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Privacy Policy

Effective Date: April 16, 2026

Last Updated: April 16, 2026

This Privacy Policy describes how PolyRead ("we", "us", "our", or the "App") collects, uses, stores, and discloses your information when you use our mobile application. By downloading, installing, or using PolyRead, you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the App.

1. About PolyRead

PolyRead is an AI-powered reading and text-to-speech (TTS) application that allows users to:

  • Read and listen to documents (PDF, DOCX, plain text).
  • Import content from URLs.
  • Scan physical documents and images using on-device and cloud OCR.
  • Convert text to natural-sounding speech.
  • Use AI features such as chat, summaries, quizzes, and podcast-style narration.
  • Manage a personal library of documents, folders, and favorites.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide Directly

  • Account Information: When you sign up using email/password, Google Sign-In, or Apple Sign-In, we collect your name, email address, profile photo (if provided), and a unique user ID.
  • Profile & Preferences: Display name, preferred language, preferred voice, playback speed, text settings, and onboarding responses.
  • User-Generated Content: Documents you upload, type, paste, or scan; folders, bookmarks, favorites, and notes you create.
  • Support Communications: If you contact us for support, we may collect your email and the contents of your message.

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

  • Device Information: Device model, OS version, language, timezone, unique device identifiers, and crash logs.
  • Usage Data: Features used, screens visited, listening sessions, listen counts, playback position, completion status, streak counts, and aggregated reading statistics.
  • Network Information: Connection type and connectivity status (used to manage offline behavior).
  • Push Notification Tokens: Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) device tokens used to deliver reminders and alerts.

2.3 Information Collected With Your Permission

  • Camera & Photo Library: When you scan a document or upload an image, we access your camera and/or photo library. Images may be processed on-device or sent securely to our OCR service.
  • Files & Storage: When you upload a file (PDF, DOCX), we access only the file you select. We do not browse your file system.
  • Microphone: We do not record your voice. The microphone is not accessed by the App for input. On iOS the App still ships a microphone usage description because the document scanner and the audio player are built on media components that can open a microphone-capable audio session. No audio is captured, stored, or transmitted.
  • Notifications: We request permission to send push notifications for reminders and updates.

2.4 Information We Do NOT Collect

  • We do not collect precise GPS location.
  • We do not access your contacts, calendar, SMS, or call logs.
  • We do not record audio from your microphone.
  • We do not sell your personal data to third parties.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

  • Create, authenticate, and manage your account.
  • Provide core App functionality: document parsing, OCR, TTS, AI features, and library management.
  • Sync your documents, preferences, and progress across devices.
  • Process subscription purchases and entitlements.
  • Send push notifications such as daily reading reminders and streak alerts (you can disable these in settings).
  • Improve App performance, fix bugs, and develop new features.
  • Detect, prevent, and respond to fraud, abuse, and security incidents.
  • Comply with legal obligations.

4. Third-Party Services

PolyRead relies on the following third-party services to function. Each provider has its own privacy policy governing how they handle your data.

  • Google Firebase (Auth, Firestore, Storage, Cloud Functions, Cloud Messaging) — authentication, database, file storage, backend logic, push notifications. Shares account data, documents, preferences, and device tokens.
  • Google Sign-In — Google account profile (name, email, photo).
  • Apple Sign-In — Apple ID profile (name, email or relay email).
  • Inworld TTS API — text content sent for speech synthesis.
  • Qwen3 AI API — OCR (image-to-text), chat, summaries, quizzes, and podcast generation. Shares document text, scanned image data, and chat messages.
  • Adapty — subscription management and analytics. Shares anonymous user ID, purchase events, and subscription status.
  • Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) — push notifications. Shares device push token.

Links to third-party privacy policies:

5. AI Features and Your Content

When you use AI-powered features (chat, summary, quiz, podcast, OCR, TTS), the relevant content (document text or image) is transmitted securely to the corresponding AI provider for processing. We do not use your personal documents to train AI models. AI providers process content according to their own data handling policies, and we configure these integrations to minimize data retention where possible.

6. Data Storage and Security

  • Your account data, documents, and preferences are stored in Google Firebase (Firestore and Cloud Storage) within Google's secure infrastructure.
  • Generated audio files (TTS output) may be cached in Firebase Storage to avoid re-generation and reduce cost.
  • Data in transit is encrypted using TLS/HTTPS.
  • Data at rest is encrypted by Google Cloud's standard encryption.
  • Access to backend systems is restricted via Firebase Security Rules and authenticated API endpoints.

While we take reasonable measures to protect your data, no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure. You use the App at your own risk.

7. Data Retention

  • Account and document data are retained as long as your account is active.
  • Cached TTS audio is retained while the corresponding document exists.
  • If you delete a document, it is removed from Firestore and Cloud Storage.
  • If you delete your account, your profile, documents, audio cache, and associated data are deleted within 30 days, except where retention is required by law or for fraud prevention.

8. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your jurisdiction (e.g., GDPR in the EU, CCPA in California), you may have the right to:

  • Access the personal data we hold about you.
  • Correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
  • Delete your account and personal data.
  • Export your data in a portable format.
  • Object to or restrict certain processing.
  • Withdraw consent at any time (where processing is based on consent).
  • Lodge a complaint with a data protection authority.

You can exercise these rights by:

  • Using in-app controls (Settings → Account → Delete Account).
  • Requesting a copy of your data through the in-app Contact Support form (Settings → Contact Support).
  • Emailing us at the address in Section 12.

9. Children's Privacy

PolyRead is not directed to children under the age of 13 (or the equivalent minimum age in your jurisdiction). We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete the information.

10. International Data Transfers

Your information may be processed and stored in countries other than your own, including the United States, where our service providers operate. We rely on appropriate safeguards (such as Google Cloud's standard contractual clauses) to protect your information when transferred internationally.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the "Last Updated" date above and, if the changes are material, notify you within the App or by email. Your continued use of the App after the changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us:

Email: hello@apparentgroup.co

App Name: PolyRead

13. Permissions Summary (Android & iOS)

  • Camera: Scan physical documents and capture images for OCR.
  • Photo Library / Storage: Pick images and document files to import.
  • Internet / Network State: Sync data, generate TTS, run AI features, manage offline mode.
  • Notifications: Send reading reminders and streak alerts.
  • Audio Playback: Play generated speech and previews.
  • Microphone (iOS declaration only): Declared because linked media components can open a microphone-capable audio session. The App does not record or transmit microphone audio.

You may revoke any of these permissions at any time in your device settings, though some features of the App may not work as intended without them.

This policy is provided for informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice.