Upken privacy notice

Version 1.0, in force from 27 October 2026.

The short version

• Upken is run by one person in the UK, Mohamad Almasri.
• We collect only what we need to run the app: your account, what you read and save, your streak and points, your settings, and whether you have Pro.
• We never sell your data or use it for advertising. Upken has no ad networks and does not track you across other companies' apps or websites.
• Upken counts usage statistics to improve the app. They are not linked to your account, name or email: only to a random code for this install. They are on when you start, and you can switch them off at any time in Settings > Privacy > Usage statistics. When they are off, usage statistics stop. Only crash reports (with no personal details) and app update checks still happen, so we can fix problems and keep Upken up to date (sections 2.7 and 2.8).
• Our main database is in London.
• Upken is for people aged 16 and over.
• You can delete your account in the app at any time.

Your right to object. You can object at any time to anything we do for our legitimate interests (section 7). For usage statistics, the quickest way is the switch: Settings > Privacy > Usage statistics.

1. Who we are

Upken is run by Mohamad Almasri, a sole trader in the United Kingdom, trading as "Upken" ("we", "us", "our"). We decide how and why your personal data is used, so we are the controller under UK data protection law (the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018).

• Address: 8 Sloanhill Court, Lurgan, BT66 8FQ
• Email for privacy questions and requests: [email protected]

We do not have a Data Protection Officer, because the law does not require one for a service like Upken. Write to [email protected] with any privacy question. For help with the app, write to [email protected].

This notice covers the Upken app for iPhone and Android, and the website at upken.app.

2. What we collect, why, and our legal reason

UK law says we need a legal reason (a "lawful basis") for each use of your data. We use these:

• Contract: we need it to give you the service you asked for.
• Legitimate interests: we have a good reason that does not override your rights, such as keeping Upken secure or improving it. You can object to these uses (section 7).
• Legal obligation: the law requires it.

What you must give us. Your date of birth is required: without it you cannot use Upken (section 9). Signing in is optional: you can use Upken as a guest, with no name and no email. Usage statistics are optional: you can switch them off (section 2.6). Crash reports and update checks are always sent and cannot be switched off, because they keep the app working (sections 2.7 and 2.8). If you buy Pro, the store and RevenueCat need your purchase details (section 2.3).

2.1 Your account

Accounts that never finish set-up. If you sign in with Apple or Google before the age question and then stop before finishing set-up, we delete that account automatically after 24 hours.

2.2 What you do in the app

The device check when you sign out or delete your account. The key stays on your phone: signing out and deleting your account clear everything else Upken keeps there, but not this key, because otherwise a new guest on the same phone would get new free ideas. On Android there is no key to clear: the app reads the Android ID again when needed. The day counts on our server are not linked to any account, so they are not deleted with yours; they are deleted automatically after 3 days (section 6). The key is removed when you uninstall the app on Android; on iPhone it may stay in the Keychain after you uninstall Upken.

How we tailor what you see. The Books and Ideas feeds are chosen from the topics you picked and the ideas and books you liked, and show less of what you marked "Not interested" or "Show fewer from this topic". For 16 and 17 year olds we use only the topics they chose. We make no decisions about you that have legal or similarly significant effects.

2.3 Pro, purchases and the trial reminder

Pro is not on sale yet. Until it is, nobody buys Pro or starts a trial, so we hold none of the records below. This section applies from the day Pro goes on sale.

2.4 Notifications

At launch, all Upken notifications (the daily reminder, "streak at risk", and with Pro the trial reminder) are scheduled by the app on your phone. Your phone asks your permission only after you say yes to Upken's own question first. You can switch the daily reminder and "streak at risk" on or off in Settings > Notifications. Your notification settings and reminder time stay on your phone. The one thing we receive is the subscription notice record in section 2.3. When you sign out or delete your account, the app cancels the reminders it scheduled.

While you listen, Upken keeps playing when you leave the app or lock your phone, and your phone shows its playback controls (play, pause, skip) on the lock screen and in the notification area. These controls are made on your phone and send us nothing.

Notifications sent from our server ("push notifications") will come in a later version. We will update this notice before they do.

2.5 Sharing and invitations

• Share pictures and videos (teasers, conclusion cards, rank cards, and the Aura card as a picture or a 6-second silent video) are made on your phone, only when you tap Share or Save to phone, and go wherever you choose in your phone's share sheet or your photo library. Upken does not upload them. Teasers and conclusion cards carry no names: not yours, and not the book's title, author or publisher. They show only Upken's logo, the book's symbol and our web address. The Aura card and rank cards show your username and avatar (the Aura card with your reading numbers), so sharing them needs an account. The app deletes its own copy of a video once it is shared or saved, or when you close the share screen. Its copy of an Aura picture is deleted at once after a save; after a share it is kept for an hour (the app you shared to may still be reading it) and deleted the next time you make a picture. All of them are deleted when you sign out or delete your account. (On Android, the phone's share screen keeps its own copy of a shared file for up to a day.)
• Share links open the book or idea in Upken, or a web page if Upken is not installed. A link names the book or idea, never you.
• Opening a shared link after installing (Android): if you install Upken from a shared link, Google Play keeps which book the link was for. The first time you open Upken, the app reads that once from Google Play (the "install referrer") so it can open that book for you. Nothing from it is sent to us or to our usage statistics.

2.6 Usage statistics

What they are. Usage statistics are not linked to your account, name or email: only to a random code for this install (the install ID, below). Because that code stays the same for a while, UK law still treats them as personal data, and we handle them that way.

What we count. A fixed list of things that happen in the app, sent to PostHog (our analytics provider). Nothing else is sent to PostHog. (Sentry's performance measurements, section 2.7, follow the same switch.)

• the set-up screens you see, and finishing set-up;
• an idea unlocked (and whether from a book, a taster or the Today page) and an idea finished;
• the free daily limit message shown;
• the Pro screen shown (and what opened it), and a free trial started (and which plan);
• a teaser viewed, "Read this idea" tapped, a taster finished, and a book started from a taster;
• something shared (what, and in which format);
• a shared Upken link opened;
• the app opened (once per visit).

Not before the age question. On a new phone, nothing is sent to PostHog until the age question is answered 16 or over. What happens before it (for example, the first set-up screens) is kept in the app's memory only, and sent once the answer is 16 or over. If the answer is under 16, it is thrown away, and nothing more is sent for as long as the app stays open.

Each of these carries only: your plan (free or Pro), the app's language, a random code for this visit, the random install ID, and technical details of the app and phone (app version and build, phone model and type, operating system and version, whether it is an emulator, and the version of PostHog's software and of our list).

What we never send. Your name, email address, username, Upken user ID or date of birth; your location or time zone; anything you type. No screen recordings, and no automatic recording of what you tap. Your IP address reaches PostHog with each request, as with any internet request; PostHog discards it when it arrives and does not store it.

The install ID is a random code made on your phone. It is not linked to your account, but it stays the same for this install, so that we can count how many people come back after a week. A new one is made if you switch statistics off and on again, or restore your iPhone from a backup.

When you delete your account. Your usage statistics are not linked to your account, only to the random install ID, so we cannot yet promise to delete them with it: they stay with PostHog until it deletes them after 1 year (section 6).

Why. To understand, in totals, how Upken is used so we can improve it: for example which set-up screens people leave, whether tasters lead people to read whole books, and how many people come back after a week.

Legal reason. Legitimate interests. UK law on storing and reading information on your device (PECR) normally needs your consent, but there is an exception for statistics used only to improve a service, as long as you are told and can switch them off easily and for free. This exception has applied since 5 February 2026. We use it, and we do not use these statistics for anything else: not for advertising, and not to make decisions about you.

Who. PostHog, in its EU cloud (Frankfurt, Germany), working only for us under a signed contract.

How long. See section 6.

How to switch them off. At any time in Settings > Privacy > Usage statistics. Switching off stops them straight away, and statistics waiting on your phone are not sent.

2.7 Crash reports

When the app crashes or hits an error, it sends a crash report to Sentry, in its EU region (Frankfurt, Germany). A report contains: technical details of what went wrong and where in our code, the app version, your phone model and operating system, and the last few screens (their names only, never what is on them) and technical steps before the problem. We set Sentry up to remove personal details from reports (for example email addresses, codes, names and dates of birth). A report is not linked to your account: it has no Upken user ID. Sentry's own software on the phone adds a random code for this install to some reports, which is not linked to your account. Sentry does not store your IP address.

• While usage statistics are on, the app also sends Sentry performance measurements and "session" checks (whether the app opened and closed without crashing). These measurements are usage statistics too: they follow the same switch and the same legal reason as section 2.6.
• While usage statistics are off, only reports of errors and crashes (with no personal details) are sent, and the app still checks for updates (section 2.8).
• On a new phone, no crash reports are sent until the age question is answered 16 or over. If the answer is under 16, none are sent for as long as the app stays open.

Why. To find and fix crashes and errors. Legal reason: legitimate interests. Under PECR, crash reporting is "strictly necessary" to detect technical faults, so it does not need consent.

2.8 Update checks

When you open the app, it checks once whether a fix (an app update) is ready, and downloads it if there is one. Each check sends Expo, our update service, the app version, the platform, the update channel, update codes, and a random code for this install, and Expo sees your IP address, as any internet request does. Nothing about how you use the app is sent, and it is not linked to your account. Checks continue while usage statistics are off, because they are how fixes reach you. Legal reason: legitimate interests; under PECR this is also strictly necessary to prevent technical faults. Expo keeps check data under its own retention rules; ask us at [email protected] and we will tell you what Expo has told us.

2.9 Help, problem reports and requests

Problem reports made in the app. A report keeps only which idea, what is wrong, the note you write (up to 1,000 characters) and whether it came from a guest or an account. It does not store who sent it: not your user ID, and not your device. If you use Upken as a guest, the app also sends the same device code as the device check (section 2.2), only so that one phone cannot send too many reports (10 a day). The server does not keep the code itself: to count reports it keeps a short-lived counter under a keyed hash of the code (for a day) and, for everyone, under your random user ID (for an hour), and neither counter is linked to the report. These counters are deleted automatically after 2 days.

2.10 Security and service logs

Our servers keep short technical logs: your IP address, app and device information, what was requested, sign-in events, and the time. We also count requests, to stop abuse (for example, too many attempts in an hour). Why: to keep Upken secure and working. Legal reason: legitimate interests.

The bot check. When the app creates a guest account, and when it sends you an email sign-in code, it first runs Cloudflare Turnstile, an invisible check that you are a person and not a bot. It runs in a hidden web page inside the app, which contacts Cloudflare. Cloudflare sees your IP address and technical details of your phone and the app's web view, and gives the app a one-time pass, which the app sends with its request to our sign-in service. You see nothing, and nothing about your reading or your account is sent. Cloudflare handles this data under its Turnstile Privacy Addendum (https://www.cloudflare.com/turnstile-privacy-policy/), which applies to sites and apps that use Turnstile's invisible mode, as Upken does. Why: to stop bots creating guest accounts in bulk and sending sign-in emails. Legal reason: legitimate interests.

2.11 Our website

Our website at upken.app uses no cookies, no analytics and no scripts. Our web host, Cloudflare, processes your IP address to deliver the pages and protect them from attacks. Cloudflare also forwards emails sent to our addresses to our inbox (section 4).

2.12 Downloads and files on your phone

• Offline downloads (Pro): whole books, their pictures and their narration, downloaded to your phone so you can read and listen without a connection. They stay on your phone; we only record, as for any reading, what you open. When Pro ends, they are deleted from your phone, except ideas you unlocked that day, which go at the end of the day. They are also deleted if the app cannot check your Pro for 30 days, when a book is taken down, and when you sign out or delete your account.
• Share pictures and videos are made on your phone and handled as section 2.5 says.
• When you sign out or delete your account, the app clears what belongs to your account on the phone: your recent searches, changes waiting to be sent, your Aura card choices and downloads. A few things belong to the phone, not to you, and stay: the phone's display and reading preferences (theme, text size), your usage statistics choice and the device check key (section 2.2).

3. What we never do

• We never sell your data or share it for advertising.
• No ad networks, no advertising IDs, no tracking across other companies' apps or websites. Upken has its own small house ads for free users, but they are switched off at launch. If we switch them on, they will use no personal data at all, and nothing is recorded when an ad is shown or tapped.
• No location data, contacts, camera, microphone or health data, and we never look at your photos. If you choose Save to phone for your Aura card, the app adds that picture or video to your photo library; it cannot see your other photos.
• No payment card or bank details: Apple and Google handle payment.
• No marketing emails. The only emails we send are ones you need: sign-in codes and, if you ask for it, the copy of your data (SPEC: "Download my data" is sent by email).
• We do not use your data to train AI. Our AI narration and writing tools only ever receive Upken's own text, never anything about you.

4. Who we share data with

We use a small number of companies to run Upken. Each one works only on our instructions, under a contract that protects your data (a "processor").

Our inbox is a standard Gmail account, so Google handles the emails in it under its own Gmail terms rather than a processor contract with us. Please do not email us more than you need to.

Apple and Google run Sign in with Apple, Google sign-in, the App Store and Google Play (including payments, and passing on which book a shared link was for when Upken is installed from one). They do this as separate controllers under their own privacy policies, not as our processors.

We may also share data:

• if the law requires it (for example a court order);
• with professional advisers (such as an accountant or lawyer) who must keep it confidential;
• with a new owner if Upken is transferred (for example to a company the founder sets up). We would tell you first.

5. Data sent outside the UK

Our main database is in London. Some of our providers keep data outside the UK:

• European Union (PostHog, Sentry): UK law treats the EU as giving adequate protection, so no extra safeguards are needed for the data kept there. PostHog and Sentry are US companies: any access to it from the USA (for example by their support staff or US sub-processors) is covered by the UK Extension to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework or the UK's approved contract clauses in their data processing agreements.
• USA (RevenueCat, Resend, Expo, Cloudflare, and Sentry's account records): we use the protections UK law allows, either the UK Extension to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework (the "UK-US data bridge"), or the UK's approved contract clauses (the International Data Transfer Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses), which are part of each provider's data processing agreement.
• Supabase is a Singapore company. Its data processing agreement includes the UK Addendum, which covers any access to our London data from outside the UK.

You can ask us for a copy of the safeguards at [email protected].

6. How long we keep data

We keep data only as long as we need it, then delete it automatically.

What happens when you delete your account, and what we keep afterwards, is on our account deletion page: upken.app/delete-account.

7. Your rights

You have the right to:

• get a copy of your data;
• correct data that is wrong;
• delete your data;
• restrict how we use it;
• take your data with you in a commonly used format;
• complain (section 8).

Your right to object. You can object at any time to anything we do for our legitimate interests (section 2), and we will stop unless we have compelling reasons that override your interests, rights and freedoms, or need the data for legal claims. To stop usage statistics, switch off Settings > Privacy > Usage statistics: it takes effect at once.

We do not rely on consent as the legal reason for anything at launch, so there is no consent to withdraw.

How to use them:

• In the app: change your settings and profile; Settings > Privacy > Usage statistics; Settings > Privacy > Download my data (we email you a copy); Settings > Account > Delete account.
• By email: [email protected].

It is free. We reply within one month (in rare, complicated cases up to two months more, and we will tell you why). We may ask you to confirm it is really you, for example by writing from the email address on your account.

Download my data emails the file to the address on your account, once a day. A guest account has no email address, so as a guest the app offers to email us your request instead, and we reply by email.

8. Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we handle your data, please tell us first at [email protected]. We will reply within 14 days to confirm we have your complaint, look into it without undue delay, and tell you the outcome.

You also have the right to complain to the UK regulator, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO): ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint, phone 0303 123 1113.

9. Children and young people

• Upken is for people aged 16 and over. You must not use it if you are under 16.
• During set-up we ask for your date of birth, without saying what age is needed. If you are under 16, a line on the same screen says that Upken is for people aged 16 and over, and you cannot go on. Nothing about this is remembered on your phone or sent to us. Your set-up answers and your date of birth never leave your phone before you pass the age check. Nothing about you is sent before the age question is answered: no usage statistics (section 2.6) and no crash reports (section 2.7); the app only checks for updates (section 2.8). After an under-16 answer, no usage statistics and no crash reports are sent for as long as the app stays open, even if the date is changed.
• Nothing from someone under 16 is stored. If you signed in on this phone before the age question and the answer is under 16, a new account made with Apple or Google is deleted; any other sign-in, email included, is signed out. This happens when you leave the age question with the under-16 line showing, so a typing mistake you correct there changes nothing. Our server checks the age again before it stores any set-up answer; if it finds you are under 16, it stores nothing and the app deletes the account. An account made earlier that never finished set-up is deleted after 24 hours (section 2.1).
• If we learn that someone under 16 has an account (for example, they or a parent tell us at [email protected]), we will delete the account and everything in it, and tell them by email if the account has an address.
• For 16 and 17 year olds, privacy is higher by default: "streak at risk" notifications are off, the feeds use only the topics they chose, and (when the leaderboard arrives in a later version) they are not shown on it unless they choose to be.
• We wrote this notice to be easy to read. If anything is unclear, ask us.

10. Keeping your data safe

• Everything sent between the app and our servers is encrypted in transit.
• Our database only lets each person read their own data, and private tables cannot be reached from the app at all.
• Our own daily database backups (section 6) are kept on the founder's own computer in the UK, which only the founder uses, and are never shared.
• Upken has no passwords to steal: you sign in with Apple, Google or a one-time email code. Your sign-in token is kept in your phone's secure storage.
• If a data breach puts your rights at risk, we will report it to the ICO within 72 hours, and tell you without undue delay if the risk to you is high.

11. AI in Upken

• Upken's narration is AI-generated, and the app says so. It is made from Upken's own text only.
• The narration is made by a text-to-speech service that receives only Upken's own idea text, never anything about you, so it is not one of our processors (section 4).
• Upken's ideas are written with the help of AI tools, and every one is written or rewritten, and reviewed, by the founder.
• None of these tools receive any personal data about you.

12. Changes to this notice

We will update this notice when Upken changes how it uses data, and change the version and date at the top. If a change matters to you, we will tell you in the app before it takes effect.

13. Contact

Mohamad Almasri, trading as Upken
8 Sloanhill Court, Lurgan, BT66 8FQ
[email protected]