Last updated 1 November 2026

Privacy Policy

Bookgist has no ads and doesn't track you across other apps. It uses product analytics, which you can turn off. Most of what you do stays on your device.

You don't need an account

You can use Bookgist as a guest. Apart from the usage analytics described below, these things are stored only on your device, not on our servers: your reading progress, finished books, the ideas you keep in your notebook, books you opened recently, your Ask history and your reader settings. Deleting the app deletes them. You can clear your reading progress, recently opened books and Ask history in Settings → Privacy & Data.

If you make an account

We store your email address (and your name, if Sign in with Apple shares it), the books you save and your reading history. We use them only to sign you in and to keep your saved books on all your devices. Accounts are stored with Supabase.

Reading pass and invites

Everyone can open 5 books in full for free. As a guest, the list of books you opened stays on your device. With an account, we store which books you opened in full, so your reading pass works on all your devices. Your account gets an invite code. When a friend joins with it, we record that the two accounts are linked by the code, so both of you get 5 more books. We don't learn who you send your code to, and your friend doesn't see your name or email.

If you ask us to add a book, we store which book you asked for with your account, so we can show your requests and apply the monthly limit. The book itself is added for everyone, without your name. Deleting your account deletes your requests.

Feedback

If you send feedback from Settings, we store your message with your app version and device type. If you have an account it is linked to your account and deleted with it. As a guest you can add an email address if you'd like a reply; to have that message deleted, contact us.

Subscription

Bookgist Unlimited is bought and managed through Apple. Apple handles the payment; we never see your card or Apple Account details. The app checks with Apple on your device whether the subscription is active. When you subscribe while signed in, a random identifier for your account goes with the purchase so it can be linked to your account later.

What the app sends to make things work

• Recommendations. To build the shelves on Discover, the app sends the topics and goals you picked, the books you said you loved and the books you opened recently. We use them for that request only and don't store them.
• Ask. Your question and up to four earlier turns of the same conversation go to our server and to OpenAI, which writes the answer. The app asks for your permission before your first question, and you can turn this off in Settings → Privacy & Data. We don't store your questions. Don't put private details about other people in a question.
• Book covers load from Google Books, Apple Books and Open Library. Like any website, they can see your IP address.
• Rate limits. Our server uses your IP address for a short time to stop abuse.

Usage analytics

We use PostHog to learn which parts of Bookgist work. It records events such as opening the app, viewing, reading or finishing a book, saving a book or idea, sending an Ask question, seeing the reading pass, joining with an invite, subscribing and following a store link, with the book's title and your device type and app version. If the app hits an error or crashes, it also sends the error details. Each install has a random ID; if you sign in, it is linked to your account ID, never your email or name. We never send your Ask questions or answers to PostHog. We don't sell this data or use it for advertising. Turn it off in Library → Settings → Privacy & Data.

Buying a book

"Get the full book" opens Amazon or Bookshop.org through our server. Our server records which book and which store, with no information about you. If usage analytics are on, the click is also a usage event. Bookgist earns a commission from qualifying purchases. The store's own privacy policy applies after you leave the app.

Notifications

The daily idea reminder is scheduled on your device. We don't send push notifications and don't know if you turned the reminder on.

Delete your data

In the app, go to Library → Settings → Account → Delete Account. This deletes your account, your saved books, your reading history, your reading pass and your invite code from our servers immediately. Data that stays on your device is removed when you delete the app.

Children

Bookgist is not for children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect data from them.

Changes

If this policy changes, we will update this page and the date at the top.

Contact

Questions about your privacy: tilomitra@gmail.com.