DearlyStoryPrivacy Policy
Last updated: September 28, 2026
DearlyStory lets you create a voice from a short recording and have stories and books read aloud in it. This policy explains what we collect, why, who processes it, and how long we keep it. It applies to the DearlyStory app and to dearlystory.app.
DearlyStory is published by an individual developer ("we", "us"). Contact: [email protected].
Summary
- We collect only what the app needs to work: your account, the recordings you choose to upload, the stories and text you choose to hear, the audio made from them, and your purchases.
- Voice recordings and the text you choose to hear are processed by Alibaba Cloud to create voices and read text aloud. Story topics are processed by Google to write stories.
- We do not sell your data, show ads, or use third-party analytics or tracking.
- You can delete your voices, stories and account in the app at any time.
What we collect and why
| Data | Why we use it |
|---|---|
| Account. When you sign in with Apple, we receive a stable identifier from Apple. We do not ask Apple for your name or email. | To keep your voices, stories and story balance with your account. |
| Voice recordings you upload (recorded in the app or imported from a file), and the voices created from them. | To create a voice and read stories aloud in it. Recordings are processed on our server and by Alibaba Cloud. |
| Story topics you type, and the stories written from them. | To write the story you asked for. Topics are sent to Google (Gemini). Stories are stored so you can edit and listen again. |
| Text you choose to hear (a story, or a part of a book or text you imported). | To read it aloud. Only the part you choose to hear leaves your phone. |
| Audio generated for you. | So you can listen, and listen again, on this and other devices. |
| Purchases and story balance. Transaction identifiers and the product bought, from Apple. We never see your payment details. | To add stories to your balance and keep accurate records. |
| Reports you send, and an email address if you choose to give one. | To review misuse and reply to you. |
| App events (for example "a story was narrated"), with a random identifier for this installation. No advertising identifier, no location. | To understand whether features work and fix problems. |
| Technical logs (such as IP address and request times), kept briefly. | Security and troubleshooting. |
Books you import (photos, PDF, EPUB or text) stay on your phone. Text recognition happens on your phone. Only the text of a part you choose to have read aloud is sent to our server.
Who processes your data
| Provider | What they process | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Tencent Cloud | Hosts our server and database: all of the data above. | United States (Silicon Valley) |
| Alibaba Cloud (Model Studio) | Voice recordings, to create voices; the text you choose to hear, to generate audio. | Mainland China (Beijing region) |
| Google (Gemini API) | Story topics and the story settings you choose, to write stories. | United States and other Google locations |
| Cloudflare | Carries traffic between the app and our server. | Global network |
| Apple | Sign in with Apple, and payments through the App Store. | Apple's locations |
These providers act on our instructions to provide the service. When your data is processed outside your country, it is protected by the providers' contractual commitments. Before you use any AI feature for the first time, the app tells you about these transfers and asks for your agreement.
How long we keep data
| Data | Kept until |
|---|---|
| Voice recordings and voices | You delete the voice or your account. Deleted automatically if you haven't signed in for three years. |
| Stories | You delete them or your account. |
| Text sent to be read aloud | 30 days, then deleted. |
| Generated audio on our server | One year after it was last downloaded, or until you delete your account. Audio saved on your phone stays until you delete it. |
| Purchase records | As long as needed for accounting and legal obligations. |
| Backups | Up to 30 days. |
When you delete a voice, the recording and the voice are deleted from our server and from Alibaba Cloud right away. You can choose to also delete the audio made with it.
Your choices and rights
- Delete your account: Me → Account settings → Delete account. This deletes your voices, recordings, stories and audio from our server.
- Delete a voice or a story at any time in the app.
- Access, correction or a copy of your data: email [email protected]. Depending on where you live (for example the EU, the UK or California), you may have further rights, including to object to processing or to complain to a data protection authority.
Children
Accounts are for adults aged 18 or older. Stories can be written for children to listen to, but we do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has created an account, contact us and we will delete it.
Security
Data travels encrypted (HTTPS). Sign-in tokens are stored in the iPhone Keychain. Access to the server is restricted to the developer.
Changes
If we change this policy, we will update the date above and, for significant changes, tell you in the app.