Privacy Policy

Account Information

When you create and use a BookSwap account, we may collect:

• Phone number
• Display name or username
• Profile photo
• Account identifier
• Account creation and last activity timestamps

Profile Information

Information you voluntarily provide, including:

• Public profile details
• Profile image
• Birthdate
• Gender
• Bio or other profile information (if provided)

Library & Book Information

To provide BookSwap's core functionality, we collect information related to books you manage within the app, including:

• Books in your library
• Wishlist items
• Book availability
• Book ownership information
• User-uploaded book images (if applicable)

Swap Information

To enable book exchanges, we process:

• Swap offers
• Offer status
• Swap history
• Information necessary to facilitate exchanges between users

Messaging

BookSwap provides in-app messaging between users. Messages, message timestamps, and related metadata are stored solely to provide messaging functionality.

Device Information

When you use the Services, we may automatically collect technical information such as:

• Device model
• Operating system version
• App version
• Device language
• Push notification token
• IP address (when required for security and service operation)
• Crash logs and diagnostic data, which may be linked to your account to help us troubleshoot issues

Camera

BookSwap requests camera access to let you scan book barcodes and take a profile photo. We do not access your camera for unrelated purposes.

Photo Library

BookSwap requests access to your photo library so you can choose an existing photo as your profile picture. We only access the photos you select, and we do not scan or upload your photo library.

Notifications

With your permission, BookSwap may send push notifications regarding:

• Swap offers
• Messages
• Account-related updates
• Important service notifications

You can disable notifications at any time through your device settings.

We use your information to:

• Create and manage your account
• Authenticate your identity
• Provide the BookSwap service
• Display your public profile
• Enable users to exchange books
• Store and synchronize your library
• Process swap offers
• Deliver real-time chat
• Send important notifications
• Detect fraud, abuse, and security incidents
• Improve the performance, reliability, and security of our Services
• Comply with legal obligations

We do not sell your personal information.

Your information is stored on secure cloud infrastructure operated by BookSwap and by the service providers listed in the following section. This includes your account and library data, your messages, and any images you upload.

Access to this infrastructure is restricted to authorized personnel and systems that require it to operate the Services.

BookSwap works with trusted service providers that help us operate our Services. These providers may process information on our behalf. Current providers include:

• Google Firebase Authentication - phone number sign-in
• Google Firebase Firestore - real-time messaging
• Google Firebase Crashlytics - crash and diagnostic reporting, which may be linked to your account identifier
• Google reCAPTCHA Enterprise - protecting sign-in from automated abuse
• Expo Push Notification Service - delivering push notifications
• DigitalOcean - cloud hosting and storage of images

These providers process information only as necessary to provide the Services.

We may share limited information:

• when required to provide the Services;
• when required by law;
• to protect the rights, safety, or security of BookSwap and its users;
• during a merger, acquisition, or transfer of business assets.

We do not sell or rent personal information to advertisers or data brokers.

We retain your information only as long as necessary to provide the Services, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.

When your account is deleted, we will delete or anonymize your personal information within a reasonable period unless we are legally required to retain certain information.

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards to protect your information.

However, no method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

BookSwap is intended for users aged 13 and older, and is not directed to children under 13. By creating an account, you confirm that you are at least 13 years old. Where local law requires a higher minimum age or parental consent for users under a specified age, you must meet that requirement to use the Services.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have collected information from a child without appropriate consent, we will delete that information promptly. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us using the details below.

Depending on your location, applicable laws may provide you with rights regarding your personal information. These rights may include:

• Access to your information
• Correction of inaccurate information
• Deletion of your account and associated data
• Restriction of certain processing activities
• Withdrawal of consent where applicable

Deleting Your Account

You can delete your BookSwap account at any time directly in the app, without contacting us. Open the Profile tab, then select Delete Account and confirm.

Deleting your account removes your profile photo, clears your library and wishlist, cancels any pending swap offers, deletes your conversations, and removes or anonymizes your personal information as described in Section 7. This action cannot be undone.

To exercise any of the other rights listed above, please contact us using the contact information below.

Your information may be processed or stored in countries other than your country of residence where our service providers operate.

Where required by applicable law, we implement appropriate safeguards for international data transfers.

BookSwap may introduce additional services such as analytics or other operational tools to improve the application.

If these services involve the collection or processing of personal information, this Privacy Policy will be updated before such processing begins.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time.

If material changes are made, we will update the Effective Date and, where appropriate, notify users through the application or other reasonable means.