Privacy Policy

Last Updated: July 2026

Overview

Shelf is committed to protecting your privacy. This app uses cloud storage and social features to help you catalogue your physical book collection and connect with other collectors. This policy explains what data we collect, why we collect it, and what rights you have over it.

Information We Collect

• Email Address: Used for account authentication and login
• Username and Display Name: Chosen by you, visible to other users of the app
• Profile Picture: Optional photo you choose to upload, visible to other users
• Book Library Data: Titles, authors, publication years, notes, reading status, ratings, and book type
• Book Images: Photographs of book spines and covers that you capture
• Social Data: Who you follow and who follows you
• Featured Books: Up to 4 books you choose to highlight on your public profile
• Push Notification Token: Used to deliver notifications to your device
• Device Information: Only to facilitate app functionality

Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)

If you are based in the UK or EU, we process your personal data on the following legal bases:

• Contract: Processing your email address and account data is necessary to provide the service you signed up for
• Legitimate interests: Storing your book library and social data to provide core app functionality
• Consent: Push notifications — you can withdraw consent at any time in your device Settings

How We Use Your Information

Your information is used to:

• Provide cloud backup and sync of your book library
• Authenticate your account access
• Display your profile, shelf, and featured books to users who follow you
• Enable you to follow other collectors and view their shelves
• Send push notifications when someone follows you

We do NOT:

• Sell your data to third parties
• Use your data for advertising
• Analyze your reading habits for marketing
• Share your information with anyone outside of the app's social features

What Other Users Can See

Shelf includes social features. When you use these features, the following information is visible to other logged-in users:

• Your username and display name
• Your profile picture (if uploaded)
• Your book collection (spines, covers, titles, authors)
• Your reading status and liked books
• Your featured books
• Your follower and following counts

Your email address is never visible to other users.

Data Storage and International Transfers

Your data is stored securely using Google Firebase (Google Cloud Platform):

• Firebase Authentication: Manages your account and login
• Cloud Firestore: Stores book metadata, social connections, and notifications
• Cloud Storage: Stores book spine/cover images and profile pictures
• Firebase Cloud Messaging: Delivers push notifications to your device

All data is encrypted in transit (HTTPS) and at rest. Firebase complies with GDPR, CCPA, and other privacy regulations.

International transfers: Firebase stores data on Google Cloud servers, which may be located in the United States or other countries outside the UK/EU. Google LLC participates in the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework and provides appropriate safeguards for international transfers. For more information, see Firebase's privacy information.

Push Notifications

If you grant permission, Shelf will send you push notifications when another user follows you. You can disable notifications at any time in your device's Settings app. Your push notification token is removed from our servers when you log out or delete your account.

Data Retention

Your data is retained as long as your account exists. You can delete your account at any time from within the app, which permanently removes all your data from our servers.

Your Rights

Under applicable data protection laws (including GDPR and CCPA), you have the right to:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Rectification: Correct any inaccurate data — you can edit your profile and books directly in the app
• Erasure: Delete your account and all associated data directly within the app under Edit Profile → Delete Account
• Data portability: Export your book library in a portable format using the export feature in Settings
• Restrict processing: Request that we limit how we use your data in certain circumstances
• Object to processing: Object to our use of your data — contact us at the email below
• Withdraw consent: Disable push notifications at any time in your device Settings

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at the email below or use the in-app features where available.

Local Storage

The app caches your library locally on your device for fast performance and offline access. This local cache is stored in your device's app storage and is automatically deleted if you uninstall the app.

Children's Privacy

This app is not intended for children under 13. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will delete it.

Accessing This Policy

This privacy policy is accessible from the Shelf app under Settings → Privacy Policy, and from the App Store listing page.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Significant changes will be communicated through the app. The date at the top of this page reflects when it was last updated.