Privacy Policy

ArchFic is an independent, fan-made reader for Archive of Our Own (AO3), built by HDFoundry. We are not affiliated with the Organization for Transformative Works (OTW) or AO3. This policy explains how the app handles your information.

The short version

ArchFic works fully without an account: your reading data stays on your device. Signing in is optional and exists for one reason: so your library, follows, reading progress, and settings can follow you to a new phone, survive a reinstall, and stay in sync across your devices, and so we can tell you when a work you follow posts a new chapter. When you sign in, we keep a copy of your own ArchFic data on our servers purely to sync it back to you. We don't build advertising profiles, sell your data, or track what you read, and we never store any AO3 fanwork content. When you connect AO3, you sign in on AO3's own page, so we never see your AO3 password. We also use anonymous analytics and crash reporting to keep the app stable.

Data stored on your device

The following data is kept on your device. If you are signed out, it stays only on your device and is never transmitted to HDFoundry servers. If you sign in, the items marked below are also backed up to our servers (see the next section):

• App preferences: theme, font size, TTS settings, display language (synced)
• Reading progress: last chapter, scroll position, and read status per work (synced)
• Library and collections: works you save and organize into collections (synced)
• Follows: works and authors you follow (synced)
• Downloads: works saved for offline reading (device only)
• AO3 session cookies: stored in encrypted storage to keep you signed in to AO3 (device only)
• Cloudflare bypass cookies: temporary cookies used to pass AO3's security checks (device only)

When you sign in: backup, sync & notifications

Signing in is optional, and it's there for your convenience, not for tracking. If you don't sign in, nothing leaves your device. If you do sign in, we save a copy of your own ArchFic data to your account so it can follow you to a new phone, survive a reinstall, and stay in sync across your devices, and so we can notify you when a work you follow updates. Here's exactly what that copy holds:

• Your account: a sign-in identifier and basic profile (such as email and display name) from your sign-in provider, plus your AO3 username if you link AO3. We never receive or store your AO3 password.
• Your own ArchFic data: the works in your library and collections, the works and authors you follow, your reading progress, and your settings, kept as simple references (work IDs and your own lists) so we can hand them back to you on another device.
• Update info for your follows: for works you follow, we keep public details (title, author, fandom, tags, rating, chapter counts) and check AO3 for new chapters so we can send your notification.

That is the whole purpose: syncing your own data back to you. We don't build advertising profiles, we don't sell your data, and we don't track what you read for marketing.

We never store AO3 fanwork content. ArchFic does not store, host, copy, cache on our servers, or redistribute the text of any fanfiction: chapters always load straight from AO3 to your device. Our servers hold only the metadata above.

You're in control: turn off sync, sign out, or delete your server-side data at any time (see Data retention and deletion).

Analytics and crash reporting

ArchFic uses Firebase Analytics and Firebase Crashlytics to collect anonymous, aggregated data for internal diagnostics and app improvement. This includes:

• Device type, OS version, and app version
• Feature usage and screen views (Analytics)
• Crash stack traces and error reports (Crashlytics)
• Performance metrics such as app start time and frame drops

Google Signals integration is disabled. No personally identifiable information, including your name, email, AO3 username, or password, is ever included. This data is not linked to your identity and is not used for advertising or tracking.

Advertising and data selling

ArchFic does not display advertisements today. We may introduce advertising in a future version to support development; if we do, we will update this policy and the in-app disclosure first, and clearly describe any advertising partners and the data they use. Regardless, we do not sell or rent your personal information to data brokers.

Permissions

• Internet: required to fetch content from AO3 and, if you sign in, to sync your data
• Notifications: only if you sign in and enable them, to alert you when a work you follow posts a new chapter

Third-party services

• Archive of Our Own (ao3.org): all fanfiction content originates here and is loaded directly to your device. See AO3's Terms and Privacy Policy.
• HDFoundry sync service: if you sign in, stores your account metadata (described above) to enable Backup & Sync and notifications. Hosted by HDFoundry; no AO3 fanwork content is stored.
• Google Firebase (Authentication, Cloud Messaging, Analytics, and Crashlytics): account sign-in, new-chapter push notifications, and anonymous usage/crash data for internal diagnostics only. See Google's Privacy Policy.

Data retention and deletion

Data on your device can be cleared at any time via Settings, then Reset All Settings, or by uninstalling the app. If you have signed in, your synced metadata is kept on our servers until you remove it: sign out and turn off sync, use the account-deletion option in Settings, or email us; we honor account-deletion requests and delete your server-side data. Anonymous analytics and crash data are retained according to Google's data retention policies.

Your rights

If you use ArchFic without signing in, we hold no personal data about you on our servers and you control everything on your device. If you sign in, you can delete your server-side data at any time from Settings or by contacting us. Depending on your location, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, or restrict processing of your personal data; we will honor valid requests. For any request related to Firebase data, contact us and we will help submit the appropriate request to Google.

Children's privacy

ArchFic is not directed at children under 13 (or the applicable age of digital consent in your country). We do not knowingly collect data from children. If you believe a child has provided personal information, contact us and we will address it promptly.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The latest version is always available in the app under Settings, then Privacy Policy and on this page, with an updated date above.

Contact

Questions about this privacy policy? Email [email protected].