Android app
Privacy Policy
This policy was written from the app’s source code, not from assumptions. Every statement below corresponds to behaviour that can be verified in the shipped build.
The short version
- The Bible text, study lessons and reading tools are bundled inside the app and work fully offline. Reading, searching and studying send nothing anywhere.
- The app contains no advertising, no analytics SDK, no crash-reporting SDK, no in-app purchases, and no third-party tracking.
- Audio narration and the Illustrated view are streamed from our own server, therestoredword.com, when you use them.
- Cloud sync is optional and only happens if you sign in with Google. If you never sign in, no account data is created and your notes stay on your phone.
- You may optionally paste your own OpenAI API key to generate share-card backgrounds. That is your key, stored only on your device, and the request contains no Scripture, notes or personal data.
What stays on your device
Stored in the app’s private storage on your phone and never uploaded unless you enable sync:
- Reading position, reading history, reading-plan progress, memorization progress and streaks
- Bookmarks, highlights and personal notes
- Display preferences (theme, font, sacred-name rendering, playback speed, and similar)
- Recent searches
- Reminder schedule, if you set one
Android’s automatic cloud backup is disabled for this app, so this data is not copied to Google’s backup service. Uninstalling the app deletes it.
What is sent to our server (therestoredword.com)
Always, when online: a small configuration file is fetched at launch so the app knows which audio voices and features are available. That request carries only the standard information any web request carries (your IP address and the app’s user-agent string). We do not use it to identify you.
When you use audio or the Illustrated view: the app requests the narration file, word-timing data, or illustrated page for the chapter you are reading. Again, only standard request metadata is involved.
Only if you sign in with Google (optional):
- Google returns your name, email address and Google account identifier to our server, which creates an account and issues the app a session token.
- Your bookmarks, highlights, notes and last-read position are synchronised to that account so they appear on your other devices. Each sync sends exactly those four kinds of records — book, chapter, verse, and the text or colour you chose — and nothing else.
- Deleting a bookmark, highlight or note on one device deletes it from the account.
- Signing out removes the session token from the device. To delete your account and its synced data entirely, email the address above.
Our server logs standard web-server access logs (IP, timestamp, path, user-agent) for operations and security, retained for a limited period and not sold or shared.
Third parties
Google (sign-in only). Used solely to authenticate you if you choose to sign in. Google’s own privacy policy governs that sign-in step.
Google Fonts and Cloudflare (Illustrated view only). The illustrated pages are served from our site and load typefaces from Google Fonts and a Cloudflare performance beacon. These see a standard web request from the page; the app itself sends them nothing.
OpenAI (optional, your own key). The share-card feature ships with built-in backgrounds and needs no account. If you choose to enter your own OpenAI API key in settings, the app can generate additional backgrounds. The request sent to OpenAI contains a fixed, non-personal art-style description only — never the verse, never your notes, never your name. The key is stored on your device and is never sent to our server. Delete it from settings at any time.
Permissions the app asks for, and why
| Permission | Why |
|---|---|
| Internet | streaming audio, Illustrated view, optional sync |
| Notifications | daily reading reminder, only if you turn it on |
| Run at boot | re-schedules your reminder after a restart, only if a reminder is set |
| Foreground service (media) | keeps audio playing with the screen off and shows lock-screen controls |
| Keep awake | prevents the device sleeping mid-chapter during playback |
The app does not request location, contacts, camera, microphone, storage access, or the device’s advertising ID.
Children
The app is suitable for all ages and collects no data from anyone unless they sign in with a Google account. We do not knowingly create accounts for children under 13.
Your rights
You can see and delete everything the app stores on your device by clearing the app’s data or uninstalling it. For account data, email us and we will delete it. We do not sell personal data.
Changes
If what the app does changes, this page will change first, with a new effective date.