Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

VoiceForge Reader is an iOS and iPadOS app that reads pasted, selected, or shared text aloud. This Privacy Policy explains what information the app handles, how speech generation works, and how you can control your data.

The app has no user accounts, no logins, no advertising SDKs, no analytics SDKs, no tracking SDKs, and no developer-operated backend. However, VoiceForge Reader is not fully offline: the text you ask the app to read is sent to an external text-to-speech endpoint to generate audio.

The developer is based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. This policy is written to align with Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and Quebec's Act Respecting the Protection of Personal Information in the Private Sector (Law 25).

2. Information the App Handles

VoiceForge Reader handles only the information needed to read text aloud:

• Text you provide: text pasted into the main app, text selected in another app, shared URLs, readable page text, and other text content sent through the iOS Share Sheet.
• Speech settings: selected voice, language, speed, and related playback preferences.
• Generated audio: audio returned by the text-to-speech endpoint so the app can play it on your device.
• Basic local app state: temporary playback state, selected language, onboarding status, and similar app preferences.

VoiceForge Reader does not ask for your name, email address, phone number, precise location, contacts, calendar, HealthKit data, payment information, or social media accounts. The app requests access to your device's Camera solely to scan printed text from documents and books.

3. Document Scanning and OCR

VoiceForge Reader includes a document scanner that uses your device's camera to detect and extract text from printed pages, books, or shared images.

• On-Device Recognition: All document cropping, image rotation, and Optical Character Recognition (OCR) are performed entirely on your physical device using Apple's local Vision framework.
• No Image Uploads: Camera frames, photos, and scanned images are processed locally in real-time memory and are never uploaded, stored remotely, or shared with the developer or any third party.
• Text Extraction: Only the plain text extracted from the scan is loaded into the reader interface.

4. Text-to-Speech Processing

VoiceForge Reader currently uses a direct Edge/Bing consumer text-to-speech endpoint for speech synthesis. The developer does not operate this endpoint and does not receive the text or generated audio from it.

Only the text you choose to read, the selected voice, and speech formatting needed for synthesis are sent for this request. The generated audio is returned to your device for playback.

Because the speech endpoint is operated by a third party, its network handling and retention practices are outside the developer's direct control. Do not use VoiceForge Reader for passwords, private keys, financial secrets, medical records, legal secrets, or other sensitive text that you do not want transmitted to an external speech service.

5. Main App and Share Extension

5.1 Main App

In the main app, you may type or paste text, scan documents, or import files to tap Speak. If you use Paste and Speak, the app reads the current text value from the system pasteboard only after you choose that action.

5.2 Share Extension

The Share Extension can receive text, selected text, URLs, and shared images from other apps through the iOS Share Sheet. The extension instantly redirects text or images to the main application for processing, translation, and speech generation, ensuring continuous playback even if you close the original app.

6. Storage and Security

VoiceForge Reader does not operate a server or database. The developer does not store your text, audio, or usage history on a remote backend.

• Generated audio and localized text segments are kept temporarily in app memory while playback, seek, and word highlighting features are active.
• Speech settings and app preferences are stored locally on your device in shared App Group user defaults.
• Deleting the app removes local app data controlled by VoiceForge Reader.

Your device's built-in protections, such as passcode, Face ID, Touch ID, and full-disk encryption, help protect local app data.

7. No Advertising, Analytics, or Tracking

VoiceForge Reader does not include advertising SDKs, analytics SDKs, crash-reporting SDKs, tracking SDKs, or data broker integrations. The app does not track you across apps or websites and does not sell, rent, or trade your data.

8. Children's Privacy

VoiceForge Reader is a general text-to-speech utility and is not designed to knowingly collect information from children. The app has no accounts and does not ask for personal contact information. If a parent or guardian has concerns, they can delete the app to remove local app data.

9. Your Choices

• Choose what to read: only send text or documents to the app that you are comfortable transmitting to an external speech service.
• Clear text: delete or reset text in the input field before using Speak.
• Control camera access: you can revoke Camera permission for VoiceForge Reader at any time in iOS System Settings.
• Delete local data: delete the app from your device to remove local app data.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect new app features, legal requirements, or clarifications. Material changes that affect how text or other data is handled will be reflected with an updated date and, when appropriate, in-app or release-note notice.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your data, please contact:

Roman
Developer of VoiceForge Reader
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Email: emailtorisel@gmail.com