Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 29, 2026

            The Short Version: Bookshelf has no account, no ads and no tracking. Your library is stored on your device and in your own private iCloud, which we can't access. The only thing that leaves your device is a book's ISBN, sent to Open Library and Google Books to look the book up.
        

Introduction

This Privacy Policy explains how the Bookshelf app ("the App") for iPhone and iPad handles your information. The App is made by an independent developer ("we", "us"). We built it to keep your library yours.

Information We Don't Collect

We do not collect, receive or store:

Personal information such as your name, email address or phone number
Your library: the books, notes, levels, topics and bins you add
Location data
Photos or camera images
Usage analytics, crash analytics, advertising identifiers or tracking data

There is no account to create, and we run no servers that receive data from the App.

Where Your Library Is Stored

Everything you add to the App is stored on your device. If you're signed into iCloud, it is also stored in the App's private database in your own iCloud account, so your iPhone and iPad stay in sync. That database belongs to your Apple Account: we, as the developer, cannot see or access it. Apple's handling of iCloud data is described in Apple's Privacy Policy.

The App also keeps its settings (such as your preferred reading-level system) and downloaded book covers on your device.

Looking Up Books

When you scan or type a book's ISBN, the App sends only that ISBN to two public book catalogues to find the book's title, author, description, subjects and cover:

Open Library, run by the Internet Archive (terms and privacy)
Google Books, run by Google (privacy policy)

Cover images are then downloaded from the addresses these catalogues provide. As with any internet request, these services receive your device's IP address when the App contacts them. The App does not send them your name, your library, or any identifier for you or your device.

Books you add by hand, without an ISBN, are never sent anywhere except your own iCloud.

Camera

The App asks for camera access only to read barcodes. Barcodes are recognized on your device; the App does not record, save or send any images or video. You can turn camera access off at any time in the Settings app and type ISBNs instead.

Exports and Labels

Spreadsheets and label PDFs you create are made on your device. They go only where you choose to share or save them.

Third-Party Services

Apart from the two book catalogues above and Apple's iCloud, the App uses no third-party services. It contains no analytics, advertising or tracking code.

Children's Privacy

The App is designed for teachers and parents managing a book collection. It does not collect personal information from anyone, including children under 13.

Deleting Your Data

You can delete any book in the App by swiping on it in the Library. To remove everything, delete the App from your device, and delete its iCloud data in the Settings app under [your name] → iCloud → Manage Account Storage (or Manage Storage) → Bookshelf.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be shown by the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. If a future version of the App handles information differently, we will update this policy before that version is released.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or the App's privacy practices, please contact us at:

Email: dsimpsonseeds@gmail.com