Privacy Policy
Effective Date: May 11, 2026
Podling is an Android app for listening to audiobooks and podcasts from your self-hosted AudioBookShelf (ABS) server. This policy covers what the app collects, where it goes, and what you can do about it.
Data you provide
Section titled “Data you provide”When you set up Podling, you enter your ABS server address, a display name for that server, and your ABS username and password. Your password goes to your server once to authenticate and is not stored. Your username, server address, display name, and the auth token your server returns are saved locally on your device so you stay logged in.
Podling has no account system. There is no signup, no email collection, and no social login. Authentication happens directly between your device and your ABS server.
Data collected automatically
Section titled “Data collected automatically”Device information. Podling generates a random device ID, stored locally, and reads your device manufacturer, model, and Android version. This is sent to your ABS server as part of playback session data so you can tell your listening sessions apart across devices.
Playback and library data. Your listening progress, playback sessions, and bookmarks are tracked locally and synced to your ABS server. Search queries stay on your device. Downloaded audio files are stored locally, and your server is not told what you’ve downloaded.
Crash reports. If the app crashes or hits an unexpected error in a production build, a crash report is sent to a third-party error monitoring service. The report includes the stack trace, your device manufacturer, model and Android version, your IP address, and a small amount of context about what was happening (for example, the item ID involved in a failed download). No screenshots or session recordings are captured.
Anonymous usage data. In production builds, the app sends anonymous product analytics to a third-party analytics service. This is limited to standard session data and device properties. No custom events are sent about your library, your searches, or what you listen to. Your IP address is included as part of normal event ingestion.
Both crash reports and anonymous usage data can be turned off. See Your choices below.
Where data goes
Section titled “Where data goes”- Your AudioBookShelf server. Your credentials, playback progress, sessions, bookmarks, and device info go to the ABS server you configure. You self-host that server, so the data on it is yours to manage.
- A third-party error monitoring service. Receives crash reports and error context, when crash reports are enabled.
- A third-party analytics service. Receives anonymous usage data and device properties, when analytics are enabled.
Podling does not use ad networks, payment processors, social login providers, Firebase, or Google Analytics.
Data storage and security
Section titled “Data storage and security”App data — server credentials, library cache, progress, bookmarks, sessions, and downloads — lives on your device in app-private storage that other apps cannot read. Synced data lives on your ABS server under your control. Crash reports and analytics are stored on US-based infrastructure operated by the third-party services above.
Network traffic uses HTTPS in transit.
Permissions
Section titled “Permissions”Podling asks for these Android permissions and nothing else:
- Internet — to talk to your ABS server, and to send crash reports and analytics when those are enabled
- Foreground service (media playback) — to keep audio playing when the app is in the background
- Foreground service (data sync) — to sync your progress in the background
- Notifications — to show playback controls and sync status
No access to your camera, microphone, location, contacts, or files.
Children’s privacy
Section titled “Children’s privacy”Podling does not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. The app connects to user-managed servers, and what is available in the app depends on what is hosted on those servers. If you believe a child has provided personal information through the app, contact us and we will remove it.
Your choices
Section titled “Your choices”- Delete local data. Uninstalling Podling removes everything stored locally, including credentials, progress, and downloads.
- Manage server data. Data synced to your ABS server is managed on the server itself.
- Share anonymous usage data and crash reports. A single toggle in the app controls both. You see it during sign-in when you first set up Podling, and you can change it any time from the Privacy section of the settings page. When it’s off, no crash reports or analytics are sent.
- Request data deletion. See the data deletion page for how to request deletion of anything already collected.
Changes to this policy
Section titled “Changes to this policy”If this policy changes, the updated version goes up at podl.ing/privacy with a new effective date.
Contact
Section titled “Contact”Questions about this policy: contact@podl.ing. For data requests specifically: privacy@podl.ing.