Introduction
Welcome to BookPods! This Privacy Policy explains how BookPods ("we", "our", or "us") collects, uses, and protects information when you use our mobile application (the "App").
We are committed to protecting your privacy. BookPods is designed to help you track your reading and connect with small groups of fellow readers, with privacy and simplicity at its core.
Analytics are disabled by default. We do not use advertising or tracking services. Your reading data is yours.
Data Collection and Use
1. Account Information
When you sign in using Sign in with Apple, we receive:
- Apple ID: A unique identifier for authentication purposes.
- Name: Your display name (you can choose to share or hide this via Apple's privacy controls).
- Email: Optional, based on your Apple privacy settings.
This information is used solely for account creation and authentication.
2. Profile Information
You may optionally provide:
- Display Name: How you appear to other pod members.
- Avatar: A symbol or emoji you choose to represent yourself.
- Bio: A short description about yourself.
3. Reading Data
BookPods stores information about your reading activities:
- Books: Titles, authors, page counts, and cover images (retrieved from Google Books).
- Reading Sessions: Pages read, time spent reading, dates, and optional notes.
- Progress: Current page and reading status (Want to Read, Reading, Finished).
Your reading data is stored locally on your device and synced to secure cloud storage to enable pod features.
4. Pod Membership and Activity
If you join or create a pod (private reading group), we store:
- Pod Membership: Which pods you belong to and your role (owner, admin, member).
- Shared Updates: Reading session posts, reactions, and comments you share with pod members.
- Auto-Share Settings: Your preferences for automatically sharing reading sessions to pods.
Pod content is only visible to pod members. There is no public feed or discovery feature.
Data Storage and Security
Local Storage
Your books and reading sessions are stored locally on your device using Apple's SwiftData technology, enabling offline access.
Cloud Storage
Account information, pod memberships, and shared content are stored in Firebase Firestore with strict security rules:
- You can only read and write your own profile data.
- Pod content is accessible only to pod members.
- Posts can only be deleted by their author or pod admins.
Device Permissions
Camera
BookPods may request camera access to scan book barcodes for quick book lookup. Camera access is only used when you initiate a scan. We do not record or store camera footage.
Face ID / Touch ID
If enabled, biometric authentication may be used for optional parent mode features. Biometric data is processed by iOS and never leaves your device.
Third-Party Services
Firebase (Google)
We use Firebase for authentication and data storage. Firebase processes data according to Firebase's Privacy Policy.
- Firebase Analytics: Disabled. We do not collect usage analytics.
- Firebase Ads: Disabled. There are no ads in BookPods.
Google Books API
We use Google Books to look up book information (titles, authors, covers) when you search or scan a barcode. Only the search query (book title, author, or ISBN) is sent to Google.
Sign in with Apple
Authentication is handled by Apple according to Apple's Privacy Policy.
What We Do NOT Collect
BookPods does not collect, access, or share:
- Location data
- Contacts or address book
- Photos (beyond camera for barcode scanning)
- Advertising or tracking identifiers
- Browsing history
- Usage analytics or behavioral data
Data Retention and Deletion
Your data is retained as long as you have an active account. You can delete your data at any time:
- Delete Account: Removes all your data from our servers.
- Leave Pods: Removes your membership and shared content from pods.
- Uninstall App: Removes all local data from your device.
Children's Privacy
BookPods is designed for readers of all ages. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without parental consent. If you believe we have collected such information, please contact us.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last Updated" date.
Contact Us
Questions?
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at: pixelpuglabs@gmail.com
Last updated: January 3, 2026