Bookstead Privacy Policy

Effective date: July 27, 2026    Last updated: July 27, 2026

 

We’ve tried to write this policy in plain language, without unnecessary legal jargon, so it’s actually easy to read. Bookstead exists to make reading feel like a cozy, rewarding habit — not to collect more of your data than we need. We only store what’s necessary to run the app, sync your room and bookmarks across devices, and help you keep your reading streak alive. If anything here is unclear, or you think we could explain something better, just reach out — we’d genuinely like to know.

 

1. Who We Are

 

Bookstead is operated by Ampersand Studios, a company in Canada.

 

Questions about this policy or your data: ampersandstudios2026@gmail.com

 

2. What We Collect

 

Information You Provide

Required to create an account:

  • Email address and password
  • Date of birth (used only to verify you meet the minimum age requirement of 13; not stored after verification)

Optional profile information:

  • Display name or username
  • Profile photo or avatar

Reading activity:

  • Books you log (titles and authors)
  • Reading progress, dates started and finished
  • Star ratings and personal reviews
  • Reading goals and streaks

Social activity:

  • Users you choose to follow
  • Comments or reactions on reviews

Subscription information:

  • Whether you hold a free or premium subscription
  • Subscription status and entitlement state (managed via RevenueCat — see Section 8)

What We Do NOT Collect

  • Your real name (unless you add it as your display name)
  • Location data or GPS coordinates
  • Contact lists or address books
  • Payment card numbers or financial details (all payments are handled by Apple or Google directly — we never see your card)
  • Camera, microphone, or audio access
  • Health or biometric data
  • Browsing history or activity in other apps

Automatically Collected Information

  • Device type and operating system
  • App crash logs and error reports

We use Sentry (error monitoring) and PostHog (product analytics) to understand how the app is used and to identify bugs. These tools collect general usage data such as which screens are visited and which features are tapped. We do not send book titles, reviews, reading content, or account identifiers to these services. See Section 8 for details.

 

3. How We Use Your Data

  • Email address: Account login, password recovery, and notifications
  • Profile information: Display name and avatar in the app
  • Reading activity: Power your shelves, reading stats, and token earning
  • Tokens and virtual items: Track your Bookstead rewards and cat room
  • Social activity: Enable following friends and sharing reviews
  • Subscription status: Determine which features you can access
  • Analytics and error data: Fix bugs, understand feature usage, and improve the app

About Tokens

 

Bookstead awards tokens based on your reading activity — opening the app, logging reading time, and finishing books. Tokens unlock furniture and items for your in-app cat and room.

 

Tokens are earned, not purchased. They have no real-world monetary value and cannot be bought, transferred, sold, or redeemed for cash.

 

About Premium Subscriptions

 

A premium subscription unlocks additional features including advanced reading stats, a wider selection of virtual furniture, and future features such as book club rooms. Premium subscriptions are purchased through the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. Payments are processed by Apple or Google — Bookstead never receives or stores your payment card details.

 

4. Public and Private Content

 

Your email address is never visible to other users.

Reviews, ratings, and shelves are visible to your followers by default. Premium users can mark individual shelves as private. 

 

5. Legal Basis for Processing

 

We collect, use, and disclose your personal information in accordance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and, for users in Quebec, Law 25.

We rely on your consent when you create an account. You may withdraw consent at any time by deleting your account.

 

6. Age Requirement

 

Bookstead is intended for users aged 13 and over. We collect your date of birth at signup solely to verify that you meet this requirement. Date of birth is not stored after verification is complete.

 

Users under 13 must not create an account. If we become aware of an account held by a child under 13, we will delete it promptly.

 

Bookstead does not currently support users under 13. Younger readers are part of who we’d eventually love to welcome, but doing so responsibly requires compliance measures — such as verifiable parental consent and additional data protections — that go beyond what a small team can currently support. We hope to revisit this as Bookstead grows.

 

Parents or guardians with concerns about a minor’s account should contact us at ampersandstudios2026@gmail.com

 

7. Data Storage and Security

 

Your data is stored in Green Geeks data centres located in Canada. All data is encrypted in transit (TLS/SSL) and at rest (AES-256).

 

8. Third-Party Services

 

RevenueCat (USA)

Purpose Subscription and payment state management
Data stored Anonymous app user ID, subscription status, purchase history, entitlement state
Not stored Email, name, reading activity, reviews, or token balances
Note RevenueCat does not process your payment — that is handled entirely by Apple or Google. RevenueCat only receives confirmation that a purchase occurred and manages your subscription state.
Privacy policy https://www.revenuecat.com/privacy

 

Sentry (USA) — Error Monitoring

Purpose Crash and error reporting
Data sent Device type, OS, error details, and affected screen only — no email, reading content, or account identifiers
Region USA
Privacy policy https://sentry.io/privacy/

 

PostHog (EU) — Product Analytics

Purpose Understanding feature usage and app behaviour
Data sent Device type, OS, and app interaction events only — no email, reading content, or account identifiers
Region EU
Privacy policy https://posthog.com/privacy

 

We do not use advertising networks, AI services, or data brokers. We do not sell your personal information.

 

9. Data Retention and Account Deletion

 

When you delete your account (Home > User > Delete Account), your personal data will be permanently deleted within 30 days. Deletion from backup systems follows our standard backup rotation schedule. Once deleted, your data cannot be recovered. Your token balance and virtual items are also permanently deleted and cannot be transferred or refunded.

 

Any reviews you posted are permanently removed from Bookstead when your account is deleted.

 

We do not automatically delete inactive accounts. If your account has been inactive for an extended period, we may send you a re-engagement email, but we will never delete your account without your explicit action.

 

Note: if you hold an active premium subscription at the time of deletion, you should cancel it via your App Store or Google Play settings before deleting your account. Bookstead cannot issue refunds for unused subscription periods.

 

10. Your Rights

 

Under PIPEDA and Quebec Law 25, you have the right to:

  • Access your data — Your reading activity, reviews, and token history are visible in the app.
  • Correct your data — Edit your profile and reading entries directly in the app at any time.
  • Delete your data — Use Home > User > Delete Account, or email apersandstudios2026@gmail.com.
  • Withdraw consent — Delete your account at any time. Withdrawal of consent means you will no longer be able to use Bookstead.
  • Challenge our compliance — Contact apersandstudios2026@gmail.com with any concerns. We will respond within 30 days.

11. Tracking and Advertising

 

We do not track you across other apps or websites. We do not sell your data, share it with advertisers, or build advertising profiles.

 

12. Your Right to Complain

 

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
https://www.priv.gc.ca/en/report-a-concern/  |  1-800-282-1376

Quebec users — Commission d’accès à l’information (CAI)
https://www.cai.gouv.qc.ca/en/  |  1-888-528-7741

 

13. Changes to This Policy

 

If we make significant changes, we will notify you in-app and by email at least 30 days before they take effect and request renewed consent where required.