Last updated: May 3, 2026
Afterword ("we", "our", or "us") is a mobile reading app operated by an individual developer based in Ontario, Canada. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect through the Afterword Android app (the "Service"), how we use it, who we share it with, and the choices you have. By creating an account or using the Service you confirm that you have read this policy.
If you have questions about this policy or about your data, contact us at hey@readafterword.com.
Afterword does not request and does not collect: your precise or coarse location, your contacts, microphone audio, camera images, calendar entries, your photos library, biometrics, SMS messages, call logs, or browsing history outside the app.
If the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or UK GDPR applies to you, we rely on the following legal bases:
Your data is stored on Google Cloud infrastructure through Firebase Authentication, Cloud Firestore, and Firebase Storage. Data is encrypted in transit using HTTPS and encrypted at rest using Google-managed encryption keys. Access to production data is limited to the developer accounts and service accounts that need it to operate the Service.
We do not sell your personal information. We do not share it for cross-context behavioural advertising. We share it only with:
Firebase processes data in Google's global infrastructure, including data centres located in the United States and elsewhere outside Canada. Where data is transferred out of the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, Google relies on Standard Contractual Clauses and supplementary safeguards. By using the Service you understand that your data will be processed outside Canada.
We keep your account information and the data described above for as long as your account remains active. When you delete your account through the in-app Settings screen or our web deletion page, we permanently remove your profile, reading progress, quiz history, gamification data, notes, and ratings from active systems. Data may persist in encrypted Google Cloud backups for up to 30 days before those backups are overwritten in the normal rotation.
Subject to applicable law, you may have the following rights:
To exercise any right, email hey@readafterword.com. We will respond within the time required by applicable law (typically 30 days under PIPEDA, GDPR, and CCPA).
Afterword is operated in Canada and is subject to the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). If you believe we have not handled your personal information appropriately, you may file a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (priv.gc.ca).
California residents have the right to know what personal information we collect, request its deletion, and request that we not sell or share it. We do not sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioural advertising. To exercise your rights, email us as described above. We will not discriminate against you for exercising any CCPA right.
If you are in the EEA or UK, you have the rights described above plus the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority. The Service does not currently target EEA or UK users, but if you choose to use it the protections of GDPR and UK GDPR apply to your data.
Afterword is not intended for children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and you believe a child under 13 has created an account, please email hey@readafterword.com and we will delete the account and associated data.
Service emails (e.g., password reset, billing receipts, account-change confirmations) are required for the Service to function and cannot be opted out of separately; closing your account stops them.
Push notifications are optional. The categories we may send include: daily reading reminders, streak protection nudges, continue-reading prompts for books you've started, weekly book recommendations based on your interests, trial-ending reminders if you are on a Premium free trial, and occasional re-engagement messages if you have been away from the app. You can enable or disable notifications globally — and individually per category — in the in-app Settings screen, and you can also revoke notification permission at the device level. Notification timing is influenced by the preferred reading time you selected during onboarding (which you can change in Settings).
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time as the app evolves or the law changes. When we make material changes we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, notify you in the app or by email. Your continued use of the Service after changes take effect means you accept the updated policy.
If you have questions, concerns, or want to exercise any privacy right, email us at hey@readafterword.com.