Lil Reads Privacy Policy

Overview

Lil Reads is a privacy-first app for logging the books you read with your child. Your data is stored on your device, synced through your own iCloud account, and optionally shared with family members you invite. I run no servers, there are no user accounts, and I never collect, access or transmit your personal information.

The app does make a small number of anonymous requests to public book catalogues so it can look up a book's title and cover. Those are described in Book lookups below.

Data storage

Everything you enter in Lil Reads — your child's name, colour theme and reading goal, the books on their shelves (title, author, ISBN, cover art), your reading log, and any cover photos you take — is stored in a local database on your device. This data leaves your device only through:

1. iCloud sync: your library syncs across your own devices using Apple's CloudKit, inside your personal iCloud account.
2. Family sharing: if you choose to invite a family member, the shared library becomes visible to them. This is described below.
3. Automatic iCloud backup: your device backs up the app's data as part of your standard iOS backup, handled entirely by Apple's operating system.
4. Manual export: you can export a reading log as a PDF to share it wherever you choose.

Book lookups

When you search for a book by title, or scan a book's barcode, Lil Reads sends that search text or ISBN to public book catalogues in order to retrieve the title, author and cover image:

• Open Library (openlibrary.org), operated by the Internet Archive — the primary source for book details and cover art.
• Google Books (googleapis.com) — used as a fallback when Open Library has no record, which is common for very new or independently published books.

These requests contain only the search term or ISBN you are looking up. They never include your name, your child's name, your reading log, your photos, or any identifier for you or your device. As with any internet request, the provider receives your device's IP address, and their own privacy policies apply to that. If you never search or scan, the app makes no such requests.

Camera and photos

Lil Reads uses the camera and photo library only when you actively choose to:

• Scanning a barcode: the camera reads a book's ISBN barcode. The video is processed live on your device and no image is recorded or stored.
• Photographing a cover: you can take a photo of a book cover, or pick an existing one from your photo library, for books with no cover art available. Photos are chosen through the system picker, so the app only ever receives the specific image you select.
• On-device processing: cover photos are straightened and have their background removed using Apple's Vision framework. This happens entirely on your device. No photo is ever sent to me or to any third party.

Cover photos you save are stored on your device and synced to your own private iCloud account alongside the rest of your library.

iCloud sync and family sharing

Lil Reads syncs your library across your devices using Apple's CloudKit. This sync is encrypted, stored in your personal iCloud account, and managed entirely by Apple. I have no access to your synced data.

You may also invite family members to share a child's library, so that everyone reading with the child can log sessions. When you do:

• The invitation and access are handled by Apple's CloudKit sharing, through the people you explicitly invite.
• Participants can see and add to the shared library — the child's name, books and reading log.
• You can stop sharing at any time, which revokes their access.
• The data is shared between your iCloud account and theirs. It never passes through any server I operate.

Data collection

Lil Reads collects no data about you. Specifically:

• No analytics or usage tracking
• No crash reporting services
• No advertising networks or third-party SDKs
• No user accounts or registration
• No servers or cloud databases operated by me
• No personal information collection
• No device identifiers collected
• No location tracking
• No photos or camera images sent to me or any third party

iCloud backup

When you enable iCloud backup on your device (Settings → [your name] → iCloud → iCloud Backup), iOS automatically backs up the app's data along with your other app data. This backup:

• Is encrypted and stored in your personal iCloud account
• Is controlled by you through iOS Settings
• Restores automatically when you set up a new device from backup
• Is managed entirely by Apple's iOS, not by the app
• Follows Apple's iCloud privacy policy

I do not have access to your iCloud backups. The backup is between your device and Apple's iCloud service.

Children's privacy

Lil Reads is designed to help parents and caregivers track the books they read with a young child. The app is intended for use by adults, and does not knowingly collect information from children under 13.

The information you enter about your child — their first name or nickname, colour theme and reading goal — is stored on your device and in your own iCloud account. It is never transmitted to me or to any third party, and it is never included in book lookup requests.

Data security

Your data security is maintained through:

• Local storage: data on your device is encrypted by iOS
• iCloud sync: encrypted in transit and at rest in your personal iCloud account
• iCloud backup: when enabled, backups are encrypted in your iCloud account
• No servers of mine: there is no account, database or server operated by me that could be breached
• Device security: protected by your device's passcode, Face ID or Touch ID

Your rights and control

You have complete control over your data:

• Access: all your data is visible within the app at any time
• Export: export a child's reading log as a PDF
• Delete individual items: delete specific books, reading sessions or profiles at any time
• Stop sharing: revoke a family member's access to a shared library whenever you choose
• Uninstall: deleting the app removes all local data (synced data and backups remain in iCloud until you delete them)

Data retention

Data is retained:

• On your device: until you delete it or uninstall the app
• In iCloud (sync): until you delete the items in the app
• In iCloud backups: according to your iCloud backup settings (typically until you delete the backup or stop backing up)

Because I hold no data about you, there is nothing for me to retain, and no deletion request you need to make of me.

Changes to this policy

This privacy policy may be updated to reflect changes in the app or legal requirements. Updates will be posted with a new "Last updated" date. Continued use of the app after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

Compliance

This app complies with:

• Apple App Store guidelines
• General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) principles
• California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) principles
• Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)

Contact

For questions about this privacy policy or data practices, email ritesh@ritesh.fyi.

App information

• AppLil Reads
• Bundle IDcom.deepfried.LilReads
• Version1.0
• DeveloperRitesh Mandaliya