This policy explains how Sift handles information used to provide reading progress, saved ideas, subscriptions, reminders, analytics, and book request features.
Overview
Sift helps people read thoughtful, thread-style summaries of books, save useful ideas, track reading progress, request books, and set reading reminders. This policy explains what information Sift may collect, how it is used, and the choices you have.
Information We Collect
Account information. Sift currently uses Firebase anonymous authentication. This creates an anonymous user identifier so the app can sync your progress and preferences. You do not need to provide a name or email address for the core app experience.
Reading activity. Sift may store reading progress, completed summaries, saved books, saved posts, highlighted excerpts, reading time, daily goals, yearly goals, and recently read books.
Onboarding preferences. If you complete onboarding, Sift may store selections such as daily scroll time, interests, aspirations, reading goals, preferred reading times, and notification preferences.
Book requests. If you request a book, Sift may store the requested title, author, source identifiers, cover URL, and your anonymous user identifier to count unique requests.
Subscription information. Sift is a freemium app and may offer paid subscriptions or other in-app purchases. Purchases are processed by Apple through the App Store. Sift may receive information needed to unlock paid features, such as subscription status, entitlement status, product identifiers, purchase state, renewal state, and related App Store transaction information. Sift does not receive your full payment card details from Apple.
Analytics. Sift uses PostHog and Google/Firebase services to understand product usage, improve reliability, and measure how features perform. Events may include onboarding completion, paywall or subscription interactions, book opens, book completions, saves, highlights, goal updates, searches, shares, and daily goal completions. These events may be associated with your anonymous Firebase user identifier or device/app information.
Device and notification settings. If you enable reading reminders, Sift stores reminder preferences and schedules local notifications on your device. Notification permission is managed by your operating system.
How We Use Information
We use information to provide the app, sync your library and reading progress, personalize summary recommendations, keep your goals and reminders working, improve the product, debug reliability issues, and understand aggregate usage trends.
Services We Use
Sift uses Firebase and other Google services for authentication, Firestore data storage, Firebase Storage for book assets and generated covers, Firebase Functions for server-side workflows, and app infrastructure. Sift also uses PostHog for analytics, Superwall for paywall and subscription experiences, Apple/App Store services for purchases, and Open Library data when you search for or request books.
Sharing
We do not sell personal information. We may share information with service providers that help operate Sift, process or verify subscriptions, measure app usage, comply with legal obligations, enforce our terms, protect the service, or complete actions you request, such as sharing a summary through your device share sheet.
Retention
We keep information for as long as needed to provide Sift, maintain your reading history, improve the service, and meet legal or operational requirements. Some analytics and aggregate records may be retained after app activity changes.
Your Choices
You can disable notifications in system settings, change reading reminder preferences in the app, remove saved items, and stop using the app. To request help with privacy questions or deletion, contact support@readwithsift.com.
Children
Sift is not intended for children under 13. If you believe a child provided information to Sift, contact us so we can review the request.
Changes
We may update this policy as Sift changes. The updated version will be posted on this page with a new last updated date.
Contact
Questions can be sent to support@readwithsift.com.