Last updated: 7 November 2026
The short version: Petal works without an account, and then your library stays on your phone. If you choose to make an account, we store your username, profile picture, finished books shelf, current read, streak and reading moments so your friends can see them, plus a private backup of your library that only you can see. A few features send text or pictures to outside services to work: book search, the AI helpers ("Tell Petal", "Pick my next read" and screenshot import) and, if you subscribe, Apple and RevenueCat for Petal Plus. We don't run ads, we don't sell your data, and we don't use tracking or analytics tools.
Your library (books, progress, notes, ratings), reading sessions, goals, streak history, theme and settings are saved on your phone. If you don't make an account, none of this leaves your device, apart from the features described below. Daily reading reminders are scheduled on your phone and nothing is sent anywhere. Deleting the app deletes this data.
Accounts are optional. When you sign up we store, on our database provider Supabase:
Your username and profile picture can be found by anyone searching usernames in the app. Your shelf, current read, streak and moments are only visible to people you have accepted as friends.
Deleting your account: Settings → Account → Delete account removes your account and everything above, including your library backup, from our servers straight away. The copy of your library on your phone stays until you delete the app or use "Start over".
"Buy this book" opens the shop you pick (Bookshop.org or Amazon) in your browser or that shop's app. The link contains only the book's title and author and Petal's affiliate code, never anything about you. If you buy something, the shop may pay Petal a small commission at no extra cost to you. What you do on the shop's site is covered by that shop's own privacy policy.
When you search for a book, the text you type is sent directly from your phone to Open Library, Apple's iTunes Search and Google Books to find titles, covers and page counts. Nothing about you is sent with it. You can always add a book by hand instead.
Three features use the Claude AI model from Anthropic. Each one sends only what it needs, through a small server we run, and we don't keep it afterwards:
Your name, email and account details are never sent. See Anthropic's privacy policy.
When Petal Plus is available, it is bought through Apple. Apple handles your payment, and we never see your card details. We use RevenueCat to check whether your subscription is active; it receives an anonymous app ID and your App Store purchase records. Cancel any time in your App Store account settings.
A file you import is read entirely on your phone and never uploaded.
No ads, no selling or sharing your data with advertisers or data brokers, no tracking across other apps or websites, and no analytics tools.
Petal is a kind place. If you make an account you agree to these rules, and there is no tolerance for objectionable content or abusive users:
Community is optional and off unless you choose to join, and you must be 16 or older. When you join, other Petal readers can see your profile (username, picture, bio and the accounts you link), what you're reading, your finished books and ratings, and your posts. Your Postbox, notes and private reviews are never shown. Leave Community in Settings and all of it goes back to private.
You can report a post or a reader from the ··· menu on it, or anyone from their profile, friend request or search result, or by emailing readwithpetal@outlook.com. Reports reach us straight away, and a post reported by three different readers is hidden automatically until we've looked at it. You can also block anyone: you won't see each other's posts or profiles on any device, and it removes them from your friends. We review every report within 24 hours and remove the content and the account of anyone who breaks these rules.
Petal is not directed at children under 13 and we don't knowingly collect information from them. If you think a child has made an account, contact us and we'll delete it.
If this policy changes, we'll update this page and the date at the top.
Questions, or want your data deleted? Email readwithpetal@outlook.com.