Brancha — Privacy Policy

Last updated: 3 October 2026

Brancha (“the app”) is an offline-first family-tree maker for Android, published by Kozo Technology. This policy explains what the app does and does not do with your information. In short: your family data stays on your device, and we never receive it.

1. Data you create stays on your device

Everything you enter into Brancha — names, dates, relationships, events, places, notes, sources, citations, tags, and photos — is stored only in the app's private storage on your device (a local database and local files). It is never uploaded to us or to any third party. Kozo Technology operates no servers for this app and has no ability to access, view, or recover your tree.

2. Data we collect

None. The app contains no analytics SDK, no crash-reporting SDK, and no advertising or tracking identifiers used by us. We do not create user accounts and do not ask you to sign in.

3. Advertising (Google AdMob) and your consent

Brancha is free and supported by ads, served by Google AdMob. Its core features are never locked.

• The People screen shows a banner ad while your tree has fewer than six people, and one native ad (shown in the list like a person card, labelled “Ad”) once it has six or more.
• You may optionally watch a short rewarded video ad to unlock extras, such as a high-resolution, watermark-free export or the advanced insights. Watching is always your choice.
• To serve and measure ads, AdMob may collect your device's advertising ID, IP address (used for approximate location), device and operating-system information, and ad interaction data. See how Google uses this information: How Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services, and the AdMob documentation.
• The app declares the com.google.android.gms.permission.AD_ID permission for this purpose.

European Economic Area, UK and Switzerland: on first launch the app asks for your consent through Google's certified consent management platform (the User Messaging Platform). No ad is requested before you answer. Personalised ads are shown only if you consent; otherwise you may see limited, non-personalised ads.

United States: if you live in a US state with a consumer privacy law (such as California), you can opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information for targeted advertising.

Change your choice at any time: open the app's Settings ▸ Privacy ▸ Privacy options. The entry appears when it applies to your region.

4. On-device photo features (Google ML Kit)

Optional photo features — face detection and tagging, text recognition (OCR), and the document scanner — run on your device using Google ML Kit. Your photos are not sent to us or to Google for these features. ML Kit may download model files from Google Play Services the first time a feature is used.

5. Permissions the app requests

• Internet — used only to load ads and the consent message, and for ML Kit to fetch its on-device models. Your family data is never sent.
• Advertising ID (AD_ID) — used only by AdMob, as described above.
• Notifications (POST_NOTIFICATIONS, optional) — if you turn on reminders, the app posts local birthday and anniversary notifications. These are generated on your device; nothing is sent anywhere.
• Camera and photo access — requested only when you scan a document or import a picture. The app uses the Android photo picker, so it does not need broad access to your gallery.

6. Backups and exports

When you export a chart, report, GEDCOM file, or backup, the app writes the file to the location you choose through the Android system file picker, or shares it to an app you pick. Once a file leaves Brancha this way, it is under your control and the control of wherever you saved or sent it — not ours.

7. Children

Brancha is not directed to children under 13 and does not knowingly collect information from children.

8. Your choices

• Change or withdraw your ad consent, or opt out of the sale or sharing of your information for targeted advertising, in Settings ▸ Privacy ▸ Privacy options.
• Rewarded videos are always optional; you never have to watch one.
• Deny or revoke the notifications permission in Android settings.
• Delete the app's data (Android Settings ▸ Apps ▸ Brancha ▸ Storage) or uninstall the app to permanently erase everything it holds.

9. Changes to this policy

If this policy changes, the updated version will be posted at this address with a new “last updated” date.

10. Contact

Questions about this policy or the app: kozo.technology@gmail.com