This Privacy Policy explains how the PDF Scholar mobile application ("the App", "we", "us") handles information. PDF Scholar is an offline document library and reader for PDF, Word (.doc, .docx), PowerPoint (.ppt, .pptx) and Excel (.xls, .xlsx) files. Please read this policy carefully to understand our practices.
PDF Scholar does not require you to create an account, sign in, or provide any personal identity information to use the App. Everyone who uses the App on a given device has the same access — there are no user profiles, passwords, or login credentials of any kind.
When you add a document to your library, the App copies the file you selected into the App's private storage on your own device. Word, PowerPoint and Excel files are opened and displayed entirely on your device; to show them, the App creates a display copy in its private storage. The original file is kept unchanged. None of this involves the internet.
PDF Scholar does not upload or send your documents, book titles, folders, or reading activity to any server operated by us or anyone else. We do not have access to your library or its contents. Your documents leave the App only when you choose to share or back them up, as described in sections 3 and 4.
You can create a backup of your library. A backup is a ZIP file containing your documents and your library details: book titles, authors, folders and categories, saved books, reading progress and the Recycle Bin. The App saves the backup only to the location you pick in Android's file picker, such as your phone storage, an SD card, a USB drive, or a cloud storage folder you select (for example Google Drive). PDF Scholar itself never uploads your backup anywhere. If you choose a cloud folder, the file is stored by that cloud service under its own privacy policy.
When you restore, the App reads only the backup file you select, and replaces the library on your device with its contents. Backup files are not encrypted, so please keep them somewhere safe.
We do not collect, request, or store any of the following:
PDF Scholar is supported by advertising delivered through Google AdMob. The App shows these ad formats:
To show and measure ads, Google AdMob collects certain information from your device, including your Advertising ID, other device and app-interaction identifiers, and diagnostic information. This information may be used to serve ads, measure ad performance, prevent fraud, and, depending on your ad settings, personalize the ads you see. This data is collected and processed by Google, not by us directly.
To apply the reward limits, the App keeps a few counters on your device only: how many rewards you used today, and when the next reward is available. These counters are never sent to us.
You can review how Google collects and uses this data, and manage your ad personalization settings, here:
Your consent (EEA, UK and Switzerland). If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or Switzerland, the App asks for your consent before Google AdMob uses your data for ads, using Google's consent message. You can accept or decline. If you decline, you may still see ads, but they will be limited or non-personalised. You can change your choice at any time from the App's menu: ⋮ → Privacy choices. No ads are requested until this choice has been made.
You can also reset or delete your Advertising ID in your device's settings (Settings → Google → Ads, or Settings → Security & privacy → Privacy → Ads, depending on your device).
The only third-party service integrated into PDF Scholar is Google AdMob (for advertising). We do not use analytics SDKs, crash-reporting services that transmit personal data, or any other third-party data-collection tools beyond what is described above.
PDF Scholar uses the internet only to load and show ads, and to open the online version of this Privacy Policy. If you are offline, a copy of this policy built into the App is shown instead. Reading, adding, sharing, backing up and restoring documents all work without an internet connection. Only the rewarded ads that unlock more book slots or a backup need one.
PDF Scholar is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. Because the App requires no account and stores no personal data on our servers, no server-side child data exists to be collected or retained.
Since PDF Scholar has no accounts and no backend server, we do not hold any of your data, so there is nothing on our side to delete. All app data (your library, settings, reward counters and display copies) is stored locally and is removed automatically if you uninstall the App or clear its storage in your device settings.
Backup files you create are saved outside the App, wherever you chose to put them. They are not deleted when you uninstall the App, and you can delete them yourself at any time.
If Android's own device backup is turned on, Android may include some of the App's data in the backup of your device to your Google account. This is managed by Google under your device's backup settings, and you can turn it off there.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the App or legal requirements. The "Last updated" date at the top shows when it was last changed. Continued use of the App after a change constitutes acceptance of the updated policy. The most current version is always available online when your device has an internet connection.
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, you can contact us at: pdfscholar.app@gmail.com