Spines & Spins

Privacy Policy

Effective October 13, 2026

Spines & Spins is a book-club planning and discussion service operated by Kayla DeShasier. This policy explains the information the app collects, why it is used, and the choices available to you.

Information we collect

• Account information: your email address, account identifier, and the display name you choose.
• Club and reading content: clubs, memberships, invite codes, book lists, genres, ratings, reading updates, trigger-warning flags, chapter messages, member polls and votes, reports, and block choices.
• Audio: voice notes you intentionally record and upload to a chapter discussion. Microphone access is requested only when you choose to record.
• Purchase information: subscription product, entitlement, store, and expiration status. The app does not receive or store your payment-card details.
• Book searches: the title, author, or ISBN you enter is sent to the public book-catalog providers described below.
• Native app advertising data: on the free First Chapter plan in the iOS app, Google AdMob may process device information, IP address, approximate location derived from IP, ad interactions, and diagnostics to deliver non-personalized ads, measure performance, and prevent fraud.
• Website advertising data: when web ads are enabled on selected public book-discovery pages, Google AdSense and its advertising partners may process browser and device information, IP address, approximate location, the public page being viewed, cookies or similar storage, ad interactions, and consent choices. These support non-personalized ad delivery, frequency limits, aggregate reporting, and fraud prevention. See the web advertising section below.

How we use information

We use this information to authenticate your account, provide shared book-club features, sync reading rooms across devices, process subscription access, support the free service and public discovery content, protect community safety, respond to reports and support requests, and maintain the service. We do not sell personal information. The native iOS app requests non-personalized ads and does not request Apple’s App Tracking Transparency permission or access the advertising identifier (IDFA). Website ad requests, when enabled, also use non-personalized ads and the consent controls described below.

Service providers and external links

• Supabase provides authentication, database, file storage, and server functions.
• RevenueCat and Apple process and verify App Store subscriptions.
• RevenueCat Billing and Stripe process website subscriptions. Spines & Spins receives subscription status and product information but does not receive or store complete payment-card details.
• Google Books supplies book metadata. Signed-in searches are relayed through our server so the Google API credential is not stored in the app.
• Open Library may supply supplemental book metadata and cover images.
• Google AdMob supplies banners and occasional full-screen ads in the native iOS app’s free First Chapter plan and provides consent choices where required. Paid plans do not request or display AdMob ads.
• Google AdSense and Google’s consent management platform support advertising and privacy choices on selected public book-discovery and editorial pages in browsers, including the Android installable web app. Ad serving depends on Google approval, a confirmed eligible visitor, and applicable privacy choices. Verified paid memberships do not request or display AdSense ads. Google explains its processing in its Privacy Policy and information about sites and apps using Google services.
• Amazon and Audible are optional external search links. Spines & Spins does not use an affiliate tag. The selected service receives book search terms only after you choose its link.

These providers process information under their own terms and privacy policies. Book-club content is visible to the other members of the club in which it is posted. Public club names and descriptions may be visible to signed-in readers who are discovering clubs.

Web advertising and cookies

Selected public book-discovery and reading-guide pages include a web advertising integration. Subject to Google approval and the privacy choices below, those pages may request non-personalized AdSense ads for signed-out visitors or signed-in First Chapter members. The ad-free membership experience applies while you are signed in to your paid account. We keep web ad requests off while your sign-in or membership status cannot be confirmed, and do not load AdSense on private club discussions, chapter messages, account or billing screens, or legal pages. We do not send your account email, membership identifier, private club messages, or voice notes to AdSense.

Non-personalized ads use context such as the public page and approximate location instead of past activity to select ads. They can still use cookies or similar storage for frequency limits, reporting, and fraud prevention. Where consent or an opt-out choice is required, Google’s web consent platform presents the applicable choices before our website requests an ad. If required choices are unavailable or do not permit our configured ads, we skip advertising and leave the content available.

On discovery pages where the web consent controls are available, use Ad privacy choices to review or change your choices, or Do not sell or share my personal information for the applicable U.S. state opt-out controls. You can also manage cookies through your browser’s settings. Your sign-in and membership information remains necessary to provide your account and recognize an ad-free paid membership.

Retention and deletion

Account and club data is kept while your account is active. You can delete your account from Account → Delete account. Deletion removes your profile, memberships, messages, voice notes, reading updates, and clubs you own. Safety reports may be retained in deidentified form when reasonably necessary to prevent abuse or meet legal obligations. Deleting an account does not cancel an Apple or web subscription; manage billing through App Store subscription settings or the secure link in your RevenueCat billing email first.

Your choices

You can edit your display name, delete a chapter message you posted, leave or manage club content where the app permits, block readers, report a message, decline microphone access and use text messages instead, restore purchases, manage ad privacy choices when required, and permanently delete your account. You may also request access, correction, or deletion by contacting us.

Children

Spines & Spins is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from a child under the minimum digital-consent age applicable in their location.

Contact

For privacy questions or requests, email kayladeshasier@gmail.com. You can also visit the support page.

Changes

We may update this policy as the service changes. The effective date above will be revised when a material update is published.