Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

Within the App

• We do not collect any personal information.
• All content you import (PDFs, EPUBs, web URLs), your reading progress, settings, and preferences are stored locally on your device.
• Your data is never transmitted to our servers.

Analytics

• We do not use any proprietary in-app analytics or crash-reporting SDKs.
• iOS: Apple may collect anonymised, aggregated usage and crash data through the App Store if you have opted in to share analytics with app developers in your iOS Settings. This is governed by Apple's Privacy Policy.
• Android: Google Play may collect anonymised, aggregated crash data via Android Vitals and Play Console if you have opted in to share usage and diagnostics data in your device settings. This is governed by the Google Privacy Policy.

Advertising — Google AdMob

FocusReader Pro includes Google AdMob (Google Mobile Ads SDK) to show ads on the free tier only. AdMob may collect and use data to serve personalised or contextual ads. This includes:

• Device Identifiers:
  • iOS: The IDFA (Identifier for Advertisers) may be used for ad personalisation and frequency capping. Before accessing the IDFA, the App displays Apple's App Tracking Transparency (ATT) prompt. Personalised ads are only served if you grant tracking permission; contextual ads are shown otherwise.
  • Android: The Android Advertising ID (AAID) may be used for the same purposes, in line with the Google Play Advertising ID policy. In the EEA, UK, and Switzerland, the App presents a Google-certified Consent Management Platform (CMP) banner (IAB TCF v2.2) to collect consent for personalised ads under GDPR / ePrivacy. You can reset or delete the AAID at any time in Android Settings → Privacy → Ads, or opt out of ad personalisation entirely. On Android 13+, the AAID is automatically zeroed-out if you opt out.
• Advertising Data: AdMob collects data such as ad interactions (views, clicks), IP address, approximate (city-level) location derived from IP, device type, OS version, and app usage signals for ad delivery, fraud prevention, and measurement.
• App Functionality Data: Coarse usage signals (e.g., session duration, feature usage) may be collected by the SDK to optimise ad placement.
• This data is processed by Google LLC under the Google Privacy Policy and the AdMob & AdSense data disclosure.
• Opting out:
  • iOS: Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking (turn off "Allow Apps to Request to Track") and/or Settings → Privacy & Security → Apple Advertising (turn off Personalised Ads).
  • Android: Settings → Privacy → Ads → Delete advertising ID (or "Opt out of Ads Personalisation"). EEA users can also withdraw consent any time via the in-app "Privacy options" link, which re-displays the CMP banner.
• Subscribing to FocusReader Pro removes all ads and disables the AdMob SDK entirely — no advertising identifiers, ad requests, or CMP banner are processed for paying users.

2. In-App Purchases and Subscriptions

• FocusReader Pro offers a free tier, an auto-renewable subscription, and a one-time lifetime purchase.
• All transactions are processed securely by the respective platform billing system: Apple In-App Purchase on iOS and Google Play Billing on Android, in compliance with the Google Play Payments policy.
• We do not collect, process, or store any payment information. We receive only an anonymised purchase token / transaction receipt to verify entitlement.
• Subscription management (cancellation, renewal, upgrades) is handled through your Apple ID account settings (iOS) or your Google Play subscriptions screen (Android).

3. Bring-Your-Own API Keys

FocusReader Pro allows you to optionally connect your own API keys from third-party AI providers to unlock advanced features such as ultra-realistic AI voices, YouTube video transcription, and AI-generated summaries.

Supported providers

• Google Gemini
• OpenAI
• Anthropic (Claude)

How your API keys are handled

• Keys are stored on your device only — in the iOS Keychain on iOS, and in the Android Keystore / EncryptedSharedPreferences (backed by Android Keystore-managed keys) on Android. They are never sent to or stored on our servers.
• When you use an AI feature, your device communicates directly with the relevant provider's API (e.g., api.openai.com). beinghumans.dev is not involved in that request.
• Any content you send to those APIs (e.g., text to summarise) is subject to that provider's own privacy policy and terms of service.
• You are responsible for your own API key usage and any associated costs charged directly by the provider.

Relevant third-party privacy policies

• Google Privacy Policy
• OpenAI Privacy Policy
• Anthropic Privacy Policy

4. Text-to-Speech and Audio

• The App's built-in Listen Mode uses the platform's on-device text-to-speech engine — AVSpeechSynthesizer on iOS and the Android TextToSpeech API (typically backed by the Speech Services by Google or Samsung TTS engine you have set as default) on Android. Audio is generated locally; no text or audio leaves your device via our systems.
• If you provide an API key for an AI voice provider, audio synthesis requests are sent directly from your device to that provider. See Section 3 above.
• The App does not request microphone (RECORD_AUDIO / NSMicrophoneUsageDescription) permission and does not record audio.

5. Imported Content and Library

• PDFs, EPUBs, and web article content you import are stored locally in the App's sandboxed storage on your device (iOS App Sandbox / Android scoped app-private storage).
• We have no access to any documents or articles in your library.
• The App does not upload your content to any server.
• Android permissions used for import: the App uses the Storage Access Framework (ACTION_OPEN_DOCUMENT) so only files you explicitly select are read — it does not request the broad READ_MEDIA_* or MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permissions.

5a. Permissions We Request

In line with Google Play's Permissions and APIs that Access Sensitive Information policy and Apple's purpose-string requirements, the App only requests the minimum permissions needed for the feature in use:

• INTERNET / ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE (Android): required to load web articles you choose to import, to deliver ads on the free tier, and to forward requests to AI providers when you supply an API key.
• com.android.vending.BILLING (Android): required for Google Play Billing (subscriptions and lifetime purchase).
• POST_NOTIFICATIONS (Android 13+) / Notification permission (iOS): requested only if you enable optional reading reminders. Used solely for local notifications scheduled on-device — no push tokens are sent to our servers.
• App Tracking Transparency (iOS) / Ad ID (Android): only requested by the AdMob SDK on the free tier — see Section 1.
• The App does not request: location, contacts, calendar, microphone, camera (except optional QR-code import via the standard system picker, if used), SMS, call logs, accessibility services, QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES, background location, or any restricted permissions.

6. No Account Required

• FocusReader Pro does not require you to create an account or sign in.
• We do not collect your name, email address, or any identifying information.

7. Data Storage and Security

• All app data (reading progress, settings, imported library, API keys) is stored locally on your device using the platform's standard secure storage: iOS sandboxed storage + Keychain on iOS, and Android app-private storage + Keystore-backed EncryptedSharedPreferences on Android.
• Data in transit (e.g., requests to AI providers using your own API key, ad requests from AdMob on the free tier) uses TLS 1.2+. On Android, the App uses a strict Network Security Configuration that disables cleartext traffic.
• No data is synced to our servers. No cloud backup is performed by the App itself.
• You can back up your device data using iCloud Backup (iOS) or Google Drive Android Backup / Auto Backup (Android) — these are governed by Apple's and Google's privacy practices, not ours. API keys stored in Keychain / Keystore are excluded from device backups.

8. Children's Privacy

• FocusReader Pro is not directed at children. Our target audience is users aged 13 and over (16+ in the EU/UK where required by GDPR).
• The App is not enrolled in Google Play's Designed for Families programme and is not an Apple "Kids Category" app.
• We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13 (or under 16 in the EU/UK). We comply with the US Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and Google Play's Families Policy.
• On the free tier, Google AdMob is configured with setTagForChildDirectedTreatment / tagForUnderAgeOfConsent available for parental contexts, but because the App is not child-directed by default, standard adult ad serving applies subject to your tracking/consent choices.
• If you believe a child has used the App, you can fully erase all on-device data by uninstalling. Contact us at hello@beinghumans.dev with any concerns.

9. Your Rights and Data Control

• Full control: Since no personal data is collected or transmitted by us, you have complete ownership of all data on your device.
• Deletion: Uninstalling the App permanently removes all locally stored data, including your library, progress, settings, and saved API keys.
• Account / data deletion request: The App has no account system, so there is nothing for us to delete server-side. To meet Google Play's Account Deletion Requirement, you may still submit a deletion request via the in-app "Privacy & Data" screen or by emailing hello@beinghumans.dev — we will respond within 30 days confirming no server-side data exists.
• API key removal: You can delete your stored API keys at any time from within the App's settings.
• Third-party data: To request deletion of data held by Google (AdMob) or by a third-party AI provider you connected, please contact that provider directly using the links in Section 3 and Section 10.
• GDPR (EEA / UK): You have rights of access, rectification, erasure, restriction, portability, and objection. Because we do not hold personal data about you, requests of this nature should be directed to Google (for AdMob data) or to the AI provider whose key you used.
• CCPA / CPRA (California): We do not "sell" or "share" personal information in the meaning of the CCPA. AdMob's role in personalised advertising on the free tier may constitute "sharing" under CPRA; you can opt out by denying ATT (iOS), resetting/deleting your Advertising ID (Android), or simply subscribing to remove ads.

10. Third-Party Services

• Apple App Store / Apple In-App Purchase: In-app purchases and subscription billing on iOS are managed by Apple. See Apple's Privacy Policy.
• Google Play / Google Play Billing: App distribution, updates, and in-app purchase billing on Android are managed by Google. See the Google Privacy Policy.
• AI API providers (Gemini, OpenAI, Claude): Only used if you choose to add your own API key. See Section 3.
• Google AdMob (Google Mobile Ads SDK): Integrated on the free tier to display ads. AdMob may collect device identifiers (IDFA on iOS / AAID on Android, subject to your consent), advertising signals, and coarse usage data for ad delivery and measurement. This SDK is disabled entirely for subscribers. See Google's Privacy Policy and AdMob's data disclosure.
• Google User Messaging Platform (UMP SDK): Used on Android (and iOS) in regulated regions to show the GDPR / IAB TCF v2.2 consent banner before AdMob initialises. No personal data is shared with us by UMP.
• The App does not integrate Google Analytics for Firebase, Firebase Crashlytics, Facebook SDK, social login SDKs, attribution SDKs, or any other marketing/tracking libraries beyond the AdMob + UMP stack described above.

11. Store-Specific Disclosures

Apple App Store — Privacy "Nutrition Label"

• Data collected by this app (free tier): Device identifiers and usage data via Google AdMob for advertising purposes. Subscribers: none.
• Data linked to you: None collected by beinghumans.dev directly. AdMob may link advertising data to your device identifier (IDFA) with your permission.
• Data used to track you: Google AdMob uses the IDFA (if ATT permission is granted) to track users across apps and websites owned by other companies for targeted advertising. The App presents Apple's App Tracking Transparency prompt before any tracking occurs. You can deny permission and contextual (non-personalised) ads will be shown instead. Subscribers are not tracked.
• Third-party sign-in: Not used.

Google Play — Data Safety Section

For full transparency, here is the same information mapped to Google Play's Data Safety taxonomy:

• Data collected by beinghumans.dev: None.
• Data collected by integrated SDKs (free tier only — Google AdMob & UMP):
  • Device or other IDs — Advertising ID (AAID) — collected and shared with Google for ads, fraud prevention, analytics. Optional / consent-gated in regulated regions; you can opt out via system settings.
  • App activity — App interactions and in-app search history may be inferred for ad measurement.
  • App info and performance — Crash logs, diagnostics — only via Google Play / Android Vitals if you opted in at the device level.
  • Approximate location — Derived from IP address by Google for ad targeting.
• Data shared with third parties: Only the AdMob data above, shared with Google LLC, on the free tier only.
• Data is encrypted in transit: Yes (TLS 1.2+).
• You can request data deletion: Yes — see Section 9. Because we hold nothing server-side, deletion is automatic on uninstall; we still honour formal deletion requests within 30 days.
• Independent security review: The App follows Google Play's Mobile Application Security Assessment (MASA) guidance and is built against the Android target API level required by Google Play.
• Committed to Play Families Policy: N/A — not a child-directed app (see Section 8).

Acknowledgment

• This Privacy Policy is between you and beinghumans.dev. Apple and Google are not parties to this agreement.
• Apple and Google have no obligation to provide maintenance or support for the App.
• Apple and its subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of this policy and Apple's own App Store Terms of Service; your use of the Android version is additionally subject to the Google Play Terms of Service.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date. We encourage you to review it periodically.

13. Contact Us

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