SideReader Privacy Policy
Effective date: October 9, 2026 Developer: SideReader Contact: support@sidereaderapp.com
This policy explains what the SideReader Android app ("the app") accesses, what leaves your device, and why.
Summary
- SideReader reads on-screen text only in the apps you choose to monitor, to detect articles and read them aloud.
- Article text leaves your device only when you use AI Voice or Gemini text processing. The built-in Android voice and the on-device neural voice send nothing.
- We don't sell your data, show ads, create accounts, or use analytics or tracking SDKs.
Screen content (Accessibility Service)
SideReader uses Android's Accessibility Service to read the text shown in the apps you choose to monitor (browsers by default). It uses that text only to detect articles and read them aloud. It doesn't read other apps, collect passwords, or type, tap or change anything for you. The app shows a disclosure and asks for your agreement before you enable the service, and you can turn it off at any time in Android Settings → Accessibility.
Data stored on your device
- Settings (voice, speed, language, monitored apps, domain lists)
- Reading history and bookmarks (titles, source, article text)
- Cached AI-generated audio (can be cleared in Settings)
- The on-device voice model, if you download it (can be deleted in Settings)
- Your Gemini API key, if you enter one
This data stays on your device. Settings, history and bookmarks may be included in your own Android device backup; the Gemini API key is excluded from backups. Uninstalling the app deletes all of it.
Data sent off your device
The on-device voice (Kokoro) runs entirely on your phone: no article text is sent anywhere. Its one-time model download comes from GitHub (github.com, the k2-fsa/sherpa-onnx project); like any download, GitHub sees your IP address, and nothing about what you read is sent.
| When | What is sent | Sent to | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| You use AI Voice | The article text to be spoken (in short pieces) and the selected voice name | SideReader's voice server (a Cloudflare Worker run by SideReader), which forwards it to Google Gemini text-to-speech | Generate spoken audio |
| You turn on Gemini text processing (summarize/simplify) | The article text (up to about 20,000 characters) and your own Gemini API key | Google Gemini API directly | Summarize or simplify the text before it is read |
All connections use encrypted HTTPS. As with any internet service, the servers involved see your IP address.
What the SideReader voice server keeps
- Article text and generated audio are not stored; they exist only while the request is being processed.
- To prevent abuse, the server keeps a request counter tied to your IP address for rate limiting. It is deleted automatically within two hours.
- When a voice request fails, the server may log a short error message (such as a status code) for troubleshooting; these logs do not contain article text.
- Cloudflare, which hosts the server, may keep standard technical request logs (such as IP address, time and URL, not article text) under its own policies: https://www.cloudflare.com/privacypolicy/
Google Gemini
Text sent to Google Gemini is processed by Google under the Gemini API terms (https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/terms) and Google's Privacy Policy (https://policies.google.com/privacy). Depending on the type of API access, Google may retain or use submitted content as described in those terms.
What we don't do
- We don't sell or rent your data.
- We don't use your data for advertising.
- We don't use third-party analytics or crash-reporting SDKs.
- We don't require an account.
Children
SideReader is not directed at children under 13 and does not knowingly collect personal information from children.
Your choices
- Turn off the Accessibility Service at any time.
- Use the built-in Android voice and leave Gemini processing off to keep everything on your device.
- Clear history, bookmarks and the audio cache in the app, or uninstall the app to delete all local data.
- Email us to ask questions or make a privacy request.
Changes
If our data practices change, we will update this policy and its effective date.