OnceUponaBookshelf
You stay in control
See exactly what's shared. Change your mind whenever you like.
The short version. OnceUponaBookshelf has no user accounts and no tracking. Most stories are written entirely on-device, so your child's details never leave the phone. On devices that need cloud fallback, we ask your permission first and keep nothing afterwards. Everything you save stays on your device.
Privacy by design, not as an afterthought
🔒 On-device by default
Story generation runs on your iPhone using Apple's on-device Foundation Models. Your child's name, age, interests and story idea don't need to leave the device.
🙅 No accounts, no sign-up
There's nothing to register and no password to create. A child's profile lives locally on the device, not on a server tied to an identity.
📵 No advertising, no analytics, no tracking
OnceUponaBookshelf doesn't build a profile of you or your child, and doesn't sell or share data for marketing. There is nothing here to opt out of.
🔄 Cloud fallback only with permission
If your device can't run the on-device model, the app asks before sending a story request to Claude Haiku, and nothing is retained once the story comes back.
🎙️ Narration, once, then yours
Story text is sent to ElevenLabs to generate the narration audio. Once it comes back, the audio is saved to your device and every replay happens locally — nothing is narrated twice.
🗑️ Delete anything, any time
Remove a child's profile, or every story and audio file that belongs to them, from Settings — or erase everything by deleting the app.
Where cloud services are used
Two things can involve a server: writing a story when on-device generation isn't available on your device, and syncing a shelf across your own devices if you turn on iCloud sync. Both are optional, and both are explained and asked for before anything happens.
For the full detail — exactly what's collected, who it's shared with, and how long anything is kept — read the complete privacy policy.
Bedtime stories, kept between you and your child
Free to try. A subscription unlocks unlimited stories.