Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains what data Bookxie ("the app", "we") collects, how we use it, and the third parties involved. Bookxie is intended for users aged 12 and over. We ask all users for their birth year at signup so we can apply extra protections to accounts belonging to minors — see Section 7 (Public Profile & Social Features) and Section 9 (Children) below.

1. What we collect

2. How we use the data

• To provide the core functionality of the app (reading, sync, reviews, reminders).
• To synchronise your library across devices you sign in to.
• To generate vocabulary card enrichment (definitions, examples) when you save a word — see Section 4.
• To translate words you tap in the reader — see Section 4.
• To provide Bookxie's optional community features — forums, following, and direct messages — described in Section 7.
• To apply age-appropriate protections (such as restricting direct messages and requiring follow approval) to accounts we determine belong to a minor, based on the birth year you provide.
• To operate Focus Mode, an optional feature described in Section 6, entirely on your device.

We do not sell, rent, or share your personal data with advertisers, data brokers, or any third party for marketing purposes.

3. Third-party services

Bookxie uses the following third parties to deliver the service. Each operates under its own privacy policy.

4. Vocabulary enrichment & translation

When you save a word to your vocabulary deck, Bookxie sends that word along with its immediate sentence, paragraph, and book/chapter title to Google's Generative AI (Gemini) to generate a definition, usage examples, and related words. When you tap a word or selected phrase to translate it, that text is sent to Google Translate. Neither of these sends your book's full text, reading position, notes, or highlights.

5. Data storage and security

Your data is stored in Supabase's managed PostgreSQL and Storage services. Connections to Supabase use TLS. Access to your data is restricted by row-level security policies that scope every row to your own user account. Content you make public — forum posts, your public profile, and community activity — is, by its nature, visible to other users as described in Section 7.

A complete copy of your library, reading data, and reviews is also kept on each of your devices in a local SQLite database, so the app works offline. This local copy is removed when you uninstall the app.

6. Accessibility service — Focus Mode

Focus Mode is an optional feature you can turn on to block distracting apps until you reach your daily reading goal. To do this, Focus Mode uses Android's accessibility service, listed on your device as "Bookxie Focus Mode." It is off by default and only runs while you have turned Focus Mode on.

What Bookxie can see

While the service is on, Bookxie can see which app is open in front of you. For a browser you have chosen to limit by website, it also reads the address-bar URL of the page you are on.

What it is used for

One thing only: checking whether the app or site in front of you is on your blocked list, and if it is, showing Bookxie's reading prompt over it until you reach your reading goal.

Where this information goes

Nowhere. It is checked on your device, in the moment, and then discarded. It is never stored, never sent to Bookxie's servers or any third party, and never used for advertising, analytics, or building a profile of you.

You stay in control

You can turn the service off at any time in Android Settings → Accessibility → Bookxie Focus Mode, or by turning Focus Mode off in Bookxie. Focus Mode stays off until you grant this permission, and it never turns on by itself. The list of apps you've chosen to block, your schedule, and your reading goal to unlock are stored as part of your account (see Section 1) so your configuration syncs across your devices — this is separate from, and does not include, the moment-to-moment app/URL check described above.

7. Public profile & social features

Bookxie includes optional community features: a public profile, forum posts, following other users, and direct messages.

Public by default

Your display name, forum posts, and any reading activity you choose to share through them are visible to other Bookxie users. Please don't include anything in a post you would not want to be public.

Following & messaging

Direct messages only become available between two accounts once they follow each other (a mutual follow). You can unfollow or block another account at any time. Blocking prevents that account from following you, messaging you, or seeing your posts and profile — and prevents you from seeing theirs — in both directions, and stops any further messages in an existing conversation.

Extra protections for minors

Bookxie asks all users for their birth year (see Section 1) so it can apply extra protections to accounts belonging to a minor:

• Accounts we determine belong to a minor cannot send or receive direct messages.
• Other accounts must have their follow request approved by the minor before a follow relationship forms; a minor's own outgoing follows are not affected by this.
• Minors can still post, browse, and be discovered in forums — these protections apply to how messaging and follow relationships form, not to participation in the community generally.

8. Your rights

• Access your data — sign in to the app to view it at any time.
• Export your data — open Settings → Account → Export my data inside the app. This produces a JSON file containing your full library, highlights, vocabulary cards, review history, reading sessions, community activity, and settings, which you can save anywhere or send to yourself via the system share sheet. (Imported EPUB files are not bundled, but their metadata is — you already have local copies of any books you imported.)
• Delete a post, message, or your account — posts and conversations can be deleted directly in the app. To delete your account entirely, email us at hello@bookxie.com and we will remove your account and all associated data from Supabase within 30 days.

Users in the EU/UK have additional rights under the GDPR (rectification, restriction, portability, objection, lodging a complaint with a supervisory authority). Users in California have rights under the CCPA (know, delete, opt-out of sale — note we do not sell data). Email the contact address above to exercise any of these rights.

9. Data retention

We retain your data for as long as your account exists, including forum posts and direct messages, unless you delete them yourself in the app. When you request account deletion, all personal data is removed from our active systems within 30 days, and from backups within 90 days.

10. Children

Bookxie is intended for users aged 12 and over. We ask all users for their birth year at signup and apply additional protections — including restricting direct messaging and requiring approval before another account can follow them — to accounts we determine belong to a minor, as described in Section 7. If you are a parent or guardian with questions about your child's account or data, or would like it removed, contact us at hello@bookxie.com.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The "Effective" date at the top of this page reflects the latest revision. Material changes will be surfaced inside the app on next launch.

12. Contact

For privacy questions, deletion requests, or data export questions: hello@bookxie.com