Asvara Labs

Maki Reader — Privacy Policy

Effective date: August 20, 2026

This Privacy Policy describes how Asvara Labs LLC ("Asvara Labs", "we", "us") handles information in connection with Maki Reader, our EPUB and PDF reading application for Android and iOS. It applies only to the Maki Reader mobile app and the optional online features it can connect to. Our general company policy is available at asvaralabs.com/privacy.

The short version: Maki Reader is offline-first. Reading your own books requires no account, no sign-in, and no network connection. Everything beyond reading is optional, and each optional feature is described below.

1. Reading works without an account

You can install Maki Reader, import EPUB and PDF files, and read them with no account and no internet connection. In this default mode the app does not transmit your library, your reading activity, or any identifier to us or to anyone else.

Books and files you import are stored in the app's own storage on your device. They never leave your device except through the optional Google Drive sync you enable yourself (see section 3). We do not upload, copy, scan, or index your books on our servers.

2. Optional Google sign-in

If you choose to sign in, Maki Reader uses Google Sign-In. The app receives a Google ID token and uses it solely to authenticate you against Asvara Labs servers (reader-api.asvaralabs.com). The app never asks for or stores a password.

Our servers verify the Google ID token statelessly — that is, the token's signature and claims are checked on each request and no credential is persisted. We do not store Google passwords, refresh secrets, or any other authentication credential on our side. Signing in is optional and is only needed to unlock the connected features described in sections 3 and 4.

From the token we may see the basic profile claims Google includes (such as your account identifier and email address) for the duration of the request, in order to determine which features your account is entitled to. We do not build advertising or behavioral profiles from this information.

3. Optional sync via your own Google Drive

If you explicitly turn on sync, Maki Reader can keep your reading positions and annotations consistent across your devices. This sync is performed through your own Google Drive, using the private application data folder (appDataFolder) that Google reserves for the app.

  • The drive.appdata scope is requested only at the moment you enable sync — not at install time and not at ordinary sign-in.
  • The synced data lives in your Google Drive account, not on Asvara Labs servers. We do not receive a copy of it.
  • The appDataFolder scope does not give Maki Reader access to the rest of your Google Drive. It can only see files the app itself created.
  • Your book files themselves are not uploaded by sync; only reading state (positions, highlights, notes and related metadata) is.
  • You can turn sync off at any time in the app, and you can delete the app's data folder from your Google account settings (Google Account → Data & privacy → Third-party apps).

4. Optional connected features

Maki Reader offers connected features that, by their nature, require a network request: dictionary lookups and AI-generated illustrations. These are used only when you invoke them.

When you invoke one of these features, the app sends to reader-api.asvaralabs.com only what is needed to serve that specific request — typically the text you selected, and a book fingerprint (a derived identifier used to associate the result with the right book) — together with your authentication token. We do not send your library, your full book files, or your reading history.

Availability of these features is capability-gated per account: the server decides which features your account may use. AI generation consumes entitlements that must be granted server-side, so no AI charges can be incurred by you without entitlements having been granted to your account.

Requests to connected features may be processed with the help of third-party providers (for example, dictionary data sources or AI model providers) strictly to produce the response you asked for. We retain operational logs of these requests for security, abuse prevention, and troubleshooting, for a limited period, and we do not use them for advertising.

5. What we do not do

  • We do not show ads in Maki Reader.
  • We do not embed third-party analytics or advertising SDKs in the app.
  • We do not sell or rent personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising.
  • We do not track you across other apps or websites.
  • We do not upload the books or documents you import.

6. Children

Maki Reader is not directed to children under 13 (or the equivalent minimum age in your jurisdiction), and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact us and we will delete it.

7. Security

Traffic between the app and our servers is encrypted in transit (HTTPS/TLS). Content stored on your device is protected by your device's own operating-system protections. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. Your choices and rights

Because reading requires no account, the most direct control you have is simply not signing in. Beyond that:

  • You may sign out at any time; connected features then stop working and no token is sent.
  • You may disable sync at any time, and revoke the app's Drive access from your Google Account.
  • You may uninstall the app, which removes its local storage including your imported files.
  • Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, or port the personal information we hold, and to object to or restrict certain processing. To exercise them, see our User Data Deletion page or write to hello@asvaralabs.com.

9. International transfers

Asvara Labs LLC is established in the United States, and the servers that handle connected features may be located in the United States or in other countries. Where required, we rely on appropriate safeguards for international transfers of personal information.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the effective date at the top of this page. Material changes will be communicated through the app or by other reasonable means.

11. Contact

Asvara Labs LLC
1021 E Lincolnway, Cheyenne, WY 82001
United States
hello@asvaralabs.com

See also the Maki Reader Terms of Service.