Privacy Policy

Last updated: August 8, 2026

Book Spotter (“the app”, “we”, “us”) helps you find books on shelves using your device's camera. This policy explains what information the app does and does not handle. Book Spotter is operated by Matthew Audette (CGE Computers LLC) and is available for iOS and Android.

The short version

Book Spotter is built to work on your device. Text recognition happens locally and your camera images are never uploaded or stored by us. If you create an optional account, your email address and the book data you save are stored on our server so they can sync across your devices; you can delete your account and all of its data at any time. We don't run third-party analytics or sell your data.

Camera

The app uses your camera to recognize text on book spines and covers in real time — Apple's on-device Vision framework on iOS, Google's on-device ML Kit on Android. Camera frames are processed on your device to draw match boxes and are not saved, collected, or transmitted to us or anyone else.

Photos

If you use “Scan from Photos,” a photo you choose is processed on your device to find your target books within it. The photo is not uploaded to us and is not shared.

Accounts and sync

Creating an account is optional and is what enables cross-device sync, the web Book List portal, and library sharing. When you create an account we collect and store:

• Your email address (or, with Sign in with Apple, the address Apple provides) — used to sign you in and identify your account. We don't send marketing email.
• The book data you save — your book list (titles, authors, notes, preferences, status) and any libraries you create, so they can sync across your devices.

This data is stored on our server (hosted on Cloudflare) and is always encrypted in transit (HTTPS). Without an account, the books you add are stored only on your device.

Library sharing

If you share a library, the people you invite by email can see that library's contents (titles, authors, notes). Sharing is read-only and invite-only — nothing you save is ever public or discoverable.

Book database lookups

When you tap “Check against book database,” the title and/or author text you typed is sent to Open Library, a free service operated by the Internet Archive, to retrieve matching book details. Only the text of your search is sent — no account, name, or device identifier. Open Library's handling of requests is governed by the Internet Archive's privacy policy.

Purchases

Subscriptions are processed by Apple through the App Store (iOS) or by Google through Google Play (Android). We do not receive or store your payment details. The stores provide us only with the anonymous status of whether an entitlement is active.

Advertising

If the app shows ads (for example, an optional rewarded ad to unlock extra searches), those ads may be provided by Google AdMob. AdMob may collect device identifiers and usage information to serve and measure ads, as described in Google's Privacy Policy. You can control ad personalization in your device settings. Ads are not part of every version of the app.

Analytics

The app does not include a separate third-party analytics SDK. The Google AdMob advertising SDK (see “Advertising” above) may use device identifiers to measure ads and, with your permission, to track across apps and websites; you are asked for this permission through Apple's App Tracking Transparency prompt and can decline it while continuing to use every feature. Apple may also provide us with aggregate, anonymized App Store and crash statistics that cannot identify you.

Third-party services

• Apple — App Store distribution and subscriptions (iOS).
• Google Play — app distribution and subscriptions (Android).
• Cloudflare — hosting for our sync server and this website.
• Open Library / Internet Archive — optional book lookups.
• Google AdMob — advertising, where present.

Data retention and deletion

Camera and photo data are processed transiently and never retained. Books stored only on your device are removed when you remove them or delete the app. If you have an account, your synced data is retained until you delete it: remove individual books and libraries at any time, or delete your entire account — from the app, or from the web portal — which permanently removes your email address, book list, libraries, and shares from our server immediately.

Children's privacy

Book Spotter is not directed to children under 13 and does not knowingly collect personal information from them.

Security

All communication between the app, the web portal, and our server uses HTTPS (TLS). Passwords are stored only as salted hashes. Data on your device is protected by your device's own security — we recommend a passcode and up-to-date software.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the app evolves. Material changes will be reflected here with a new “last updated” date.

Contact

Questions about this policy? Email support@bookspotter.app.