Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains what Fawn Reader stores, when the app connects to outside services, and how purchases and subscriptions are handled.
If you have questions, contact us at hello@fawnreader.com.
Information stored by Fawn Reader
Fawn Reader stores your reading data on your device so the app can provide its core features. This may include:
- Feeds, feed metadata, and subscriptions
- Articles, cached article content, and images
- Categories, tags, bookmarks, and highlights
- Reading state
- App settings and reading preferences
- OPML import and export data you choose to handle in the app
This data is used to run the app's reading, organization, highlighting, bookmarking, import, export, and sync features.
iCloud sync
If you enable iCloud for Fawn Reader, compatible app data is stored in your private iCloud database and may sync between your Apple devices. This may include feeds, articles, categories, tags, bookmarks, highlights, and related app metadata.
Fawn Reader does not operate its own account system for this sync. iCloud sync is handled through your Apple Account and Apple's infrastructure. Apple's handling of iCloud data is governed by Apple's terms and privacy policies.
Feed and article fetching
Fawn Reader connects to the RSS, Atom, JSON Feed, article, and website endpoints that you add or open. Those services are operated by their respective publishers, not by Fawn Reader.
When the app contacts a publisher's server, that publisher or hosting provider may receive ordinary network information, such as your IP address, user agent, request time, and the URL being requested. Their handling of that information is governed by their own privacy policies.
When you add a Bluesky, YouTube, or Reddit source, Fawn Reader may contact that service to turn the account, channel, or community you entered into a feed address. That service may receive the identifier you typed and ordinary network information. Fawn Reader does not send your library, highlights, or reading history in these requests.
Favicons
Fawn Reader uses icon URLs supplied by a feed. If a feed does not provide a usable icon, the app may request /favicon.ico directly from that feed's own server. That server may receive the ordinary network information described above. Fawn Reader does not send feed domains to a centralized favicon service.
External links and content
Articles may contain images, media, embeds, and links served by publishers or other third parties. When you open external content or follow a link, your device contacts the relevant service. That service may receive ordinary network information and handles it under its own privacy policy.
Avoid Distractions and Screen Time
On iPhone and iPad, Fawn Reader offers an optional Avoid Distractions feature that can block the apps and websites you select, either when you start a block manually or after a daily limit you set. Before it is enabled, Fawn Reader asks for Screen Time authorization through the system prompt.
Your selection of apps and websites and your limit settings are stored on your device and applied by Apple's Screen Time system. Fawn Reader does not send this selection, your app usage, or any Screen Time information off your device, and does not use it for advertising, tracking, or reading profiles. You can change or turn off Avoid Distractions in the app at any time. This feature is not available on macOS.
Discover and on-device intelligence
Discover surfaces and groups articles from feeds already in your library. On devices where Apple Intelligence is available, Fawn Reader may use Apple's on-device model to help with that grouping. When Apple Intelligence is not available, Fawn Reader uses its own on-device ranking instead.
In both cases the processing happens on your device. Fawn Reader does not send your feeds, articles, highlights, or reading history to Fawn Reader servers or to third-party AI services for this feature.
In-app analytics
This version of Fawn Reader does not include in-app usage analytics. It does not create analytics identifiers or send app usage events to an analytics provider. The network connections described elsewhere in this policy still occur when they are needed for the features you use.
The Fawn Reader website may use Google Analytics to understand aggregate website traffic and improve the website. Website analytics are separate from the app and do not include your Fawn Reader library.
Diagnostics and support
Fawn Reader keeps a limited set of technical diagnostics on your device to help investigate crashes, hangs, performance problems, and sync errors. These records are not uploaded automatically. Local event records and daily performance reports are kept for up to seven days; crash and hang reports are kept for up to 30 days. Count and storage limits may remove older records sooner.
You can choose to export a diagnostic ZIP and send it to hello@fawnreader.com for support. The ZIP may include app and operating system versions, report times, crash and hang call stacks, performance measurements, and coarse event and sync-queue information. It excludes feed and article addresses, titles, article content, notes, search terms, account names, credentials, and installation or device identifiers. Exporting a ZIP does not send it to us; you choose whether and how to share it. Temporary exports staged by the app expire after one hour. Copies you save or send elsewhere are controlled by you and that service.
If you contact support, we receive the sender information, message, and attachments you choose to send. A diagnostic ZIP sent by email is associated with that support request and its sender. We use this information to investigate and respond to the issue, not for advertising or tracking. Support copies of diagnostic ZIPs are deleted within 30 days after the issue is closed. You can request earlier deletion by contacting the same address.
Purchases and subscriptions
Fawn Plus subscriptions are purchased through Apple's App Store using StoreKit. Fawn Reader does not receive or store your full payment card details.
Apple processes purchases, renewals, cancellations, refunds, billing issues, and subscription management. Fawn Reader uses StoreKit transaction information to determine whether Fawn Plus features should be unlocked.
What Fawn Reader does not do
Fawn Reader does not:
- Sell your reading data
- Use advertising or ad-tech SDKs
- Build behavioral advertising profiles from what you read
- Require a Fawn Reader account to use the app
Data portability
Fawn Reader supports OPML import and export so you can move your feed subscriptions between compatible apps. OPML files are handled only when you choose to import or export them.
Data deletion
You can delete feeds, articles, categories, tags, bookmarks, highlights, and other app data using the available controls in Fawn Reader. Removing the app from a device deletes its local app data from that device.
If you enabled iCloud, deleting the app from one device does not by itself delete data stored in iCloud or copies already synced to other devices. You can delete Fawn Reader's iCloud data through the iCloud storage management settings on your Apple device. The names and locations of those controls vary by operating system version. You can also contact us at hello@fawnreader.com if you need help finding them.
Children's privacy
Fawn Reader is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children.
Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy as Fawn Reader evolves. When we make changes, we will update the "Last updated" date above.
Contact
Questions about this policy can be sent to: