Verbara is a podcast player for iOS that connects to your own media server (Plex or Audiobookshelf) and to public podcast feeds you choose to follow. In short: Verbara does not collect, transmit, or sell any of your personal data. There is no Verbara account, no analytics, and no third-party tracking.
Who we are
Verbara (“the app”, “we”) is an independent iOS application. The developer can be reached at the support address at the end of this policy.
What data Verbara handles
Verbara is a client for your own media server and the podcast feeds you follow. All of your media and listening data lives on your server and on your device - never on any server operated by us (we operate no servers).
Authentication tokens. When you sign in to a Plex or Audiobookshelf server, Verbara obtains an access token via that server’s standard sign-in flow. Tokens are stored only in the iOS Keychain on your device, never written to logs or files, and never sent anywhere except directly to that server (and, for Plex, plex.tv) to authenticate your requests.
Server connection details. The address of your server, and the URLs of any public podcast feeds you follow, are stored on your device so the app can reconnect. These point to your own server and the feeds you chose.
Your library, playback, and preferences. Podcast/episode metadata, playback positions, played status, saved items, listening statistics, downloads, and settings are stored locally on your device and synced only with your own server (for playback progress and played status). None of this is sent to us.
Downloaded audio. Episodes you download are stored in the app’s private storage on your device and deleted when you remove them or sign out.
iCloud sync (optional). If you enable iCloud sync, some of your playback data and preferences - playback positions, played status, saved items, and app settings - are synced through your own private iCloud account (Apple’s iCloud Key-Value Store and a private CloudKit database) so they’re consistent across your devices. This data stays in your personal iCloud; we have no access to it and it is never sent to us. Your use of iCloud is governed by Apple’s privacy policy. Sync is off unless you turn it on.
Diagnostic logs (on-device only). The app keeps a small rolling diagnostic log on your device to help troubleshoot problems, with your Plex token automatically redacted. It stays on your device unless you choose to attach it to a support email via “Report an Issue”.
What Verbara does NOT do
We do not collect or receive any of your data - we run no servers and have no backend.
We do not use analytics, advertising, or tracking SDKs.
We do not track you across apps or websites.
We do not sell or share any data with third parties.
Network connections
Verbara communicates only with:
Plex (plex.tv) - only if you sign in to Plex, for sign-in and discovering your servers, per Plex’s own privacy policy.
Your own server (Plex or Audiobookshelf) - to browse, stream, download, and sync playback.
Podcast feeds you follow - if you follow a public podcast, the app fetches its RSS feed and media (cover art and audio) directly from whatever host the feed specifies. Only the feeds you add are contacted.
Public podcast directories (Apple’s iTunes Search and the Podcast Index) - only when you use Discover: your search text (a podcast name, or a person’s name) is sent to these public directories to return results, and Discover’s chart / trending rows are fetched from them, with no account or identifier attached.
Wikipedia - when you open a host or guest in the People section, to show their photo if the podcast feed doesn’t include one. Only the person’s public name is sent, with no account or identifier.
Apple iCloud - only if you enable iCloud sync, and only with your own private iCloud account. We operate nothing here and receive none of this data.
Local Network - to find and connect to your server on your home network.
Data retention and deletion
Signing out wipes all local app data - downloads, cached metadata, playback positions, played status, saved items, statistics, and preferences. Deleting the app removes everything. Because Verbara has no account and stores nothing on our side, there is nothing for us to delete or for you to request.
Children’s privacy
Verbara does not knowingly collect any data from anyone, including children.
Changes to this policy
If this policy changes, the updated version will be posted here with a revised “Last updated” date.