Terms and Conditions

In short. Verdejar is free and can be used without an account; in the iPhone app there are decorative pots for sale, which are optional and change nothing about plant care. It helps you care for your plants, but watering intervals and advice are estimates: the soil, to the touch, has the final say. What you write and the photos you take remain yours. We ask you to use the app with respect for others and for the service. You can delete your account whenever you like, and your consumer rights always remain intact.

1. Who we are and what these Terms cover

These Terms and Conditions (the “Terms”) govern access to and use of the website verdejarapp.com (the “Website”) and the Verdejar application, available at app.verdejarapp.com, on the App Store (iPhone) and in any versions released on other app stores (the “App”). Together, the Website and the App are the “Digital Channels”.

The Digital Channels are the responsibility of Miguel Menezes Marto da Luz Cordeiro, an individual, of Rua António Campos, 2410-369 Leiria, Portugal, contact contact@verdejarapp.com (hereinafter “Verdejar”). Whoever accesses or uses the Digital Channels is the “User”.

These Terms should be read together with the Privacy Policy (verdejarapp.com/privacy/), which explains what personal data is processed and how. On matters of personal data, the Privacy Policy prevails.

2. Acceptance

By using the Digital Channels, the User accepts these Terms. Anyone who does not accept them should not use the Digital Channels. The Website can be visited without registering; the App can be used without a Google or Apple account, and acceptance applies from the first use.

The Digital Channels are intended for people aged 13 or over. Below that age, use of the App must be authorised and supervised by the holders of parental responsibility.

3. What Verdejar is

Verdejar is a free service that helps people care for plants, with optional purchases in the iPhone app (section 8). The Website presents Verdejar and publishes the Journal (articles on plant care) and the “Get to know your plant” preview. The App lets the User, among other things:

• record plants, waterings and other care, and get an estimate of each plant’s watering interval;
• keep a journal with notes, measurements and photos;
• browse the species catalogue and a guidance-only diagnosis by symptoms;
• receive care reminders on the device, if the User turns them on;
• follow their progress through levels, achievements and decorative pots, earned or bought;
• link the account to Google or, in the iPhone app, to Apple, find it on other devices and have friends who see a summary of their profile.

Signing in with Google or Apple, reminders and the pot shop only appear in the App when they are active on the service; until then, the App works without them.

The App runs in the browser of a phone or computer, where it can be added to the home screen, and as an iPhone app, downloaded from the App Store. It needs an Internet connection; offline, it shows the plant list from last time and keeps waterings to send when the connection returns. It is available in Portuguese, English, Spanish and French; so are these Terms (the Portuguese version is the reference). The Digital Channels carry no advertising.

So that the service works well for everyone, there are per-account limits, which may be adjusted: currently, up to 200 active plants, photos of up to 8 MB each (the App reduces them before uploading), 200 MB of photos in total and 30 MB per day, and up to 100 friends.

Features may be improved, changed or withdrawn over time (section 11). Using the App costs nothing. Whatever is paid for — today, only the decorative pots in section 8 — is always optional, clearly identified and priced before the purchase; nothing is charged without the User’s express request.

4. Recommendations are estimates

Watering intervals, amounts of water, suggested care, the symptom diagnosis and the figures in the Journal and the preview are calculated automatically from the species’ characteristics, the User’s answers and, if the User provides a location, the weather. They are estimates and suggestions, not guarantees. Every plant, pot and home is different, and the App cannot see the plant.

Before watering, the User should check the soil with a finger. Information about species toxicity is indicative and incomplete: a species with no toxicity warning should not be assumed safe for people or animals. In case of ingestion or suspected poisoning, contact a poison control centre (in Portugal, CIAV, 800 250 250) or a vet. Verdejar is not a substitute for professional advice.

The Website preview gives a rough idea, without the pot, the season or the weather where the User lives; the App refines the estimate with that information.

5. The account

Without a Google or Apple account. The App creates an account linked to the browser or device where it is opened. That account can only be opened from that browser or app: if the User clears the site data, changes device or loses their phone, they lose access to their plants, and Verdejar cannot recover them (purchased pots come back with “Restore purchases”, section 8). An account without Google or Apple that is not opened for about 13 months is deleted automatically, as the Privacy Policy explains.

With a Google or Apple account. The User can link the account to Google or, in the iPhone app, to Apple, to find it on other devices and to use the friends feature. Sign-in is handled by Google or Apple and subject to their terms; Verdejar never receives the password. Signing out deletes nothing: signing in again with the same Google or Apple account brings everything back.

Two accounts. If the User signs in with a Google or Apple account already linked to another Verdejar account, the App shows what each one holds and asks what to do: sign in to that account, taking with it what is on this device (the two are merged into one), or carry on without signing in, leaving everything as it is. Merging is final: this device’s plants, journal, photos and progress move to the account linked to Google or Apple, and this device’s account ceases to exist.

The User is responsible for what is done in their account and for keeping access to their device and Google or Apple account secure. If they suspect someone has accessed their account without permission, they should contact Verdejar immediately.

The display name is chosen by the User. It must not impersonate anyone, be offensive or be misleading. Friends see this name.

Friends. A friendship begins when a User uses another’s friend code or invitation link, and applies to both sides. Either can end it at any time; the other is not notified. What friends see is set out in the Privacy Policy.

6. Rules of use

The User agrees to use the Digital Channels in good faith, for personal and non-commercial purposes, and not to:

• upload or write content that is unlawful, offensive, defamatory, discriminatory, infringes privacy or the rights of others, or images they have no right to use;
• use names, invitations or friend codes to harass, deceive or send advertising to other people;
• try to access other Users’ accounts, data or photos, or parts of the service that are not made available;
• overload the service, get around usage limits, create accounts in bulk or use automated means (bots, scripts, data scraping) to access the App or copy the catalogue, texts or drawings;
• send files containing viruses or malicious code, or exploit vulnerabilities;
• manipulate levels, achievements or other rewards by any means other than normal use of the App.

Security flaws. If the User finds a security flaw, we ask them to report it to contact@verdejarapp.com (see /.well-known/security.txt) and not to exploit or disclose it before it is fixed. Anyone who does so in good faith, without accessing third-party data or harming the service, will face no action from Verdejar.

7. What is yours: User content

The notes, photos, plant names and other content the User enters remain theirs. By entering them, the User authorises Verdejar, free of charge and only while the content exists in the account, to store it, resize it, strip its metadata and show it to the User — strictly what is needed to provide the service. The content is not published, sold or used for any other purpose.

The User warrants that they have the right to upload the content they enter. Verdejar may remove content that breaches these Terms or the law, informing the User whenever possible.

8. Rewards and in-app purchases

Experience points, levels, ranks, achievements, streaks and the decorative pots earned by using the App exist only to follow and add fun to plant care. They have no monetary value, cannot be sold, exchanged or transferred to another account, and give no right to any consideration. They may be adjusted as the App evolves (for example, to fix errors or balance rewards), and are lost when the account is deleted.

In-app purchases. In the iPhone app, decorative pots can be bought, singly or in bundles. They are optional, only change how the pot looks and do not alter the watering calculation or any plant care feature: everything else in the App remains free. The price, in the buyer’s store currency and including taxes, is shown by Apple before the purchase, and nothing is charged until the User confirms it in Apple’s payment sheet.

The sale and payment are handled by Apple, through the App Store, under its terms (the Apple Media Services Terms and Conditions); Verdejar does not receive payment details. Once the purchase is confirmed, the pots are available immediately in the account where they were bought, to use in the App for as long as the account exists. They are also tied to the Apple ID that paid for them: the “Restore purchases” button, in the shop, brings them back to the account open in the App — for example, after reinstalling the App or on another iPhone with the same Apple ID.

A purchased pot is a personal licence to use it within the App: it cannot be resold, exchanged for money or passed to another person. Refund requests are made to Apple, under its terms; Verdejar does not remove a refunded pot from the account. If the App ever closes (section 11), purchased pots can no longer be used; the closure is announced with the notice set out there. None of this affects the rights the law grants the User as a consumer.

9. Reminders and third-party services

Care reminders depend on the browser, the operating system, the device settings and third-party push services. Verdejar does its best to send them on time but does not guarantee that they arrive; the User should not rely on them alone.

The App uses weather data from Open-Meteo, sign-in by Google and Apple and, for purchases, the App Store and RevenueCat, which confirms them; the Website links to Verdejar’s social media and, once available, to the app stores. These services belong to third parties, have their own terms, and Verdejar does not control their content or availability. Using the App through the App Store or Google Play is also subject to those stores’ terms.

10. Intellectual property

The Verdejar brand and logo, the plant drawings, the texts of the Website, the App and the Journal, the selection and texts of the species catalogue, the watering calculation engine, and the design and code of the Digital Channels belong to Verdejar or their respective owners and are protected by law. The User receives a personal, free, non-exclusive and revocable permission to use them within the normal scope of the Digital Channels.

Copying, reproducing, distributing, modifying, selling or commercially exploiting these elements, or decompiling or reverse-engineering the App, is not allowed, except where expressly permitted by law. Sharing a link to a Website page or quoting a short excerpt from the Journal with credit is welcome.

11. Availability and changes to the service

Verdejar aims to keep the Digital Channels available and working well but, as use is free, does not guarantee that they will always be available, uninterrupted or error-free. They may be interrupted for maintenance, updates, security reasons or third-party failures (hosting, network, push services).

Verdejar may change, add or withdraw features. If it decides to close the App, it will announce it on the Website and in the App itself with reasonable notice, of no less than 30 days wherever possible, and explain how to request a copy of their data before closure.

12. Liability

Verdejar is liable as provided by law. To the extent permitted, and given that use is free, Verdejar is not liable for:

• the condition, health or loss of plants, or damage resulting from following the estimates and suggestions of the App, the Website or the Journal (section 4);
• loss of access to an account without Google or Apple due to clearing browser data, or changing or losing the device (section 5);
• reminders that do not arrive or arrive at the wrong time (section 9);
• interruptions, errors or failures of third-party services, the network or the User’s device;
• the content of third-party sites the Digital Channels link to.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits Verdejar’s liability for wilful misconduct or gross negligence, for death or personal injury, or the rights the law grants the User as a consumer that cannot be waived by contract.

The User is liable for damage they cause to Verdejar or third parties by breaching these Terms or the law.

13. Suspension and ending use

The User may stop using the Digital Channels at any time and delete their account and all data in Profile → Delete the account, in the App.

If the User seriously or repeatedly breaches these Terms or the law, or puts the security of the service or other Users at risk, Verdejar may suspend or close their account, in proportion to the situation. Whenever possible and where there is no risk to others, it will give notice first, explaining the reason and giving the User a chance to respond; if the account is linked to Google or Apple, notice will be sent to that account’s email.

14. Changes to these Terms

These Terms may change to keep pace with the Digital Channels or the law. The current version is always on this page, with its date. A significant change is published on this page, with the date it takes effect, at least 15 days in advance; where the App allows it, it is also announced there; a User who disagrees may stop using the App and delete their account before the change takes effect. Continuing to use the Digital Channels after that date means accepting the new version.

15. Governing law, complaints and disputes

These Terms are governed by Portuguese law. A User who is a consumer living in another European Union country keeps the protection of the mandatory rules of their country of residence.

Any question or complaint can be sent to contact@verdejarapp.com; Verdejar replies within 15 working days at most and always seeks an amicable solution.

In a consumer dispute, the User may turn to an alternative consumer dispute resolution body, such as CNIACC — Centro Nacional de Informação e Arbitragem de Conflitos de Consumo (www.cniacc.pt). More information is available on the Portuguese Consumer Portal (www.consumidor.gov.pt). Without prejudice to this, disputes are settled by the competent Portuguese courts under the law, including those of the consumer’s domicile.

16. Final provisions

If any provision of these Terms is held invalid, the rest remain in force. Verdejar not enforcing a provision at a given time does not mean it waives it. These Terms and the Privacy Policy are the entire agreement between the User and Verdejar regarding the Digital Channels. In case of discrepancy between language versions, the Portuguese version prevails.