Bible Beacon Privacy Policy

App Store name: My Bible Beacon · In the app: Bible Beacon
Effective date: October 17, 2026 · Last updated: October 17, 2026

Bible Beacon is a Bible reading app for iPhone and iPad made by Ben Farris (“we”, “us”). This policy explains what information the app uses, where it is stored, who can see it, and how you can delete it. If you have a question, email mybiblebeacon@gmail.com.

The short version

You can read the Bible, listen, take notes and earn medals without an account.
We do not sell your data, show ads, track you across other apps or websites, or use third-party analytics.
Your data is stored on your device and in Apple’s iCloud (CloudKit). We do not run our own servers.
Bible Beacon’s AI answers come from Apple Intelligence on your device. Your questions are not sent to any outside AI company.
Community features (friends, prayer requests, church and fellowship groups) are optional. What you post there can be seen by other readers.
You can delete your account and your cloud data inside the app at any time.

1. Information you choose to give us

Sign in with Apple (optional)

If you sign in, Apple gives the app a private user identifier and, if you allow it, your name and email address. Apple lets you hide your real email with a relay address. Your sign-in details are kept in your device’s Keychain. We never receive your Apple ID password.

Your profile

If you set up a profile you may add a display name, a short bio, your church, and a photo. You can also add an email address or phone number to your profile; those stay on your device and in your private iCloud and are not shown on your public profile.

Things you create

Highlights, bookmarks, notes, reading progress, reading plans, devotionals you write or save, medals, Bible cover and page choices, and app settings.

Community posts (optional)

If you use the community features, you can post prayer requests and updates (with an optional photo), prayer notes, church board verses and comments, fellowship group names and notes, comments on medals, friend requests, and Bible notes you choose to share with friends. You can also suggest a church listing (name, address, phone number and pastor).

Messages to us

If you email us, we receive your email address and whatever you write, and we use it only to reply and help you.

2. Where your information is stored

On your device. Most of your data lives on your iPhone or iPad. A Home Screen widget reads your current verse and reading place from storage shared only between Bible Beacon and its widget.

Your private iCloud. If you are signed in to iCloud, Bible Beacon saves a copy of your library, settings and progress in your private iCloud database so it can sync to your other devices and be restored. Apple stores this data in your iCloud account. We cannot read your private iCloud data.

Bible Beacon’s public iCloud database. Community features use a public CloudKit database run by Apple for Bible Beacon. These items are stored there and can be seen by other Bible Beacon readers who are allowed to see them:

Your public profile card: display name, bio, church, profile photo, friend code, Bible cover, medals, reading streak and weekly progress, and (only if you turn it on) the chapter you are reading.
Public prayer requests, prayer photos, updates and notes; church board posts; fellowship groups and notes; medal comments; friend requests and follows; and notes you share with specific friends.
Church listings you suggest.

As the developer, we can view and remove records in the public database to run and moderate the service. Apple’s handling of iCloud data is described in Apple’s privacy policy at apple.com/legal/privacy.

3. Community safety, reports and moderation

Before using community features you must agree to our Terms of Use and Community Rules. There is zero tolerance for objectionable content or abusive users.

Filtering: the app checks text on your device before it is posted and hides content from others that fails the filter.
Reporting: when you report a post, profile or friend request, the app saves a report with your app user ID, the item’s ID and owner, a short excerpt of the item, and the reason you chose. Reports are visible only to you (as their creator) and to the developer. A separate anonymous counter records that the item was reported, so content reported by several people can be hidden automatically.
Blocking: when you block someone, the block list is saved on your device and in your private iCloud, and a report is filed so we can review the account.
Our response: we review reports within 24 hours. We may remove content and remove (ban) users who break the rules. Records of removed content and banned accounts are kept so the app can keep that content hidden.

4. Features that use device permissions

The app asks before using any of these, and you can change your choice anytime in the iOS Settings app.

Microphone and speech recognition: used only when you ask Bible Buddy a question out loud. Speech is turned into text on your device when possible; otherwise Apple’s speech service processes it. We do not store your recordings.
Personal Voice: lets Listen read Scripture in your own voice. The voice stays on your device.
Contacts: used only if you choose to invite friends who are already in your contacts. Contacts are read on your device and are not uploaded. Invites open in Mail or Messages, and you choose whether to send them.
Local network and Bluetooth (Nearby): lets you find other people nearby who have Bible Beacon open. Your display name is shared with nearby devices only while the Friends screen is open. Nearby does not use your location.
Photos: you pick photos with Apple’s photo picker for your profile or a prayer request. The app saves pictures to your library only when you ask it to.
Notifications: reading reminders, the verse of the day, weekly reading suggestions, and alerts about friend and community activity. Reminders are scheduled on your device. Community alerts are delivered by Apple’s push notification service through iCloud. You can turn each type off in the app or in iOS Settings.

Bible Beacon does not collect your location. The Bible map shows places from the Bible, not where you are.

5. Artificial intelligence

Super Intelligence and Bible Buddy answers, devotional drafts and reading suggestions are generated by Apple Intelligence on your device when it is available. If it is not available, the app uses built-in passage notes. Your questions and the passage you are reading are not sent to any third-party AI service. AI answers can be wrong, so please check them against Scripture.

6. Purchases

Bible Beacon sells optional Bible covers, colors, page themes and tips through Apple’s In-App Purchase. Apple processes payment; we never see your card or bank details. The app receives a record of which items you own so it can unlock them and restore them on your devices.

7. Other services the app contacts

Apple (iCloud/CloudKit, Sign in with Apple, In-App Purchase, push notifications, speech recognition) to provide those features.
Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation): when you open a place on the Bible map, the app requests that place’s public summary and photo from Wikipedia. Like any web request, this shares your device’s IP address with Wikimedia. No account or personal data is sent.

We do not share your personal information with anyone else, except if required by law or to protect the safety of our users.

8. Analytics and tracking

Bible Beacon contains no advertising, no third-party analytics, and no tracking. If you have chosen to share analytics with app developers in iOS Settings, Apple may give us anonymous crash and usage statistics.

9. How long we keep information

Data on your device stays until you delete it or delete the app.
Your private iCloud copy stays until you delete it in the app or in iCloud settings.
Public community content stays until you delete it, you delete your account, or we remove it for breaking the rules.
Reports are kept as long as needed to review them and keep the community safe. Records of removed content and banned accounts are kept to stop that content from returning.
Emails to support are kept as long as needed to help you.

10. Deleting your data and your choices

Delete your account: in the app, go to More › Account › Delete account. This removes your account, your public profile, posts, prayers, friends data, shared notes and reports you filed from iCloud, and signs you out.
Delete your cloud data only: Settings › Community & Safety › Delete my cloud data.
Stop using Sign in with Apple: on your iPhone, open Settings › [your name] › Sign-In & Security › Sign in with Apple.
Delete posts: you can delete your own posts from their menu.
Privacy switches: Settings › iCloud lets you choose what is shared, such as church membership, achievements and your Bible cover.
Permissions: you can withdraw any permission in the iOS Settings app.

You can also email mybiblebeacon@gmail.com to ask what data we hold about you, to correct it, or to delete it. Depending on where you live (for example under the GDPR in Europe or the CCPA in California), you may have rights to access, correct, delete or move your data and to object to its use. We do not sell or share personal information for advertising. We will respond within 30 days.

11. Children

Bible Beacon’s community features let people post and talk with each other, so the app is intended for people aged 13 and older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has given us personal information, email us and we will delete it.

12. Security

Your data is protected by Apple’s iCloud security and your device’s encryption. Sign-in details are kept in the Keychain. No system is perfectly secure, so please use a strong passcode and keep your Apple Account secure.

13. Where data is processed

We are based in the United States. Apple may store iCloud data in data centers in the United States and other countries.

14. Changes to this policy

If we change this policy, we will update the date at the top of this page and, for important changes, tell you in the app.

15. Contact

Ben Farris, developer of Bible Beacon
Email: mybiblebeacon@gmail.com
Website: benandbrandi.com/biblebeacon

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