BastionContact the developer
For app support, feedback, content concerns or privacy questions, contact John Harms. If you don’t use a mail app on this device, copy the address into your email service.
Please don’t send passwords, payment details or your entire library backup. This inbox is for app support and isn’t an emergency service.
Reporting a problem
Include your device model, iOS or Android version, Bastion version, and what you were trying to do. For a download problem, include the category name and exact error. A screenshot can help; remove anything private first.
Downloads may offer Show error details and Share error details. Sharing is optional. Review the details before attaching them to an email.
Common questions
What works without an internet connection?
The included library can be installed from the app’s bundled files. Once a category is installed, its PDFs and Smart search work on your device without a connection. Internet access is needed to fetch optional categories, check the online catalogue, open this website or send support email. Download and open what you need before leaving coverage.
Why doesn’t Smart search find a subject?
Smart search looks only inside installed categories. Discover lists all 93 categories and can search their descriptions, which helps you decide what to download. A passage may also be missed if text recognition is incomplete. Open the source PDF and use its contents or page navigation when needed.
How do download packs work?
Packs group categories for convenience. Review the members and storage estimate, then queue the missing categories. Each category becomes usable when its own installation finishes. There is no separate pack purchase.
Why did my download pause when I left the app?
Downloads run while Bastion is in the foreground. Leaving the app or locking the phone pauses them. Returning normally resumes automatically paused work; jobs you paused yourself stay paused. After restarting the app, open Downloads and resume interrupted jobs.
A download failed or says the server is busy. What should I do?
Open Downloads and read the error. If a retry countdown appears, let it finish. Keep Bastion open and your connection stable. Completed download chunks are kept for retry. If the problem repeats, send the category name and optional error details so the failed request can be investigated.
How much storage will I need?
Each category shows download and installed sizes. Downloads also need temporary working space, so keep additional space free. The shared search model is about 639 MB; Android prepares another copy when search first runs. Installing all categories uses about 32.4 GB for the categories alone, plus the app, model and temporary download space. You can download individual categories instead of the full library.
Will removing a category delete my bookmarks?
Category removal deletes its downloaded content. Bookmarks, collections and saved reading places are personal data and are kept separately. Reinstall the same category edition to use saved locations again. An updated edition can change page locations.
How do I back up my bookmarks and collections?
In Settings, open Your data & backups and export a personal backup. Choose where to save it using your device’s share sheet. It includes bookmarks, notes, collections and saved reading positions, not downloaded books, starred categories or search questions. The JSON file is readable text, so keep it somewhere you trust. Import it in Bastion on the destination device.
Are more purchases needed for categories?
The planned release is one paid app purchase with all 93 categories included. Optional downloads control storage use; they don’t unlock separate purchases. Apple and Google purchases are separate. An app-store purchase on one platform does not transfer to the other.
Is the library an emergency service or current professional advice?
No. These are reference books from different publication years. Some instructions, standards or terminology may be outdated. Search retrieves source passages and does not verify their accuracy. Read the full context and use current professional guidance for decisions that affect health or safety.
For information about local reading data, downloads and support email, see the privacy policy.