Privacy Policy

Opened files stay on your device

The contents of the comic files you open are unpacked and shown on this device only. Turning pages, two-page view, zooming, resuming, saving pages and exporting PDFs also happen on the device. Comic files, page images and file names are not sent to a developer server or used for ads or usage statistics. The app has no feature for getting comics from the internet.

Opening files

The app reads only the files you choose in the Android file picker, through "Open with" and Share in another app, and in the one folder you pick for the bookshelf. It does not use full storage permission. The original file is opened for reading only and is never changed, deleted or moved. Removing a book from a list leaves the file as it is.

What stays on your device

When a file can be read where it is, no copy is made. For a file opened from a place that can only be read once from start to end (such as some cloud apps), the app keeps one copy in its cache (up to 4 GB). While you read, page images are unpacked into the app cache (up to 2 GB). The copy and the unpacked pages are deleted when you close the book or open another one, and anything left is deleted the next time you open the app. Temporary files made for saving are handled the same way. To resume reading, the app remembers for each book the page you were on, the number of pages, the reading direction, the two-page setting and when you opened it (up to 500 books). For a book opened for the first time, it makes a small cover image from the first page (up to 200 books). The recent books list (up to 30) holds only files you picked inside the app and remembers the file name and location. So that a book on the list can be opened again, the app keeps the read access you granted for it, and releases that access when the book leaves the list. When you pick a bookshelf folder, the app keeps read access to that folder. The recent list, reading positions, covers and ad consent are excluded from Android Auto Backup and device transfer. Only settings such as reading direction, two-page view, tap and volume-key page turns and keeping the screen on are kept as settings.

Saving

When you save a page, its image is saved to the Pictures/Comic Viewer folder in your gallery. When you export a PDF, you choose where to save it in the Android save screen. If you pick a cloud folder, the file goes to that service. The app does not send anything on its own.

Account

There is no account. The app does not ask for an email or phone number, and there is no sign-in, sign-up or in-app purchase.

Ads

This app is supported by ads. Google AdMob serves the ads, and in doing so the advertising ID (AAID), IP address, device information, app performance diagnostics (such as launch time and hangs) and ad-related app activity (such as ads viewed and tapped) are collected by and shared with Google. An approximate location (country level) may be derived from the IP address. The contents and names of the files you open are not used for ads and are not shared. Ads are limited to the Teen (T) content rating. See Google's policy for details (policies.google.com/technologies/ads).

When ads appear

There are no ads when you open the app, open a book, turn pages, zoom, read two pages side by side, reach the end of a book, or when a file cannot be opened. An ad may play once when you save a page or export a PDF, and the app tells you before you tap. After you watch an ad to the end, it does not play again until you close that book. If the ad cannot be loaded or you close it early, the app still saves. A small banner appears only at the bottom of the home (recent books) and bookshelf lists, not on the screen that shows a comic.

Turning off ad personalization

In Android Settings → Privacy → Ads, you can delete the advertising ID or turn off personalization. Ads will still appear, but they will not be personalized.

Permissions

The ads and statistics SDKs use internet access, network state and advertising ID related permissions, to load ads and send usage statistics. None of them asks you for approval. The app does not ask for storage, photos, camera, microphone, contacts, location or notification permission.

Usage statistics

To improve the app and place ads appropriately, the app collects usage statistics with Google Analytics for Firebase. This includes how often the app is opened and for how long, which features are used (for example the name of the archive format of the opened file, which range the page count falls in, the kind of reason if opening a book or a page failed, whether the reading direction or two-page view was changed, and whether resuming, saving a page or exporting a PDF were used), whether an ad notice was shown and the ad was watched, ad impressions, device model, OS version, app version, country and language, and a random identifier assigned to each app install along with the advertising ID. File names, locations, page images and contents are not sent. The app also uses Firebase Remote Config to change ad settings without an app update, which sends app version, OS version, country and language. In the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland, information that identifies the device is not stored unless you consent.

Third parties

Other than Google AdMob and Google Analytics for Firebase (see Usage statistics above), the app uses no other analytics tools or crash reporters. No outside service receives the contents of your comic files.

Children

Comic Reader is not intended for children under 13, because Google AdMob collects the advertising ID, IP address and device information when ads are shown.

Deleting data

You can remove a book from the recent books list, which also deletes its reading position and cover image (the file stays where it is). Disconnect folder on the bookshelf releases the folder access. Uninstalling the app deletes the copies, the lists, reading positions, covers and settings. Pages and PDFs you saved must be deleted where you saved them (such as Pictures/Comic Viewer in your gallery). We keep no copy on a server. You can delete the advertising ID in Android Settings → Privacy → Ads.

There is nothing we can delete

This app has no server that stores user data. Copies and records on the device disappear when you remove them in the app or uninstall it, and the advertising ID is held by Google, so we cannot look it up or delete it. If you have questions, contact dev@indieway.xyz.

Changes and contact

If this policy changes, this page will be updated with a new date. Contact: dev@indieway.xyz. If you email us through Contact us in the app, we use your email address, your message, and the app and device details added at the end of the message (app version, Android version, device model, app language, theme and font size) only to reply to you.