Terms of Service

Welcome to BookNest. By downloading, installing, or using the BookNest iOS application (the "App"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Use (the "Terms"). If you do not agree to these Terms, please do not use the App.

1. Overview

BookNest is a family reading app that runs primarily on your devices. The App provides:

• Importing and reading your own EPUB, PDF, and TXT files
• Listening to books with on-device text-to-speech
• On-device AI assistance, including Ask This Book and Explain for Me
• Family profiles, reading goals, streaks, and shared insights
• Optional family cloud sync across devices you control

The App is operated by GaoThink ("we," "us," or "our").

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 13 years old to use the App, or have the permission of a parent or guardian if younger. By using the App, you represent and warrant that you meet this age requirement and that you have the legal capacity to enter into these Terms.

3. Your Books & Content

BookNest is a tool for organizing and reading content you provide. You are responsible for ensuring you have the right to read and share any books, documents, or other files you import.

• Imported files are stored locally on your device (and, if you enable Family Cloud, mirrored to our cloud database for sync to your own family's devices).
• We do not claim ownership of your files or the copyrights in the books you read.
• We do not train AI models on your books or your reading data.

4. Subscriptions and Payments

4.1 Subscription Plans

The App offers an optional Premium subscription:

• Monthly Plan: $4.99 per month
• Annual Plan: $39.99 per year (save 33% compared to monthly)

Prices are in USD and may vary by region due to local taxes and currency conversion. All payments are processed by Apple via the App Store. We never receive or store your payment information.

4.2 What Premium Includes

• Family Cloud Sync across your devices
• Up to 6 family members
• Shared goals, insights, and cheers across devices

On-device AI (the AI Pack) and the Voice Pack for text-to-speech remain free for everyone.

4.3 Auto-Renewal

Subscriptions auto-renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current billing period. Your Apple ID account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period.

4.4 Managing Your Subscription

You can manage or cancel your subscription at any time through:

• Settings app on your iOS device → [Your Name] → Subscriptions
• Or the App Store app → [Your Profile] → Subscriptions

Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period. No partial refunds are issued for unused time within a billing period.

4.5 Restoration of Purchases

You can restore previous purchases by going to Settings → Subscription → Restore Purchases within the App. This uses Apple's StoreKit.

4.6 Apple's Standard EULA

Your use of the App is also subject to the Apple Media Services Terms and Conditions and Apple's Licensed Application End User License Agreement.

5. Family Cloud

Family Cloud is an optional, Premium-gated feature that mirrors your family's library, members, reading history, and goals to our cloud database (hosted on Cloudflare) so your family's devices can stay in sync. By enabling Family Cloud:

• You agree to keep your invite code confidential; only devices that join with the code can access the family data.
• You acknowledge that data is stored on our servers for as long as the family cloud exists.
• You can remove your device from the cloud at any time (Settings → Family Cloud → Remove), which stops syncing without deleting cloud data.

6. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

• Use the App to store or distribute content you do not have the right to store or distribute
• Attempt to access another family's cloud data or circumvent access controls
• Reverse engineer, decompile, or attempt to extract the source code of the App (except as permitted by applicable law)
• Use the App to violate any applicable law or regulation

7. AI Disclaimer

The App includes on-device AI features that generate responses about the books you read. These features are informational and experimental:

• AI output may be incomplete, inaccurate, or unsuitable for any particular purpose.
• Nothing generated by the AI constitutes professional, medical, legal, or financial advice.
• You are responsible for evaluating the accuracy of any AI-generated content.

8. Privacy

Your privacy matters. Please review our Privacy Policy, which explains what data the App stores, where it lives, and how you can control it. By using the App, you agree to the practices described in the Privacy Policy.

9. Intellectual Property

The App itself — including its design, code, and trademarks — is owned by GaoThink. The books and documents you import remain yours. Nothing in these Terms grants you rights to the BookNest name or branding beyond using the App.

10. Data Deletion

You can delete your data at any time:

• Sign Out erases all books, members, and reading history from this device and returns to onboarding. Your family's cloud data (if any) is preserved for other devices.
• Delete Account permanently deletes this device's data and, when you have permission as family creator or Apple-linked owner, your family's cloud data. This cannot be undone.

You may also request deletion of cloud data by contacting us at the address in Section 15.

11. Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, GaoThink is not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of the App. The App is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind, express or implied.

12. Termination

We may suspend or terminate access to the App (or any service within it) if you breach these Terms. You may stop using the App at any time. Deleting the App from your device does not terminate your subscription, which must be canceled through the App Store.

13. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. If we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date above and, where appropriate, notify you in the App. Continued use of the App after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

14. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the jurisdiction in which GaoThink is established, without regard to conflict-of-law principles. If any provision is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in effect.

15. Contact Us

Questions about these Terms: