Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to Bookshelf. We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring transparency about how we handle your information. This Privacy Policy explains our practices regarding data collection, use, and disclosure when you use our mobile application.

Important: Bookshelf is designed with privacy as a core principle. Your book collection, reading progress, notes, and preferences are stored exclusively on your device and are never transmitted to our servers. However, the App does use certain third-party services (authentication, book search, advertising) that may collect or process some information as described in this policy.

2. Information Stored Locally on Your Device

The following information is stored exclusively on your device and is never transmitted to our servers:

• Your book collection and metadata
• Reading progress, statistics, and history
• Notes and annotations
• Reading sessions and timer data
• App settings and preferences (theme, goals, reminders)
• Imported files (PDFs, EPUBs, etc.)
• Book cover images (downloaded and cached locally)

We cannot access, view, or retrieve any of this data. It remains private and under your complete control. If you uninstall the App or delete the App's data, this information will be permanently deleted from your device.

3. Third-Party Services and Data Collection

Our App integrates with several third-party services to provide functionality. These services may collect or process information as described below. We do not control how these third parties collect or use your information, and we encourage you to review their privacy policies.

3.1 Google Sign-In and Supabase Authentication (Optional)

The App offers optional Google Sign-In authentication through Supabase. This feature is completely optional - you can use the App without signing in. If you choose to sign in with Google:

• Your Google account email address is sent to Supabase for authentication
• Your Google account name and profile picture URL may be stored in Supabase
• This information is used solely for authentication purposes
• We do not use this information for any other purpose
• You can sign out at any time, which will remove your authentication data
• The App requests access to a hidden folder in your Google Drive (see Section 3.2 for details)

Important: Your book collection, reading data, notes, and all other app data remain stored locally on your device and are never sent to Supabase or any other server, regardless of whether you sign in. Supabase only stores your authentication information (email, name, profile picture) - no book data, reading progress, notes, or any other app content is stored in Supabase.

For more information:

• Google Privacy Policy
• Supabase Privacy Policy

3.2 Google Drive Backups (Optional)

The App offers an optional backup feature that allows you to store backups of your data in your Google Drive. This feature is completely optional and requires you to explicitly sign in and create backups. If you choose to use this feature:

• Backup Location: Backups are stored in a hidden folder in your Google Drive called "App Data Folder" (appDataFolder). This folder is not visible in your regular Google Drive interface and is only accessible by the App.
• What Gets Backed Up: You can choose what to include in backups:
  • Book collection and metadata
  • Reading sessions and progress
  • Notes and annotations
  • App preferences and settings
  • Optionally: Imported book files (PDFs, EPUBs)
• Your Data, Your Control: Backups are stored in your own Google Drive account, not on our servers. We cannot access, view, or retrieve your backup data. Only you have access to your Google Drive backups.
• Privacy: The App uses the Google Drive API scope `drive.appdata` which only allows access to the hidden App Data Folder. The App cannot access any other files or folders in your Google Drive.
• Deletion: You can delete backups at any time through the App, or by managing your Google Drive storage. Signing out will revoke the App's access to your Google Drive.

Important Notes:

• Backups are created only when you explicitly choose to create them - the App does not automatically backup your data
• If you do not use the backup feature, all your data remains exclusively on your device
• Backup data is subject to Google's Privacy Policy and Terms of Service
• We recommend reviewing Google's Privacy Policy to understand how Google handles data stored in Google Drive

3.3 Google Books API

The App uses Google Books API to search for books and retrieve book information. When you search for books:

• Your search query is sent to Google Books API
• Google may log your IP address and search queries
• We do not receive or store any search history
• Search results are displayed in the App but not stored on our servers

For more information, see Google Privacy Policy.

3.4 Google AdMob

Our App uses Google AdMob to display advertisements. AdMob may collect the following information:

• Device information (device model, operating system version, device identifiers)
• IP address
• Advertising ID
• App usage data
• Location data (if permitted by your device settings)

This information is used to:

• Serve relevant advertisements
• Measure ad performance
• Prevent fraud

For more information about how Google AdMob collects and uses data, please review:

• Google Privacy Policy
• AdMob Privacy Information

You can opt out of personalized advertising through your device settings or by using the privacy options within the App.

3.5 Google Fonts

The App uses Google Fonts to display custom typography. When fonts are loaded:

• Font files are downloaded from Google Fonts servers
• Google may log your IP address and device information
• Fonts are cached locally on your device after the first download

For more information, see Google Privacy Policy.

3.6 Google ML Kit

The App uses Google ML Kit for text recognition (OCR) and barcode scanning features:

• Text Recognition: Images captured by your camera are processed locally on your device using ML Kit. The recognized text is stored only on your device as notes.
• Barcode Scanning: Barcode images are processed locally to identify book ISBNs.
• Images and recognized text are never sent to Google's servers
• All processing occurs on-device

For more information, see Google Privacy Policy and ML Kit Terms of Service.

3.7 Book Cover Image Downloads

The App downloads book cover images from external sources (primarily Google Books):

• Cover images are downloaded from publicly available URLs
• Your IP address may be logged by the image hosting service
• Downloaded images are cached locally on your device
• We do not control or have access to these external image sources

3.8 Privacy Policy Version Checking

The App periodically checks our website for privacy policy updates:

• A version check request is sent to our website (maximum once per day)
• Your IP address may be logged by our web server
• No personal information is sent with this request
• This is used solely to notify you of policy updates

4. Data Storage and Security

Your book collection, reading data, notes, and preferences are stored locally on your device using secure local storage (Isar database and SharedPreferences). This data includes:

• Your book collection and metadata
• Reading progress, statistics, and session history
• Notes and annotations (including text recognized from images)
• App settings and preferences (theme, goals, reminders)
• Imported files and documents

We do not have access to this data, and it is not transmitted over the internet to our servers. Your data remains private and under your complete control. The only data that may be stored on external servers is:

• Authentication information (if you choose to sign in with Google) - stored in Supabase. This includes only your email, name, and profile picture. No book data, reading progress, notes, or any other app content is stored in Supabase.
• Optional backups (if you choose to create backups) - stored in your own Google Drive account in a hidden App Data Folder. These backups are only accessible by you, not by us. See Section 3.2 for details.
• Data collected by third-party services as described in Section 3 (advertising, book search, etc.)

Important: If you do not sign in with Google and do not create backups, all your data remains exclusively on your device and is never transmitted anywhere.

While we strive to use secure local storage methods, please be aware that:

• No method of electronic storage is 100% secure
• Data stored on your device may be lost due to device malfunction, accidental deletion, software updates, or other unforeseen circumstances
• We recommend regularly backing up your device to prevent data loss
• If you sign in with Google, your authentication data is subject to Supabase's security practices

5. Data Loss and Limitation of Liability

6. Children's Privacy (COPPA Compliance)

Bookshelf is designed to be safe for users of all ages, including children. In compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA):

• We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13
• Our advertising services are configured to serve age-appropriate advertisements
• We use Google's User Messaging Platform (UMP) to ensure COPPA compliance
• If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately

7. Your Rights (GDPR and CCPA)

We respect your privacy rights and provide you with control over your data:

7.1 GDPR Rights (European Economic Area)

If you are located in the EEA, you have the right to:

• Access: Request information about what data is processed. Most of your data is stored locally on your device. If you signed in with Google, you can view your authentication data in the App settings.
• Rectification: Correct any inaccurate information. You can edit your data directly in the App, or if you signed in, update your Google account information.
• Erasure: Delete your data. You can delete individual items in the App, uninstall the App to delete all local data, or sign out to remove authentication data.
• Data Portability: Export your data using the export features in the App settings.
• Object to Processing: Opt out of personalized advertising through App settings, or choose not to use features that require third-party services (e.g., book search, authentication).
• Withdraw Consent: Change your consent preferences at any time in App settings, or sign out if you no longer wish to use authentication.

7.2 CCPA Rights (California)

If you are a California resident, you have the right to:

• Know: Understand what personal information is collected. We collect minimal information: authentication data (if you sign in) and data collected by third-party services as described in Section 3.
• Delete: Request deletion of personal information. You can delete local data by uninstalling the App, and authentication data by signing out.
• Opt-Out: Opt out of the sale of personal information. We do not sell your personal information. You can manage advertising preferences in App settings.
• Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights.

To exercise these rights:

• Use the privacy and data management settings within the App
• Contact us using the information in Section 10
• For authentication data, you can also manage your Google account settings

8. Consent Management

Our App uses Google's User Messaging Platform (UMP) to manage consent for advertising:

• You will be asked to provide consent for personalized advertising when you first use the App
• You can change your consent preferences at any time in the App's settings
• If you do not consent to personalized advertising, we will serve non-personalized advertisements
• Your consent choices are stored locally on your device

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for legal, operational, or regulatory reasons. When we make changes:

• We will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy
• We will notify you through the App with a pop-up notification
• You will be required to review and accept the updated Privacy Policy before continuing to use the App
• Continued use of the App after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your privacy.

10. Contact Us

11. Governing Law

This Privacy Policy is governed by and construed in accordance with applicable privacy laws, including but not limited to:

• General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for users in the European Economic Area
• California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) for California residents
• Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) for children under 13

12. Acknowledgment

By using the Bookshelf App, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with any part of this policy, please do not use the App.

Last Updated: January 7, 2026
Version: 1.0.0