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Privacy Policy – Bibliobeats

Last updated: 2 October 2026

Bibliobeats is operated by Casey Doyle, trading as Olea Studios (“we”, “our” or “us”). This policy explains how we handle information when you use the Bibliobeats app and its related services.

We respect your privacy and aim to collect only the information needed to provide, protect and improve Bibliobeats. We handle personal information in accordance with applicable privacy laws, including the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) where it applies. You do not need to create a separate Bibliobeats account to use the app.

1. Your library and information stored by the app

Bibliobeats stores information you add or create, including books and cover images, reading progress and dates, personal book ratings and reviews, notes and annotations, collections, reading goals, playlists and preferences. It also stores in-app listening statistics and generated reading summaries.

This information is stored on your device and may sync through your private iCloud account when iCloud is available and enabled. Apple also stores information needed to coordinate playlist sync across your devices. The Currently Reading widget uses selected book information shared locally by the app, such as the title, cover and reading progress.

Some features send selected information to online services, as described below. Storing your library on your device or in iCloud does not mean that every feature operates entirely on your device.

2. Information used by app features

Book searches, barcode scanning and imports

Book searches and barcode lookups send search terms, titles, author names, ISBNs and relevant filters through our Firebase backend to ISBNdb to retrieve book information. When you import books, ISBNs may also be sent for metadata enrichment.

With your camera permission, Bibliobeats reads book barcodes on your device. Camera footage from this barcode flow is not saved or transmitted; the decoded ISBN is used for the lookup. Separately, if you take, scan or choose an image as a book cover, that image is saved with the book and may sync through iCloud.

Goodreads and StoryGraph files you select for import are read and processed on your device. Bibliobeats does not upload the complete import file to our backend as part of that process.

Apple Music and listening

Bibliobeats uses Apple Music services to find music and provide playback. Where permission is required, you control access through Apple’s permission settings. With access, the app can check music subscription capabilities and, when you enable playlist sync, create and update linked playlists in your Apple Music library.

Playlist sync uses playlist names, descriptions, song identifiers and information about library playlists. Sync information is stored locally and in your private iCloud account.

Bibliobeats does not retrieve your general Apple Music listening history. It records time spent listening to Bibliobeats playlists for your in-app statistics. Selected listening information may also be used for AI Year in Review or optional usage analytics, as described in this policy.

AI playlists and AI Year in Review

Bibliobeats uses OpenAI through our Firebase backend to generate playlists and reading summaries.

  • Playlist generation: requests include the book title and author, your selected music genre, and a limited list of songs and artists from other saved playlists to reduce repetition.
  • AI Year in Review: when enabled, requests include aggregate reading and listening statistics, book format and category totals, selected book titles, authors and ratings, and details of your most-listened-to playlist, including listening time.

AI Year in Review is enabled by default for eligible Encore subscribers and may generate or refresh a summary when you open Stats or change the year. You can turn it off in Stats. Turning it off prevents further generation while disabled; previously generated summaries may remain saved.

These requests can reveal aspects of your reading and music preferences. We do not include Apple account credentials or subscription receipts in AI prompts. OpenAI may retain inputs and outputs for service operation and abuse prevention under its API data controls. We do not promise immediate deletion or zero retention by the AI provider.

Subscriptions, usage limits and service security

Apple processes Encore purchases. We do not receive your payment card details. To verify subscriptions and provide the correct access, Bibliobeats sends signed purchase information to our Firebase backend for verification with Apple. Backend records can include product and transaction identifiers, subscription status, receipt hashes and relevant dates.

A separate installation identifier is stored in the device’s Keychain and used to enforce free usage limits, verify access and prevent misuse. It can survive deleting and reinstalling the app. Backend usage records include a hashed installation reference, feature usage counts, subscription tier and timestamps. This identifier is separate from the resettable analytics identifier described below.

Firebase App Check and Apple’s app attestation services help protect backend access. Our services and their providers also process technical information, such as IP addresses, request metadata, security signals and diagnostic logs, to deliver requests, maintain reliability and investigate faults or abuse.

Notifications

We use Apple Push Notification service and Firebase Cloud Messaging to support notifications. These services process installation identifiers and notification delivery tokens. Some Firebase installation information may be created when the app starts, before you decide whether to allow notifications.

You can allow or disable notifications in your device’s Settings. Notification permission is separate from your optional analytics choice.

Dictionary, artwork and support

Dictionary lookups send the selected word and language to the Free Dictionary API. Book covers and music artwork may be fetched from external providers, which receive the network information needed to deliver them. Wikipedia and Wikimedia services may supply author information and images.

If you contact us, we receive the information you provide, such as your name, email address, message and any attachments, so we can respond and resolve your request.

3. Optional usage analytics

Usage analytics helps us understand whether features such as the first-soundtrack guide, Encore invitations and review requests are useful. We use Google Analytics for Firebase for this purpose.

Usage analytics is off by default. It starts only if you choose Share Usage Analytics or enable it in About Bibliobeats → Usage Analytics. Choosing No Thanks, or dismissing the introduction without opting in, leaves it off. Your choice does not change access to Bibliobeats or Encore, and does not disable your local reading statistics.

When enabled, analytics may include:

  • Progress through the first-soundtrack guide and whether a listening session reaches a usage milestone.
  • Views of Encore invitations and plans, subscription plan categories and purchase-attempt outcomes.
  • Attempts to show Apple’s review prompt and use of the App Store review link. These events do not tell us whether you submitted a rating or review.
  • Information automatically collected by Google’s SDK, such as app lifecycle and session activity, app and device information, purchase and subscription events, notification interactions, and general location such as country inferred from network information.

Analytics uses a resettable identifier associated with an app installation. This allows activity from that installation to be linked over time; the data is not wholly anonymous.

The usage events we define do not include book titles or ISBNs, search terms, reading notes, annotations, song details, raw error messages, receipts or transaction identifiers. Google’s automatic purchase and subscription measurement is separate from those events. Information needed by other app features, such as book lookup and subscription verification, is also separate from usage analytics.

Advertising features are disabled for our analytics implementation, and it does not collect Apple’s advertising identifier. We do not use it to track you across other companies’ apps or websites for advertising.

Changing your analytics choice

You can turn sharing off at any time in About Bibliobeats → Usage Analytics. This stops analytics collection and resets the local analytics identifier and measurement state. The usage events we define are discarded while sharing is off and are not sent if you opt in later.

You can also select Reset Analytics Identifier. This resets the identifier used for future measurement while preserving your sharing choice. Neither turning sharing off nor resetting the identifier deletes reports already received by Google.

These controls apply to optional usage analytics. They do not disable processing needed for features you use, such as book lookup, AI generation, subscription verification, iCloud sync or notification delivery.

4. How we use and share information

We use information to provide the features described above, manage subscriptions and usage limits, secure and maintain the service, respond to support requests, and improve Bibliobeats. Optional analytics is used only when you choose to share it.

We do not sell, rent or trade your personal information. We share information with service providers where needed to operate these features, and may disclose it where required by law or reasonably necessary to protect legal rights, users or service security.

The principal services used by Bibliobeats include:

These providers process information under their applicable terms and privacy arrangements. Some information may be processed outside Australia, including in the United States and other countries where providers operate.

5. Storage, security and retention

We use reasonable safeguards to protect information, including encrypted network connections, platform security controls and measures to restrict backend access. No system can guarantee absolute security.

Library information and saved content generally remain on your device or in iCloud until you delete them, subject to synchronisation, backup and service retention behaviour. We retain operational records, subscription-verification information and support correspondence for as long as needed for their purposes, including resolving problems, preventing misuse and meeting legal obligations. Providers may retain associated security and diagnostic records under their own arrangements.

Our Google Analytics settings retain event-level data for two months and user-level data associated with the analytics identifier for 14 months. The user-data period resets when new activity is received, so it can extend while an installation remains active. These settings do not apply to standard aggregated reports, which may remain available for longer, or to records held by other Firebase services. See Google’s retention explanation.

AI requests and responses are subject to OpenAI’s service-specific retention controls, linked above. Disabling AI generation or analytics does not itself erase information previously processed by a provider.

6. Your choices and deletion

You can edit or delete library content within Bibliobeats, manage relevant permissions in your device’s Settings, control iCloud through Apple’s settings, and manage or cancel Encore through your Apple subscription settings.

Deleting the app removes its local app data, but does not necessarily remove iCloud copies, backups, playlists already saved to Apple Music, identifiers held in Keychain, or records already held by us or service providers. These may need to be managed separately. Deleting the app does not cancel an Encore subscription.

Depending on the laws that apply to you, you may have rights to access, correct or delete personal information, or to object to or restrict certain processing. Contact us to make a request. We may need information to verify and locate the relevant records; installation-based records may be difficult to associate with you without additional information. We will explain any applicable limitations or retention requirements.

7. External links and affiliate links

Bibliobeats may link to third-party websites and services, including Amazon and Bookshop.org. Some links may be affiliate links, which can earn us a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Opening a book-related link may pass information such as the book title, author or ISBN to the destination. Its own privacy policy applies to its collection, cookies and purchases. We do not control those websites or receive your payment details from them.

8. Children

Bibliobeats is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided personal information to us, please contact us so we can investigate and take appropriate action.

9. Contact and privacy complaints

For privacy questions, access or deletion requests, or complaints, contact:

Casey Doyle, trading as Olea Studios
Email: [email protected]

Please describe your concern and the information or feature involved. We will review your request and respond within a reasonable time, or within any timeframe required by applicable law.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may be able to contact your local privacy regulator. In Australia, further information is available from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as Bibliobeats, our services or legal requirements change. We will publish the updated version and revise the date above. Where required, we will provide additional notice or obtain consent for relevant changes.