Privacy

Last updated: 14 November 2026

Spinewick is a book tracker. It was built so that it does not need to know who you are. This page says what stays on your iPhone, what leaves it, and who receives it.

In short

• There is no account. We never ask for your email address or your real name inside the app.
• Your library, your notes, your ratings and your reading history stay on your device.
• We count how the app is used, without your name, your books or your notes.
• We do not sell data, and there are no ads in the app.

What stays on your device

Your books, lists, notes, ratings, reading sessions, reading goal, the name you give your shelf, and the files you import from Goodreads or StoryGraph are stored on your iPhone. An imported file is read on the device and is not uploaded to us. The camera is used only to read a barcode; pictures are not stored or sent anywhere.

What leaves your device

Looking up a book

When you search for a book or scan a barcode, the words you typed or the ISBN are sent to public book catalogues so they can answer: Open Library (Internet Archive), Apple’s book store search, the German National Library and Google Books. They receive that text and, as any website does, your IP address. They are not told who you are, and nothing else about your library is sent. Book covers are downloaded from Open Library, Apple and Google.

How the app is used

We use PostHog, hosted in the United States, to count events such as “a book was added”, “a reading session was finished” or “the paywall was shown”, with the app version, the device model, the system version, your region and a random identifier created for that installation. These events never contain your name, a book’s title or author, or your notes. We use them to see what works and what breaks.

Purchases

Purchases are handled by Apple. To know whether Spinewick Plus is active, the app uses RevenueCat, which receives a random identifier for the installation, the product bought and the purchase history for this app from Apple. We never see your payment details.

The mailing list

If you leave your email address on this website, it is stored by Kit (kit.com, in the United States), the service that sends our emails. We use it to tell you when Spinewick is released and what is new in it, and now and then to tell you about our other apps. Nothing is sent until you confirm your address. Every email has a link to unsubscribe, and you can write to us to have your address deleted at any time.

Reminders

The daily reading reminder is scheduled on your device. It does not pass through a server.

Your choices

Deleting the app deletes the library stored on that device. To have the usage data linked to your installation deleted, or your email address removed from the mailing list, write to us. If you live in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom you also have the right to see, correct and object to the use of personal data we hold about you, and to complain to your data-protection authority.

Children

Spinewick is not directed at children under 13 and does not knowingly collect personal data from them.

Changes

If this policy changes, the date at the top changes with it, and a change that matters will be mentioned in the app’s release notes.

Contact

A contact address will be listed here before the app is released.