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ReadMe Privacy Policy

Your reading life stays yours.

No account. No ads. No tracking. Your library lives on your iPhone and, if you choose, in your own iCloud. Here's exactly what leaves your device, and when.

Last updated October 2026 · Covers ReadMe 3.0

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At a glance

Private by design, not by setting

There's nothing to opt out of, because ReadMe never opted you in. Six promises, and the policy below holds us to every one.

No account, ever

No sign-up, no login, no profile. Open the app and start reading.

On your device

Your library, sessions, notes and stats are stored on your iPhone with Apple's SwiftData.

Your iCloud, not ours

Optional sync runs through your own private iCloud database. It never touches our servers.

No ads, no tracking

No advertising, no analytics or tracking SDKs, and no following you across apps or websites.

Feedback only when you send it

Nothing is sent to us until you tap Send. Diagnostics are opt-in, every time.

Take it or delete it

Export your whole library as JSON any time. Delete the app and it's gone.

Full transparency

What leaves your phone, and when

This is the complete list. If a service isn't here, ReadMe doesn't talk to it.

ServiceWhat it receivesWhen
Google BooksBook search and coversYour search text or a scanned ISBN, and your IP address when covers loadWhen you search, scan, or a cover is shown
Open LibraryBackup ISBN lookupThe ISBN only, and your IP address when its covers loadWhen Google Books has no match for a barcode or ISBN
Your iCloudApple CloudKitYour library, in your own private iCloud databaseOnly if iCloud is on for ReadMe
ReadMe feedbackCloudflare and GitHubWhat you type, app and iOS version, device model. Diagnostics only if you add them.Only when you tap Send

Never sent anywhere: camera frames from barcode scanning, your notes, ratings, reading sessions and statistics, and the data behind your Home Screen widgets.

Contents

1Introduction

ReadMe ("we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your information when you use our mobile application and this website. ReadMe does not require an account and does not collect personal data on our own servers, except feedback you choose to send from the app or this website (Sections 2.4 and 2.5).

2Information We Collect

2.1 Reading Data (stored locally on your device)

  • Books in your library (title, author, cover image, status)
  • Reading progress and session history
  • Reading statistics and preferences
  • Notes and ratings you add to books
  • Wish list entries

2.2 Book Search Queries and Cover Images

  • When you search for a book, your search query is sent to the Google Books API to retrieve results. This is governed by Google's privacy policy.
  • Book cover images are loaded directly from Google's servers (books.google.com) whenever they are displayed in your library. As a result, Google may receive your device's IP address and which covers are being shown.
  • When you scan a barcode or look up an ISBN that Google Books doesn't have, the ISBN is sent to Open Library (openlibrary.org), and any cover it returns is loaded from Open Library's servers. Open Library may receive your device's IP address.
  • We do not store or log your search queries or cover image requests ourselves.

2.3 Device Information

  • App version and iOS version, used only for local app operation
  • iCloud account status, used solely to enable or disable optional sync
  • Launch, hang and crash figures that Apple's MetricKit gives the app about this device. They are kept on your device and appear in Settings > Sync Diagnostics. They leave your device only if you copy the report or include it with feedback (Section 2.4).

2.4 Feedback You Send From the App

ReadMe sends feedback only when you tap Send in Settings > Send Feedback. Nothing is sent otherwise. We don't ask for your email address. The app shows your feedback's status and tells you when it's fixed. Each submission includes:

  • The feedback type, title and description you enter
  • App version and build, iOS version and device model
  • The Sync Diagnostics report (book and session counts, iCloud sync status, the last sync error, and the launch, hang and crash figures in Section 2.3), only if you turn on Include Sync Diagnostics

2.5 Feedback You Send From This WebsiteNew

The feedback form on this page and on the ReadMe support page sends only when you press Send feedback. Each submission includes:

  • The feedback type, title and description you enter

We don't ask for your email address. No app version, device details or diagnostics are attached, and the website keeps no status token, so web submissions can't be followed in the app and we can't tell you when they're addressed. To keep out spam, the form uses Cloudflare Turnstile, which checks signals from your browser to tell people from bots. Our feedback service uses your IP address to limit how often submissions can be sent. It does not store your IP address.

2.6 Camera

  • ReadMe asks for camera access only to scan a book's barcode, and uses the camera only while you are scanning
  • Barcodes are read on your device by Apple's VisionKit. Camera frames are never stored or sent anywhere. Only the ISBN read from the barcode is looked up, as described in Section 2.2.
  • You can deny or turn off camera access in iOS Settings at any time. Search and manual entry still work.

2.7 Home Screen Widgets

  • To show your current books and progress, ReadMe keeps a small copy of that data and its covers in a container on your device that only ReadMe and its widgets can read
  • This copy never leaves your device

3How We Use Your Information

  • All reading data is stored and used entirely on your device to provide the app's features
  • If you enable iCloud sync, your data is synced through your own Apple iCloud account via CloudKit. It does not pass through our servers.
  • Search queries are sent to Google Books solely to return book results to you
  • Feedback you send is used to triage and fix problems. Feedback sent from the app is also used to show you its status in Settings > Your Feedback.
  • We do not use your data for advertising, sell it, or use it to track you across apps or websites
  • Apart from feedback you choose to send, we do not collect, transmit, or store your data on our own servers

4Data Storage and Security

4.1 Data Storage

  • Local Storage: All reading data is stored on your device using Apple's SwiftData framework
  • iCloud Sync (optional): If iCloud is enabled on your device, your library syncs via Apple's CloudKit using your personal iCloud account. This is governed by Apple's privacy policy.
  • Feedback: Feedback you send, from the app or this website, is processed by a Cloudflare Worker we operate. The feedback text, and diagnostics if any, become an issue in a private GitHub repository for triage.
  • No Other Developer Servers: We do not operate any servers that store your library or reading data

4.2 Security Measures

  • All data is stored using Apple's native frameworks, which benefit from iOS sandboxing and device encryption
  • iCloud data is protected by Apple's encryption and your Apple Account credentials
  • All network requests (to Google Books, Open Library and our feedback service) are made over HTTPS/TLS

4.3 No Tracking or Advertising

  • ReadMe contains no advertising and no third-party analytics or tracking SDKs
  • ReadMe does not track you as Apple defines it, so it never shows the App Tracking Transparency prompt
  • This website uses no analytics or advertising of its own

5Third-Party Services

5.1 Google Books API

  • We use the Google Books API to provide book search functionality
  • Search queries are sent to Google's servers when you search for a book
  • Book cover images are fetched from Google's servers when displayed in your library
  • Google's privacy policy applies to data processed by their services
  • We do not share any personal data with Google beyond the search query and the cover images your library displays

5.2 Apple iCloud / CloudKit

  • Optional iCloud sync is provided through Apple's CloudKit service using your existing iCloud account
  • Apple's privacy policy applies to data stored in iCloud
  • You can disable iCloud sync at any time in your device's iCloud settings

5.3 Open Library

  • Used to look up books by ISBN when Google Books has no match, and to load the covers it returns
  • Only the ISBN is sent. Open Library's privacy policy applies to data processed by their services.

5.4 Feedback Processors

  • Cloudflare runs the service that receives feedback and provides the Turnstile spam check on this website's form
  • GitHub hosts the private repository where feedback is triaged
  • These services process feedback only on our behalf, and their privacy policies apply

5.5 This Website

  • This website is hosted on GitHub Pages. GitHub may log visitors' IP addresses for security, under GitHub's privacy statement.

6Data Retention

  • Local Data: Retained on your device until you delete the app
  • iCloud Data: Retained in your iCloud account until you disable iCloud for the app or delete your iCloud account
  • Feedback: Feedback issues, from the app or this website, are kept as part of our development backlog
  • Status Token: For feedback sent from the app, your device keeps a random token so the app can show your feedback's status. Our service stores only a hash of it. No account is involved.
  • Apart from feedback, we hold no server-side data

7Your Rights and Data Deletion

  • Export: You can export a full copy of your library at any time from Settings > Export Library (JSON)
  • Delete Local Data: Delete the app from your device to remove all locally stored data
  • Delete iCloud Data: To remove iCloud data, go to Settings > Apple Account > iCloud > Manage Account Storage and remove ReadMe's data, or delete the app while iCloud sync is active
  • Delete Feedback: To have a feedback submission deleted, from the app or this website, email us at the address in Section 10 with the feedback's title
  • No Account to Delete: ReadMe does not use accounts, so there is no account deletion process

8Children's Privacy

ReadMe does not knowingly collect any personal information from children. Apart from feedback a user chooses to send, the app does not collect any personal data on our servers, and it is suitable for general audiences.

9Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any significant changes by updating the "Last updated" date above. Continued use of the app after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

11Legal Basis (GDPR)

For users in the European Union, our legal basis for processing your data is:

  • Legitimate Interest: Providing reading tracking features and improving our app
  • Consent: For optional iCloud sync, which you can disable at any time
  • Consent: For feedback, which is sent only when you tap Send in the app or press Send feedback on this website

Apart from feedback you choose to send, all data is stored locally on your device or in your own iCloud account and is under your direct control at all times.

12California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

California residents have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):

  • Right to Know: You can request details about what personal information we collect. The only personal information we collect on our servers is feedback you choose to send, described in Sections 2.4 and 2.5.
  • Right to Delete: You can delete all your data by removing the app and clearing iCloud data, and request deletion of feedback you sent, as described in Section 7
  • Right to Opt-Out: We do not sell or share personal information
  • Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights

A reading tracker that respects you

Track books, log sessions, scan barcodes, and watch your streaks grow. All private, all yours.

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