The short version
- We do not ask you to create a Simple Study Bible account or sign in.
- Your personal content is stored on your device by default. iCloud sync is limited to internal builds and is not enabled in public store versions.
- We do not sell your personal information.
- There are no ads, advertising trackers or crash-reporting services. Google ML Kit sends limited diagnostic and usage metrics when you choose barcode scanning, as described below; this is not behavioural tracking.
- Some features you choose to use send limited technical or request information to the service needed to provide that feature.
- Backups, exports, sharing and sync happen only when you initiate them and choose the destination.
What is stored on your device
The app stores the content you create and your preferences locally on your device, including:
- Notes, highlights, notebooks, prayers and reading progress.
- Preaching, visitation and calendar records, where available in your edition.
- Settings, reading plans and your passcode. Your passcode is stored only as a one-way hash and never in plain text.
- Bible translations, commentaries, dictionaries, narration audio and other study resources you download.
- Your last-known Pro entitlement status, so previously confirmed access can remain available when the App Store or Google Play cannot immediately be reached.
Your personal content is stored in the app’s local SQLite database. We do not operate user accounts or a cloud-content server. iCloud sync is restricted to authorized internal builds and is disabled in public App Store and Google Play versions; where enabled for testing, it sends the records you choose to sync to your own private iCloud database through Apple CloudKit, not to Simple Study Bible.
When the app uses the internet
Most core reading, study and personal-content features work offline once the relevant resources have been installed.
The app connects to the internet only when a feature you choose requires it, including:
- Retrieving a Bible translation marked as requiring online access.
- Downloading translations, commentaries, dictionaries, interlinear data, pronunciation audio, recorded narration, artwork or other resources you choose.
- Searching for and retrieving book-cover images when you use the Library.
- Purchasing or restoring Simple Study Bible Pro through the Apple App Store or Google Play.
- Opening an external link you select.
- Loading map tiles from OpenFreeMap, AWS terrain or OpenHistoricalMap when you enable the experimental biblical map.
- Sending barcode-scanner diagnostics and usage metrics to Google when you choose to scan a book barcode.
- Creating a backup, export, share or sync through a destination you choose.
Internet services may receive ordinary technical information associated with a request, such as an IP address, timestamp, requested address, device or browser information. Those providers handle that information under their own privacy policies.
We do not add advertising identifiers or behavioural-tracking information to these requests.
Online Bible translations
Some Bible translations require an internet connection rather than being bundled or downloaded to your device. These currently include the NKJV, the NASB 2020 and the English Standard Version (ESV).
When you request a chapter or verse from an online translation, the app sends:
- The translation identifier.
- The requested book, chapter and, where applicable, verse.
The request is sent to a Simple Study Bible proxy hosted using Cloudflare Workers. The proxy then retrieves the requested Scripture text from API.Bible.
The request does not include your:
- Notes.
- Highlights.
- Prayers.
- Notebooks.
- Ministry records.
- Reading history.
- Other personal content stored in the app.
Cloudflare may process standard technical request information, such as your IP address, timestamp and requested address, and may retain short-lived operational or security logs according to the relevant Cloudflare service settings and privacy policy.
API.Bible receives the requested translation and passage for NKJV and NASB 2020 so it can return the Scripture text. For ESV requests, Crossway receives the requested passage through its ESV API (api.esv.org). Neither provider receives your personal study content.
We do not use online Bible requests to identify you, build a personal profile or track your reading for advertising or analytics.
Downloaded resources
Resources you choose to download—including Bible translations, commentaries, dictionaries, interlinear data, pronunciation audio, recorded narration and artwork—may be hosted as public files through GitHub.
When you initiate a download, GitHub may receive standard technical request data, such as your IP address and information ordinarily sent with an internet request.
Downloaded resources are stored locally on your device and can be removed through the relevant download or resource settings in the app.
Book-cover searches
When you use the Library, the app may search for book-cover images through:
- Open Library.
- Google Books.
- Apple iTunes.
The book title, author or other search terms needed to find a cover may be sent to those services. They may also receive standard technical request information such as your IP address.
We do not use book-cover searches for analytics or behavioural tracking.
When you choose to find a book by ISBN using web lookup, the ISBN/search request is sent to a Simple Study Bible proxy hosted on Cloudflare Workers, which queries Brave Search. Cloudflare and Brave may process standard request information such as an IP address. This lookup does not include your personal study records.
Device permissions
Simple Study Bible may request the following permissions:
Microphone
The microphone is used only when you choose an optional voice-input or dictation feature.
The app itself does not deliberately record, retain or store an audio file. It asks the speech-recognition service provided by your device or operating system to return recognised text.
Depending on your device, settings and chosen recognition provider, speech may be processed on your device or sent to that provider's servers for recognition.
Camera, photo library and barcode scanning
The camera is used when you choose to scan a book barcode. Photo-library access is used only when you choose to select or save book-cover artwork. The app does not access these sources in the background.
Barcode scanning uses Google ML Kit. Google says the scan image and decoded barcode result are processed on your device and are not sent to Google. When you use the scanner, ML Kit may send Google limited technical metrics for diagnostics and usage analytics, including device and app details, an app-installation identifier, scanner configuration, feature events, performance measurements and error codes. Google's App Store privacy manifest declares these metrics as not linked to your identity and not used for tracking. Google may also contact its servers for SDK updates or compatibility information. See Google ML Kit Terms & Privacy.
Notifications
Notifications are used for reminders you choose to set and for media controls while Scripture or audio is playing.
Audio playback and foreground service
These permissions allow Scripture narration and background ambience to continue reliably when the app is in the background or your screen is off.
Internet
Internet access is used only for the online features described in this policy.
Text-to-speech, narration and speech recognition
Text-to-speech and speech recognition are provided by services available through your device, operating system or selected service provider.
Their availability, voices, processing method and data handling are controlled by that provider rather than by Simple Study Bible.
Where recorded Be Still narration is available, the audio files are downloaded as resources and stored locally on your device. Where recorded narration is unavailable, the app may use your device's text-to-speech service.
The app receives recognised text from the speech-recognition service. It does not intentionally retain the microphone audio used to produce that text.
Pro purchases
Simple Study Bible Pro is offered as a one-time purchase through Apple’s App Store on iOS/iPadOS and Google Play on Android.
Apple or Google processes the transaction through its store. Simple Study Bible does not receive or store your payment-card, bank-account or other payment-method details.
The app receives purchase and entitlement information needed to:
- Confirm that Pro has been purchased.
- Unlock Pro features.
- Restore your purchase through the same store account where the purchase was made.
Apple and Google handle transaction and payment information under their own terms and privacy policies.
Backups, exports, sharing and sync
Any backup, export, share or sync is initiated by you and sent only to the destination you select, such as:
- A file on your device.
- Another app you choose to share with.
- A cloud folder or storage service you have configured.
Simple Study Bible does not host these backups and has no access to their contents.
If you choose to store or sync a file through a third-party cloud service, that service handles the file under its own terms and privacy policy.
iCloud sync is currently restricted to authorized internal builds and is disabled in the public App Store and Google Play versions. In an internal build where it is enabled, and only if you turn it on, selected notes, highlights, bookmarks, prayers and reading progress sync through Apple CloudKit to your own private iCloud database. Apple processes and stores that data under its terms and privacy policy. Simple Study Bible does not receive it. Google Drive backup is currently disabled in public builds.
The Simple Study Bible website
The Simple Study Bible website does not require an account and does not use advertising, behavioural analytics or third-party tracking cookies.
The website is hosted through Cloudflare. When you visit it, Cloudflare may process standard technical request information, such as your IP address, browser or device information, requested page and timestamp, and may retain operational or security logs according to its service settings and privacy policy.
Selecting an email link opens your own email service. If you send us an email, your email address and the contents of your message will be received and used to respond to your enquiry.
Advertising and behavioural tracking
The app has no advertising networks, no crash-reporting SDKs and no third-party advertising trackers. We do not build behavioural profiles or track you across other apps or websites. The optional Google ML Kit barcode scanner sends the limited diagnostics and usage metrics described in the device-permissions section; this is not used for advertising or cross-app tracking.
Limited operational information processed by service providers when you deliberately use an online feature is not used by us for behavioural advertising or user profiling.
Children's privacy
Simple Study Bible is suitable for a general audience.
We do not knowingly request or collect personal content from children or any other user through an app account, because the app does not operate user accounts or a personal-content server.
Online service providers used by optional features may process limited technical information as described in this policy.
Deleting your data
Because your personal content is stored locally, you remain in control of it.
You can:
- Delete individual notes, notebooks, prayers, highlights or ministry records within the app.
- Remove downloaded resources through the relevant Bible or resource download settings.
- Delete exported or backup files from the destination where you saved them.
- Uninstall the app to remove its locally stored data from the device, subject to any backup behaviour controlled by your device or operating system.
Deleting the app does not automatically delete copies you previously exported, shared or stored through another service.
Changes to this policy
If this policy changes, the "Last updated" date will be revised.
Material changes affecting how personal information or online services are handled will be reflected in the current version of this policy.
Contact
Questions about privacy can be sent via the contact page.
Google Play