Privacy Policy
ReadLoudly.com takes your privacy seriously. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, and protect your personal information. By using our website, you consent to the collection and use of your information in accordance with this policy.
Information We Collect
When you use our website, we may collect certain information from you, including:
Your name, email address, and other contact information you provide when you sign up for an account or contact us through our website. Your IP address, browser type, and other technical information about your device and how you access our website. Information about your use of our website, including the pages you visit and how long you stay on each page.
Visitor Analytics
readloudly.com and app.readloudly.com run a first-party analytics collector that records the pages you visit, how long you stay on them and which features you use. We do this on the basis of our legitimate interest in understanding and improving the service. The analytics script itself sets no cookie and no third-party cookie is used; the only thing it keeps in your browser is a short session-storage note of how you reached the site, cleared when the tab closes. Beside the session cookie our servers set a signed identity cookie (rl-trk), an essential cookie with the same lifetime as that session cookie, for guests and signed-in users alike; the collector reads it to recognise your browser across visits and across both sites and, when you are signed in, your account. Your IP address and browser string are removed from the analytics database after 7 days and may remain in its on-server backups for up to 7 days more; for visitors in the EU, EEA, UK and Switzerland the IP address is never stored. We honour the Global Privacy Control signal: when your browser sends it, the analytics script records nothing. You can ask us to delete the analytics data we hold about you by contacting us at [email protected].
ReadLoudly Chrome Extension
The ReadLoudly browser extension reads pages aloud on your device with your browser's built-in voices or with free ReadLoudly voices it downloads to your device once; with these, the text of the pages you read is never sent to us. If you choose a Pro voice, each sentence you listen to is sent to our servers to make its audio, under the ReadLoudly account you are signed in to on readloudly.com (the extension stores no password or token), and your plan's credits are used as on the website. After about two minutes with the same Pro voice it may also be downloaded to your device; from then on we receive only the number of characters read, to count your credits. When "Share usage data" is on (it is on by default and you can turn it off at any time in the extension's menu), the extension sends usage and error events to the same first-party analytics collector: for example that a reading started or finished, how long you listened, which player style, speed and voice language you chose, and an error code when a voice fails, together with the extension version and your browser's language and time zone. These events are tied to a random install ID created by the extension, not to your account, and never include the address, title or text of the pages you read or the text you select. Your IP address and browser string are handled as described above. Your extension settings (voice, speed, player style and the sites where it is hidden) are stored in your browser's Chrome sync storage. When you choose "Listen in ReadLoudly" or "Open in ReadLoudly", the page address or the selected text is sent to app.readloudly.com to open it there. We do not sell this data or use it for advertising; it is used only to understand and improve the extension, in line with the Chrome Web Store User Data Policy, including its Limited Use requirements.
RL Voice
On devices that support it, RL Voice reads text aloud inside your browser: the text you listen to is never sent to us. To set it up, your browser downloads the voice files once from our servers (from about 28 MB on phones to about 310 MB on computers with a capable graphics processor) and keeps them in its own cache; you can remove them at any time by clearing your browser's site data for app.readloudly.com. Before downloading, we run a short speed test on your device to choose voices it can play smoothly, and we do not download the voice files automatically when your browser reports Data Saver, mobile data or a slow connection. We record whether your device can use RL Voice, which version it was given and, if none, why, together with your graphics processor's make, your device's memory size, the speed test results and which voices you choose; this is part of the visitor analytics described above. To count your free RL Voice minutes or your plan's credits we receive only the number of characters read, never the text itself.
ReadLoudly Android App
The ReadLoudly Android app (ReadLoudly: PDF Text to Speech, com.readloudly.app on Google Play) uses the same account and the same servers as the website, so everything above also applies to it. This section covers what is specific to the app.
What the app collects. When you sign in with email and password or with Google, we receive your email address and name, and from Google sign-in the address of your Google profile picture. If you add a profile photo, it is uploaded to our storage, and you can remove it in Edit Profile. Documents you open for listening, and pages you scan with the camera or pick from your photos for a scan, are combined into a private document and uploaded to our servers so we can process and read them, as on the website. Your reading progress and credit use are stored with your account.
What stays on your phone. The 12 PDF tools (merge, split, compress, images to PDF and the others) work entirely on your phone and never upload your files. Text recognized from a scan on your phone stays on your phone; we only receive the language you chose and the fact that text recognition is on. Your phone's own voices read on the device. On-device RL voices also read on the phone: the text is never sent to us, and we receive only the number of characters read, to count your trial or credits. Those voice files are downloaded once from Hugging Face, a public model host, which, like any download, sees your IP address; the app turns off the voice library's download report, so nothing else is sent.
Service providers and ads. In release builds, crash reports are sent to Sentry with personal data such as your IP address left out. Subscriptions bought in the app go through Google Play and RevenueCat, which tell us which plan you hold. Both act only as our service providers. The app shows no ads, contains no advertising SDK and does not access your advertising ID. We do not sell app data or share it with third parties for their own use.
Permissions and security. The app asks for the camera, for scanning, and for network access. It does not access your location, contacts, microphone or messages. On Android 13 and later, photos are chosen through the system picker, so the app never gets access to your whole photo library; on Android 12 and earlier, choosing a profile photo asks for storage access. All data is encrypted in transit (HTTPS), and your sign-in token is kept in the phone's secure, hardware-backed storage.
Deleting your data. In the app, open Account, then Edit Profile, then Delete Account. You can also delete your account from your dashboard on the website or by emailing [email protected]. Uninstalling the app removes the files, voices and recognized text it stored on your phone.
Feedback and Testimonials
After you use a feature, we may ask you to rate it and leave a comment. Answering is optional. We store your rating, any reasons and comment you give, the feature it is about, and the date, and we use them to improve ReadLoudly.
If you agree to it when you submit your feedback, we may also show your comment and rating publicly, for example as a testimonial on readloudly.com, together with your name as it appears on your account. We ask every time you submit feedback, and only feedback you agreed to share is shown. We never publish your email address, photo or any other account details alongside it. We may shorten a comment or correct an obvious typo, but we will not change its meaning. You can ask us to remove a published testimonial at any time by contacting us at [email protected], and we will take it down.
How We Use Your Information
We use your information for the following purposes:
- To provide and improve our website and services, and to respond to your inquiries and support requests.
- To send you newsletters, marketing messages, and other information about our website and services, if you have opted in to receive such communications.
- To show your feedback as a testimonial with your name, if you agreed to it when you submitted it.
- To comply with legal requirements and protect our rights and the rights of others.
- We will not share your information with third parties for their own marketing purposes without your consent. We may share your information with service providers who help us operate our website and provide services to you, but they are not authorized to use your information for any other purpose.
How We Protect Your Information
We use appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. We limit access to your information to authorized personnel who need to know it to operate our website and provide services to you.
Your Choices
You can control how we use your information by managing your account settings and preferences. You can also unsubscribe from our marketing communications at any time by following the instructions in the communication or contacting us directly.
If you are located in certain jurisdictions, you may have additional rights to access, correct, or delete your information. Please contact us if you would like to exercise these rights.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time by posting a revised version on our website. We encourage you to check this page periodically for any changes. Your continued use of our website after any changes to this policy constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.
Contact Us
If you have any questions or concerns about our Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at [email protected].
Privacy at ReadLoudly — Frequently Asked Questions
Plain answers to the questions people actually ask about their data. The full policy above is authoritative.
No. Uploaded documents are used to deliver the feature you requested — extracting text, narrating it, answering your questions about it — and are not used as training data.
Guest uploads are removed after about 24 hours. If you are signed in and save a document to your library, free accounts keep it for 30 days after you last open it; paid plans are exempt.
Only you. Files are not shared with other users, are not published, and are not sold or passed to third parties.
An account needs an email address. Beyond that, the platform stores your preferences and reading positions, and collects standard analytics about how the site is used. The full detail is in the policy above.
Yes. You can delete your account from your dashboard, or email [email protected] and we will action it. Deletion removes your saved library along with the account.
Yes — for keeping you signed in, remembering preferences, and analytics. The policy above sets out the categories in full.
Yes, with our own first-party analytics on readloudly.com and app.readloudly.com, on the basis of legitimate interest. The analytics script itself sets no cookie and no third-party cookie is used; beside the session cookie our servers set a signed identity cookie (rl-trk), an essential cookie with the same lifetime as that session cookie, for guests and signed-in users alike; the collector reads it to recognise your browser across visits and, when you are signed in, your account. Your IP address and browser string are removed from the analytics database after 7 days and may remain in its on-server backups for up to 7 days more, and for visitors in the EU, EEA, UK and Switzerland the IP address is never stored. We honour Global Privacy Control: when your browser sends it, nothing is recorded. You can ask us to delete the analytics data we hold about you by emailing [email protected].
Only usage and error events, and only while "Share usage data" is on in the extension menu (on by default, you can turn it off any time). They record things like a reading starting or finishing, the player style and speed, and voice errors, tied to a random install ID rather than your account. The extension never sends the address, title or text of the pages you read. Pages are read aloud on your device with your browser's voices.
It uses the same account as the website, so your email address, name and the documents you upload are stored as described above. Scan text recognition, the 12 PDF tools and on-device voices run on your phone. Crash reports go to Sentry without personal data, the app shows no ads and does not access your advertising ID, and you can delete your account in the app under Account, Edit Profile.