Privacy Policy
Effective date: March 7, 2026 · Last updated: October 30, 2026
Everything stays on your iPhone and inside Apple's ecosystem. Lamplit has no accounts, no analytics, no tracking and no servers of its own, and we never receive your library or reading history. Your data syncs only through your private iCloud account. The spice ratings, moods and content warnings you add to a book are shared anonymously, under a random identifier, through Apple's CloudKit (see section 3). The only thing that leaves Apple's ecosystem is the text you type when searching for a book, which goes to Open Library and Google Books (see section 5).
1. Overview
Lamplit ("the App") is a reading tracker for iOS developed by an independent developer based in the EU. We believe your reading habits are personal. This policy explains how we handle — or rather, don't handle — your data.
2. Data We Collect
We do not collect personal data such as your name, email address, phone number, contacts, location or Apple Account. Lamplit does not require an account. Specifically:
- No registration or sign-up is required
- No email addresses or names are collected
- No analytics, tracking pixels, or usage telemetry of any kind
- No advertising identifiers (IDFA) or fingerprinting
- No crash reporting services that transmit data to third parties
- No cookies or web-based tracking
Your data stays on your device and inside Apple's ecosystem — your private iCloud and Apple's CloudKit. Lamplit has no servers of its own. The only data Lamplit itself stores is the anonymous community data described in section 3: book ratings and tags you choose to add, linked to a random identifier rather than to you.
3. Your Reading Data
All reading data — including your library, reading sessions, notes, quotes, goals, and statistics — is stored exclusively on your device using Apple's local storage frameworks (SwiftData).
iCloud Sync
If you have iCloud enabled on your device, your reading data may sync across your Apple devices through Apple's CloudKit service. This sync is:
- Controlled entirely by Apple and your iCloud settings
- Encrypted in transit and at rest by Apple
- Not accessible to Lamplit or its developer
- Governed by Apple's Privacy Policy
We cannot access, read, or process the data in your private iCloud account.
Community Ratings and Tags
When you give a book a spice rating, add a mood, or add a content warning, Lamplit shares that contribution with other readers so they can see what the community thinks of the book. It is stored in Lamplit's public database on Apple's CloudKit and contains:
- The book's ISBN
- Your spice rating (1–5), mood, or content warning text
- A random identifier created by the app on your device — not your Apple Account, name, or device serial number. It is used to count each device once and to let you delete your contributions.
- The time of the contribution
Other readers only see aggregated results: an average spice rating, and moods or warnings that several different devices have added. If you report community content, the report (the book's ISBN, the same random identifier and the time) is stored the same way.
Read Together
If you start or join a Read Together session, the book's title, author and length, the display name you choose, and your reading progress are shared with the people in that session — through Apple's iCloud sharing for invitations, or SharePlay during a FaceTime call. This data stays in your and their iCloud accounts and is not accessible to us.
4. On-Device AI Features
Lamplit uses Apple's on-device Foundation Models for features like "Search by vibe" and AI-powered book discovery. These AI features:
- Run entirely on your device (requires iOS 26 or later)
- Do not send any data to external servers
- Do not connect to any cloud-based AI services
- Process your library data locally and temporarily in memory
5. Third-Party Services
Lamplit does not integrate any third-party analytics, advertising, or data collection services. The only external connections the app makes are:
- Apple's App Store: For app distribution and updates
- Apple's CloudKit: For optional iCloud sync, Read Together, and the public community database (see section 3)
- Apple's iTunes Search API: To find audiobook and ebook editions, prices and store links; sends the book's title and author
- Open Library / Google Books API: For book search and metadata lookup when you search for a book to add. These queries transmit your search terms and your device's IP address to the respective service. No other personal data is sent. These services are governed by their own privacy policies: Open Library (Internet Archive) Terms of Use, Google Privacy Policy
6. Affiliate Links
Lamplit may include affiliate links to purchase books through Amazon, Apple Books, or Bookshop.org. Clicking these links takes you to the respective third-party service, which has its own privacy policy. We do not receive any personal data about your purchases — only aggregate, anonymised commission data.
7. Children's Privacy
Lamplit does not knowingly collect personal data from anyone, including children under 13 (or the applicable age in your jurisdiction). Community contributions are anonymous and contain no personal information.
8. Data Retention & Deletion
Your reading data lives on your device and in your iCloud account. Community contributions are kept while they are useful to other readers. To delete your data:
- In the app, Settings → Delete All Data removes your library and every community contribution made from your device
- Delete the app from your device to remove all local data
- Manage your iCloud storage through Settings → [Your Name] → iCloud to remove synced data
9. Your Rights (GDPR / EU Residents)
As an EU-based app, Lamplit is designed with GDPR compliance in mind from the ground up. We do not collect data that identifies you. Community contributions are pseudonymous — linked only to a random identifier created by the app — and are processed to provide the community features. Other processing (iCloud sync and sharing via Apple, book searches via Open Library, Google Books and Apple's iTunes Search) is handled by those providers under their own privacy policies and is necessary for the app's core functionality (legal basis: GDPR Article 6(1)(b), and Article 6(1)(f) for the community features).
- You can erase your community contributions at any time with Settings → Delete All Data, or by contacting us
- No Data Protection Officer is required given the nature and scale of processing
- You may exercise your GDPR rights regarding iCloud data directly through Apple, and regarding search data through the respective API providers
If you have any questions about your rights, you are welcome to contact us.
10. Changes to This Policy
If we ever change this policy, we will update this page and the "Last updated" date above. If we change what data the app shares, we will update this page and notify users in an app update.
11. Contact
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:
Lamplit is developed by an independent developer based in the EU.