Privacy Policy for WordBurner

Last updated: July 25, 2026

WordBurner is a reading app developed by Lou Pine of Wolfscairn LLC. This policy explains what data WordBurner collects and why, in plain language.

The short version

WordBurner has no account system and no backend server. Every book you import, every piece of text you paste, your reading positions, and your app settings are stored only on your device and are never transmitted anywhere. Beyond that, two things happen in the background, a small banner ad, served by Google's Google Mobile Ads (AdMob) SDK, and a narrow set of crash reports and usage events sent through Firebase (Google) so we can find and fix problems and understand basic usage patterns. Neither ever sees your book titles, your text, or anything you type.

Data WordBurner itself collects

None of your reading content. WordBurner does not require or offer account creation, and does not operate a backend server of its own. Books, pasted text, reading positions, and settings are stored locally on your device using standard Android storage (a Room database and DataStore) and are never uploaded.

WordBurner does use Firebase (a Google service) for crash reporting and a small set of usage events, described below.

Data collected via advertising (Google Mobile Ads / AdMob)

The free version of WordBurner shows a small banner ad on the Library and Settings screens only, never during an active reading session. This ad is served by Google's Google Mobile Ads SDK, which collects the following on Google's behalf:

• Advertising ID and App Set ID: device identifiers used for ad serving and frequency capping.
• Ad interaction data: ad impressions, clicks, and app-open attribution tied to an ad.

This data is shared with Google (the AdMob platform) for the purposes of ad serving, ad measurement, and fraud prevention. WordBurner does not configure any location-based ad targeting itself; Google's SDK may still apply its own standard IP-derived approximate geo-targeting as it does for all AdMob publishers.

If you are located in the EEA, UK, or Switzerland, WordBurner shows Google's User Messaging Platform (UMP) consent form before any ad-related data collection begins, and respects your choice.

You can reset or opt out of ad personalization at any time through your device's own settings (Android: Settings → Privacy → Ads), independent of anything in this app.

Data collected for crash reporting and app improvement (Firebase)

WordBurner uses Firebase Crashlytics and Firebase Analytics, both Google services, for two narrow purposes: finding and fixing crashes, and understanding basic usage patterns like how often a reading session starts or ends. This collects:

• Crash reports: stack traces, device model and OS version, and app state at the moment of a crash, so we can diagnose and fix problems.
• Device identifiers: a Firebase Installation ID and an Analytics App Instance ID, both per-install identifiers used only to group your own app's events together, not tied to your Google account or any other app.
• A small set of app events: whether a file import succeeded or failed and why (never the filename or book title), when a reading session starts or ends, roughly how long a stretch of reading lasted and how many words it covered (a count, never the words themselves), and when you change your words-per-minute setting.
• Your reading speed as a broad range: which band your words-per-minute setting falls into (for example 300 to 449), so we can tell whether a change helps faster or slower readers. This is a range, not a precise value, and it is not linked to anything you read.

This never includes book titles, file names, pasted text, or anything else you have typed or imported. We deliberately configured Firebase so this data stays inside WordBurner's own project rather than being used by Google for advertising or shared into Google's broader analytics/benchmarking products (Google Signals and Data Sharing Settings are both turned off).

Data we do not collect

WordBurner does not collect or have access to: your name, email address, physical address, phone number, contacts, photos, files (beyond the book/text file you explicitly choose to open, which is read locally and never uploaded), financial information, health data, or precise location.

Data sharing

The only third party WordBurner shares any data with is Google, via the Google Mobile Ads SDK and via Firebase (Crashlytics and Analytics), both described above. WordBurner has no other backend or service to share data with.

Data security

All network traffic from the Google Mobile Ads SDK and from Firebase is encrypted in transit (HTTPS), managed by Google, not configurable by this app. Because WordBurner stores your reading data only on your own device, there is no server-side copy of your book content or reading positions for us to secure, lose, or breach.

Data deletion

Because WordBurner stores everything locally, uninstalling the app (or clearing its data in Android's App info screen) removes all books, positions, and settings completely. There is no server-side account or data for us to delete on request.

Children's privacy

WordBurner is not directed at children and does not knowingly collect data from children beyond the standard, non-personalized advertising-ID behavior described above.

Changes to this policy

If WordBurner's data practices change (for example, adding a new feature that collects data), this policy will be updated and the "Last updated" date above will change accordingly.

Contact

Questions about this policy or WordBurner's data practices can be sent to: wolfscairn@gmail.com