Legal

Privacy Policy

Who this is

Mood Reader is an independent iOS app built by Nick Shadel, a solo developer based in Washington State, USA. This policy explains what data Mood Reader collects, why, and what happens to it. If you have questions after reading this, email hello@moodreaderapp.com.

The short version

• Mood Reader collects an email address for sign-in, and the reading data you enter (books, ratings, reflections, portrait content).
• Reading data is used to build a Self Portrait and generate personalized recommendations. That's it.
• Reading data is processed by OpenAI's API on Mood Reader's backend to compute embeddings. OpenAI does not receive or store an email, name, or account identifier.
• Mood Reader does not use ads, tracking SDKs, analytics tools, or advertising identifiers. Reading history is not sold. It is not shared with third parties for marketing.
• Accounts and all associated data can be deleted at any time by emailing the support address.

What Mood Reader collects

Account information

• Email address, provided at sign-up
• Encrypted password (managed by Supabase Auth; Mood Reader never sees or stores plain-text passwords)
• A user ID generated by Supabase to link data to an account

Reading data you enter

• Books added to a library (title, author, ISBN, cover image URL, source of import)
• Ratings assigned
• Reflections written
• Reading status (currently reading, finished, did not finish)
• Self Portrait content and any reactions left on it
• Semantic prompts submitted ("something quiet and observant," etc.)

Diagnostic data

• Crash reports and performance data collected by Apple's built-in system. This data is aggregated by Apple and not linked to identity. Mood Reader does not run any third-party crash or performance SDK.

What Mood Reader does NOT collect

• Location data (of any precision)
• Contacts, photos, or files outside what is explicitly imported
• Advertising identifiers (IDFA)
• Health, fitness, financial, or biometric data
• Device address book or calendar
• Third-party analytics (no Firebase, Mixpanel, Amplitude, PostHog, Segment, Datadog, OneSignal, or similar SDKs)
• Third-party crash reporting (no Crashlytics, Sentry, Bugsnag)
• Advertising SDKs (no AdMob, Facebook Audience Network, etc.)

How Mood Reader uses this data

Reading data is used for exactly two purposes:

1. Generating a Self Portrait — the written portrait built from the shape of a library
2. Generating book recommendations — personalized to taste based on library, ratings, and reflections

Email address is used for exactly two purposes:

1. Authenticating an account (signing in)
2. Contacting an account holder — password resets, critical security notifications, or major service changes. Mood Reader does not send marketing email.

Where data lives

• Account data and reading data are stored in Supabase, a hosted PostgreSQL database provider (supabase.com). Supabase is Mood Reader's backend. Their security and privacy practices are described in their own privacy policy.
• OpenAI's API is called from Mood Reader's Supabase backend to generate embeddings (numerical representations of book descriptions and reading data) that power semantic recommendations. OpenAI receives book text and reflection text but does not receive an email, name, or user ID. OpenAI's data handling for API requests is described in their API data usage policy — as of this policy's effective date, OpenAI does not use API data to train their models.
• Book cover images are hosted on Cloudflare R2 (cloudflare.com).

No other third parties receive this data.

Data retention

• Accounts and all associated reading data are retained until deletion is requested.
• Deleting an account removes: profile, library, reflections, Self Portrait, portrait reactions, and any semantic-prompt history. This deletion is permanent.
• Aggregated, anonymized book metadata (which books exist in the catalog, cover images, embeddings for books themselves) is retained because it powers recommendations for other users.

How to delete an account

Email hello@moodreaderapp.com with the subject line "Delete my Mood Reader account." The account will be confirmed, all associated personal data deleted within seven days, and a confirmation email sent.

A future version of Mood Reader will include in-app account deletion. Until then, email is the path.

Children's privacy

Mood Reader is rated 4+ but is designed for adult readers. Mood Reader does not knowingly collect data from children under 13. If a child appears to have created an account, email the support address and it will be deleted.

Your rights

Depending on jurisdiction, specific rights over personal data may apply:

• California (CCPA/CPRA): the right to know what data Mood Reader has collected, to request deletion, and to opt out of sale of personal information. Mood Reader does not sell personal information.
• EU/UK (GDPR): the right to access, correct, delete, and port personal data, and the right to object to processing. To exercise any of these rights, email the support address.
• Other jurisdictions: if local law grants specific privacy rights, email the support address and a response will follow in good faith.

Changes to this policy

If this policy changes materially, Mood Reader will email registered users and post an updated policy at this URL with a new "Last updated" date. Continued use after a material change constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

Contact

Nick Shadel
Email: hello@moodreaderapp.com
Mood Reader — an independent iOS app

This policy is written in plain language on purpose. If any part is unclear, that is a bug — email the address above and it will be fixed.