Computer Reads Pretty privacy.

Our approach

Robert Wierzbicki makes small, focused software. The app is designed to keep its work on your Mac and to collect as little information as possible. This policy applies to the Computer Reads Pretty app, its Safari extension, and this website.

Information the app collects

Computer Reads Pretty does not require an account and does not collect, sell, or share personal information from inside the app. It does not use advertising identifiers, third-party analytics, telemetry, or tracking pixels. The few things it sends over the internet are listed under “When the app connects to the internet” below.

Text the app reads

You choose what the app reads: text you type or paste, the clipboard, text you select in another app, text recognized from part of your screen, an article you send from Safari, or a web page you ask it to open. The voices are built into the app, and all speech is made on your Mac. The text is not sent to us or to any speech or AI service.

When you read text selected in another app and that app does not share its selection directly, Computer Reads Pretty briefly copies the selection to the clipboard, then puts your previous clipboard contents back.

Text recognized from your screen is read from a screenshot taken on your Mac when you ask for it. The screenshot is not saved.

Permissions

macOS asks for your permission the first time you use a feature that needs it. Accessibility lets the app read selected text in other apps. Screen Recording lets it recognize text on your screen. Book reading can also send page-turn key presses to the app you are reading in. You can turn these off at any time in System Settings → Privacy & Security.

What the app stores on your Mac

The app keeps your settings, your license, and your Playlist (the text you have read, so you can play it again) on your Mac. None of it is sent to us. You can delete Playlist items at any time.

When the app connects to the internet

Computer Reads Pretty connects to the internet only in these cases:

• License checks. When you activate a license, and occasionally afterward, the app checks it with Polar, the service that issues licenses. It sends your license key, your Mac model, and the app version, never your name, email address, or any text you read. If you use the app without a license, it does not contact Polar.
• Update checks. The app checks downloads.appsbyrobert.com for new versions. Like any web request, this shares your IP address and the app version. You can turn off automatic checks in Settings, and updates install only when you choose.
• Reading a web page by address. When you ask the app to read a web page, it loads that page in a private session that keeps no cookies or history afterward. The website, and any other services the page loads, receive the request the same way they would from a web browser. The article text is then read on your Mac.
• Links you click. Links such as Buy License or Support open in your web browser.

The app does not include crash reporting, analytics, or advertising code.

Safari extension

The Safari extension works only when you click it. It reads the article on the current page and passes the title, address, and text to Computer Reads Pretty on your Mac. It does not read your browsing history, does not run on pages you have not clicked it on, and does not connect to the internet itself.

Support diagnostics

Support Capture is off unless you turn it on in Settings. It saves your recent reads to a file only if you choose Save Support Package, and that file reaches us only if you choose to email it.

The optional playback recorder under Experiments is also off unless you turn it on. It records how playback performs, not the text you read, and stays on your Mac unless you choose to export it.

Purchases

Computer Reads Pretty licenses are sold through a checkout provided by Polar. Polar collects the details needed to complete your purchase, such as your email address and payment information, under its own privacy policy. We receive order details from Polar, such as your email address and license key, and use them to provide your license and support.

When you follow a link on this website to buy Computer Reads Pretty, the checkout link may include the name of the website or campaign that brought you to this site, such as google.com or chatgpt.com. Polar saves it with the checkout so we can see which sources lead to purchases. Until then, this information is kept only in your current browser tab and is not stored in a cookie.

Downloads and updates

The app and its updates are downloaded from downloads.appsbyrobert.com, which is hosted by Cloudflare. Cloudflare may keep ordinary request logs, such as an IP address, browser type, or request time. We use download counts to see how many people download the app.

Support messages

If you email us, we receive the email address and contents of your message. We use that information only to respond to and address your message, and to keep a reasonable record of our correspondence.

This website

This website is a lightweight static site. It does not set cookies or show advertising. Our host, Cloudflare Pages or its underlying infrastructure may create ordinary server logs, such as an IP address, browser type, or request time, for security and reliability.

We use Cloudflare Web Analytics to count page visits and to see which websites send visitors here. Cloudflare states that it does not use cookies or fingerprinting to track individual visitors. We see only totals, such as the number of visits to a page or from a referring website.

Children's privacy

Our app and website are not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

Changes to this policy

If our data practices change, we will update this page and its revision date. The current version will always be available at this URL.

Contact

Questions about this policy can be sent to [email protected].