Privacy Policy
Last updated: October 4, 2026
SOAP Bible Study ("the app") is created by Jacob Sanders ("the developer"). The app supports private Bible study without advertising, tracking, third-party analytics SDKs, or an account system. Online Scripture providers may collect and analyze connection and usage information as described below.
Information the app stores
SOAP studies can contain Scripture references and text, observations, applications, prayers, tags, dates, reading-plan progress, memorization review dates, and preferences. This information is stored on your device.
Unfinished studies and edits can be kept as protected, device-local drafts. Drafts are separate from saved studies and are not added to CloudKit, Spotlight, widgets, statistics, or journal exports.
If you use iCloud, Apple may also sync this information through the app's private CloudKit database so it is available on your other devices. Private CloudKit records are associated with your iCloud account and are not visible to the developer through the CloudKit developer console. Apple's handling of iCloud data is governed by Apple's privacy policy.
Scripture lookup
The bundled King James Version can be read without sending a lookup request. When you request an online translation, the app sends the Scripture reference, requested translation, and an app-wide API key to the relevant provider: the New International Version through YouVersion, Inc., or the New Living Translation through Tyndale House Publishers.
The app does not include your notes, name, email address, or advertising identifier in these requests. Like any internet service, the provider receives standard connection information such as an IP address. Providers' policies describe collection and retention of connection and usage information. See the YouVersion Privacy Policy and Tyndale Privacy Policy. The developer does not receive provider request logs.
These provider policies describe using connection and usage information to operate, troubleshoot, and analyze their services. YouVersion also describes deriving an approximate location from an IP address for diagnostics and regional usage analysis, without associating that derived location with identifying information. SOAP does not request your device's location permission or send GPS coordinates. The store's provider-data disclosures do not mean your journal notes, prayers, or biometric information are sent to these providers.
On-device intelligence and search
Tag suggestions, meaning-based journal search, offline KJV Scripture search, reading insights, and memorization scheduling run on your device. Journal text and offline search queries are not sent to an AI service for these features.
If you explicitly enable Spotlight indexing, the app adds a study's Scripture reference to a protected on-device search index. Journal, prayer, and Scripture text are not placed in the Spotlight item. Disabling the option or deleting a study removes the corresponding search item.
Device security, widgets, and exports
If you enable the journal lock, authentication is performed by iOS using Face ID, Touch ID, or your device passcode. The app receives only the success or failure result and does not receive or store biometric information.
Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets use a small shared snapshot containing counts, streak and reading-plan progress, and update dates. The snapshot does not contain journal notes, Scripture text, or prayer text.
You can create a restorable backup and readable Markdown and PDF exports. These files contain the journal information you chose to export. They remain under your control and are sent elsewhere only when you select a destination in the iOS share sheet.
Notifications
If you enable reminders, they are scheduled locally by iOS. Timing and navigation may reflect your reading weekdays, unfinished drafts, due memorization reviews, and daily study goal. Notification text is generic and does not contain journal notes, prayer text, or custom plan titles. The app may also receive silent iCloud notifications so private CloudKit changes can sync in the background. The developer does not operate a notification server and does not receive reminder activity.
Information the developer collects
The developer does not collect, sell, rent, or use your journal content or app activity for advertising. The app contains no third-party analytics or tracking SDKs.
Your choices and deletion
You can delete individual studies or use the deletion controls in Settings. Delete From iCloud & Device first verifies the app's private journal storage and requests deletion of its journal zones, including records not downloaded to this device. It then clears local studies, plan history, and drafts. The app reports when cloud deletion or local cleanup cannot be confirmed; other devices may take time to receive changes.
Delete Downloaded Data removes only data currently available on this device, including drafts, and saves deletions of downloaded synced records. It cannot guarantee removal of records that have not downloaded; those records may return. You can also manage the app's synced data through iCloud settings. Exported copies remain under your control. Notifications, widgets, Spotlight indexing, privacy shielding, and the journal lock are controlled in Settings.
Children's privacy
The app does not knowingly collect personal information from children or any other users.
Changes to this policy
Material changes will be reflected here with a new revision date.
Contact
Questions about privacy can be sent to jacob.sanders@icloud.com.