Last updated: July 21, 2026
Bklvr is a book-collecting app made by an independent developer, Dan Betta. I built it to help readers and collectors keep track of their books — not to collect data about them. This policy explains, in plain language, exactly what happens to your information when you use Bklvr.
Bklvr is developed and operated by Dan Betta. If you have any questions about privacy or your data, you can reach me at privacy@bklvr.app.
The books, notes, quotes, ratings, tags, photos, and other information you add to Bklvr are stored on your device and synced through your own private iCloud account using Apple’s iCloud/CloudKit service. This means your library is stored under your personal Apple ID, subject to Apple’s privacy policy. As Bklvr works today, it does not operate any server of its own, and I do not receive or store a copy of your library.
Bklvr asks for a few permissions so certain features work. In every case, the app requests only what a feature needs, and only when you use it:
When you use voice entry, Bklvr uses Apple’s built-in speech recognition to turn your speech into text. Depending on your device and settings, your spoken audio may be sent to Apple to perform that transcription — this is Apple’s standard Speech Recognition service, governed by Apple’s privacy policy. Bklvr does not record or keep your audio; it is used only for the transcription and then discarded. The resulting text (for example, a book title or a note you dictate) is saved into your own library, the same as if you had typed it.
If you open the bookstore map, Bklvr uses your location to center the map and to search for bookstores near you. To do that, it sends a search for “bookstore” together with the current map area to Apple’s Maps service, which returns the results. Your location is used only while the map is open — Bklvr never stores your location and never sends it to any company other than Apple (as part of that map search). If you tap “Get Directions,” Bklvr hands off to Apple Maps, which then follows Apple’s own privacy policy.
To identify books and define words, Bklvr sends the specific thing you look up to the service that can answer it:
These lookups contain only what you searched for — a book identifier or a word. They never include your location, your voice recordings, your identity, or your library. Each provider handles these requests under its own privacy policy: Google, Open Library / Internet Archive, and Merriam-Webster.
Today, your library is private to you. In the future, I may add optional social features — for example, letting you share parts of your collection so other readers can discover books and talk about them together. Any such sharing will be your choice to turn on, and I’ll update this policy to explain exactly how it works before those features launch. I won’t make your library visible to others without giving you that choice and that notice first.
These commitments hold regardless of any future features. The one thing that may change over time is optional sharing you choose to turn on, described above — and even then, I will never sell your information or share it without your choice and clear notice first.
Bklvr is a general-audience app and is not directed to children under 13. I do not knowingly collect personal information from children. Because Bklvr has no accounts and stores your library only in your own private iCloud, it does not gather personal details from anyone.
Because your library is stored on your device and in your own iCloud, you remain in control of it. You can delete individual entries or the entire app at any time; deleting the app removes its local data, and you can manage or remove its iCloud data through your device’s iCloud settings. If you have questions about your data, email me at privacy@bklvr.app.
If Bklvr’s features change in a way that affects this policy, I’ll update this page and revise the “last updated” date above. Meaningful changes will be reflected here before they take effect in the app.