Privacy Policy

BookWorm ("the app", "we", "us", or "our") is a reading tracker for iOS that helps you log books, follow your reading progress, build reading streaks, and organise your personal library. This Privacy Policy explains how we handle information when you use the app.

This policy applies to the BookWorm iOS application distributed through the Apple App Store. By using BookWorm, you agree to the practices described here.

Everything you create in BookWorm is stored locally on your device. We do not receive or have access to this content. It includes:

• Your library: book titles, authors, cover images, formats, genres, and reading status.
• Reading activity: progress, page and time positions, start and finish dates, reading log, and streaks.
• Personal touches: a display name and profile photo you optionally add, reading goals, favourites, and app settings such as language, theme, and notification preferences.

Device features, used only when you choose

This information never leaves your device except through the private iCloud sync described below.

If iCloud is enabled on your device, BookWorm can sync your library across your Apple devices using Apple's CloudKit private database. This data is stored in your personal iCloud account, protected by your Apple ID.

• The developer of BookWorm cannot see, access, or read the contents of your private iCloud database.
• This sync is governed by Apple's Privacy Policy and iCloud terms.
• You can turn iCloud sync off at any time in your device's iCloud settings.

To understand how features are used and to improve the app, BookWorm collects a small amount of pseudonymous usage data using PostHog. Data is processed on PostHog's EU-based cloud for GDPR compliance.

This analytics data:

• Is not used to track you across other apps or websites — no IDFA, no cross-app tracking.
• Contains no personal content. We never send book titles, author names, your display name, notes, your profile photo, or the text you type into search. For search, we record only query length and result count.
• Consists of product-interaction events, such as which screens are opened, which features are used, and onboarding choices, to help us fix problems and prioritise improvements.
• Is associated with a randomly generated app identifier and a small usage profile — for example reading goals, app language and theme, notification settings, library size, books finished, audiobook usage, and whether you have set a profile photo (never the photo itself).

This data is not used for tracking and is never sold or shared for advertising.

BookWorm relies on a few external services strictly to make features work. We share only what is technically necessary, and we do not sell data to anyone.

These services process data under their own privacy policies. Book searches are sent to Apple and Open Library only when you actively search for or scan a book.

BookWorm is free. It offers optional one-time tips through Apple's in-app purchase system. These are single payments, not subscriptions — nothing recurs and nothing is unlocked. All payments are processed by Apple. We never receive or store your credit-card number, billing address, or Apple ID password. Receipts are handled through your Apple account settings.

We use RevenueCat to validate purchases and remember whether you have tipped, so the app can thank you. RevenueCat receives an app-generated anonymous identifier and Apple's purchase receipt, but never your name, email, or payment details. RevenueCat does not handle payment processing; Apple does.

If you enable reading reminders, BookWorm schedules local notifications on your device — for example a morning reading prompt, an evening progress reminder, and a nudge when a reading streak is at risk. These notifications are generated on-device and are not sent through any external server. You can disable them at any time in the app's settings or in your device's system settings.

Reminders also include an occasional weekly note, currently on Sundays, mentioning that BookWorm is free and that you can leave an optional tip if you would like to. It contains no advertising and links only to BookWorm's own tip screen. It is part of the same reminder setting, so turning reminders off turns it off too.

• Require an account or email address to use the app.
• Sell, rent, or trade your personal information.
• Track you across other companies' apps or websites.
• Show third-party advertising.
• Collect your precise location, contacts, or health data.

Because your library is stored locally and in your own iCloud account, you are always in control:

• Deleting a book, or all your data, within the app removes it from your device — and syncs that deletion to your iCloud.
• Deleting the app removes all locally stored data from that device.
• To remove synced data everywhere, delete it in the app while signed in to iCloud, or manage BookWorm's data in your device's iCloud settings.
• Analytics events are tied to a randomly generated app identifier and retained by PostHog on our behalf. If you reset all app data, a new identifier is created and past analytics can no longer be associated with your device.

Depending on where you live, you may have rights under laws such as the EU/UK GDPR or the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA/CPRA), including the right to access, correct, delete, or port your data, and the right not to be discriminated against for exercising those rights.

Because BookWorm does not hold your personal library on our own servers, most of these rights are exercised directly within the app by editing or deleting your data. You can stop analytics collection entirely at any time using the Share Usage Data switch in Settings, and resetting all data in the app also resets your analytics identifier. If you would like us to erase the analytics profile associated with your device, or you have any other privacy question, contact us using the details below and we will respond in accordance with applicable law.

BookWorm is not directed to children under the age of 13 (or the minimum age required in your country), and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will take appropriate steps to address it.

We take reasonable measures to protect your information. Data in transit to the services listed above is protected using encryption (HTTPS/TLS). iCloud data is secured by Apple's infrastructure and your Apple ID. However, no method of electronic storage or transmission is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

The third-party services we use may process data on servers located in various countries. We have chosen PostHog's EU cloud for analytics to support GDPR compliance. RevenueCat, which validates purchases, processes data in the United States. Where data is transferred internationally, it is done under the safeguards provided by the respective service providers.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the app or in legal requirements. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. This version was last updated on 10 August 2026. Significant changes may also be communicated within the app. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.