sent to Huck only to identify the species in it. It is processed in memory and discarded right after; we do not store it.

Location. If you name a place, or ChatGPT provides your approximate location, Huck uses it to improve identification and to find nearby species. We round coordinates to about one kilometer before using or logging them and never store or return exact coordinates.

An anonymized identifier. ChatGPT gives Huck an anonymized user identifier so we can apply fair-use limits and basic analytics. It is not your name or email, and we cannot use it to identify you.

Retention and sharing. Our logs keep only the tool used, the species category, Huck's confidence, a state-level region, and a hashed identifier, for up to 90 days. We do not log IP addresses, exact coordinates, or your conversation. Identification and nearby-species features rely on service providers and public data sources, including our image and sound identification providers, GBIF, iNaturalist, and OpenStreetMap. We never request payment details, health data, government IDs, or passwords.

Children's privacy

Huck is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child under 13, we will promptly delete it.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the app or legal requirements. Updates will be posted on this page with a revised "Last updated" date.

Contact

Questions about this policy? Email privacy@huck-app.com.