BookmusePrivacy Policy
The short version: Bookmuse has no account, no ads, no analytics and no tracking. Your books, words and progress stay on your devices and in your own iCloud. Text leaves your device only when you use a service you chose to connect, and it goes straight to that service, never to us.
What we collect
Nothing. We don't run servers that receive your data, and Bookmuse contains no analytics, advertising or tracking code. We can't see the books you read, the words you look up or save, or your progress. We never track you across other companies' apps or websites, and you never need an account.
Where your data is stored
Everything you create in Bookmuse, including your books, saved words, notes, highlights, history, progress and settings, is stored on your device. If you use iCloud, it syncs between your devices through your own private iCloud storage (CloudKit and the app's iCloud Drive folder), which Apple operates under Apple's Privacy Policy. We have no access to it.
API keys and server passwords you enter are kept in the Keychain and sync only through iCloud Keychain, which Apple end-to-end encrypts. A key or password is only ever sent to the service it belongs to.
Features that work on your device
Apple Translation, Apple Intelligence, Apple's voices and Bookmuse Voices run on your device under Apple's privacy terms. When you use them, the text you look up, ask about or listen to doesn't leave your device.
Services you choose to use
Some features connect to a third-party service. Each one is optional and starts only when you use it.
- AI providers. If you connect an AI provider with your own API key (for example OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini or OpenRouter) or a server you run yourself, the content a feature needs is sent directly from your device to that provider. That includes the text you look up, your follow-up questions and, for Ask AI, the parts of the book it reads to answer.
- Online voices. If you choose an online voice (ElevenLabs, OpenAI, OpenRouter, Vbee or your own server), the text being read aloud is sent to that service to turn into speech.
- Book catalogs. When you browse a catalog such as Project Gutenberg, or a Calibre, Komga, Stump or other OPDS server you add, Bookmuse requests pages and books from that catalog's own server. A server's sign-in details go only to that server.
- Downloads. Bookmuse Voices download from our public GitHub release when you tap to download one. Apple Translation languages download from Apple.
Like any internet request, these services can see your device's IP address. Each exchange is between you and that service, under its own terms and privacy policy. Nothing is sent to us, and we don't share anything with anyone. Please read a service's privacy policy before you connect it.
Permissions
Bookmuse asks for a permission only when a feature needs it: notifications for the reminders you schedule, local network access to reach a server on your own network, and Personal Voice if you choose it for listening. You can change these at any time in the Settings app.
Your choices and deletion
- Your data stays until you delete it. You can delete individual books and words in the app, or use Erase All Data in Bookmuse Settings to delete everything on all your devices.
- To stop sending data to a service you connected, switch it off in Bookmuse Settings and remove your key.
- Deleting Bookmuse removes its data from that device. Data synced to iCloud can be managed in your device's iCloud settings.
Children
Bookmuse doesn't collect personal information from anyone, including children.
Changes and contact
If this policy changes, the new version will be posted on this page with a new date. Questions? Email admin@bookmuse.date.