Where to get the app
Install BooksOn HSN only from an official store:
| Store | Link | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| Google Play | play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=in.bookson.hsn | Through Google Play |
| Samsung Galaxy Store | galaxystore.samsung.com/detail/in.bookson.hsn | Through Galaxy Store |
The package name is always in.bookson.hsn and the publisher is ARISHIMETO Technologies Private Limited. Copies from other websites may be modified: the app checks its own signature and dataset, and a copy that fails shows an "unofficial" warning and stops uploading data and installing updates.
System requirements
- Android 7.0 (API level 24) or later; built for Android 16 (target API level 36).
- Phones, tablets, foldables and Chromebooks, in portrait and landscape.
- English, हिन्दी (Hindi) and தமிழ் (Tamil).
- The full rate dataset (about 14 MB) is part of the download, so the app works offline from the first launch.
App updates
New versions of the app are published to Google Play and Galaxy Store at the same time and reach you through the store you installed from. Keep automatic updates on in the store app to get fixes and new features promptly. The installed version is shown in the app under About.
A new app version always carries the newest dataset. If the dataset built into an update is newer than the one on your phone, the app switches to it automatically on the next launch.
Dataset updates (new GST notifications)
When CBIC issues a rate notification, we add it to the dataset and publish a new dataset release. Today new releases reach you with app updates from Google Play and Galaxy Store. The app is also built to install signed dataset releases between app updates; that online update service is being switched on. Until it is, the update check simply reports that it could not connect, and the app keeps working with its built-in dataset. Once it is live:
- Automatically: once a day, only on Wi-Fi (unmetered) and when the battery is not low. The first check runs about two hours after installation.
- On demand: About → Check for updates now (uses any connection).
- Small downloads: where possible the app downloads only the changes since your version; otherwise the full file.
- Signed and checked: every release is signed with our private key (ECDSA P-256) and carries a SHA-256 checksum. The app installs a release only if the signature, checksum, size and version all match; anything else is discarded, and a rejected release is not downloaded again.
- Safe to interrupt: a release replaces the old one only after it has been fully downloaded and verified, so an interrupted download never leaves you with a broken dataset.
The dataset version, its publication date and the latest notification included are shown on the home screen, on every rate card and in About.
Permissions
The app asks you for no runtime permissions. It declares only these normal permissions, which Android grants at install:
| Permission | Why |
|---|---|
| Internet access | Dataset updates; sending feedback, profile or sign-up details you choose to send; anonymous usage statistics (can be switched off). |
| View network connections | Run the automatic dataset check only on Wi-Fi. |
| Run at startup, prevent phone from sleeping, run foreground service | Added by Android's WorkManager library to keep the daily dataset check and pending uploads scheduled across restarts. |
| Google Play install referrer | Read once on Google Play installs to see which campaign the install came from. |
The app does not access contacts, files, photos, camera, microphone, location, SMS or call logs, and it shows no notifications.
Google Play
| Requirement | BooksOn HSN |
|---|---|
| Target API level | Targets Android 16 (API 36), the level Google Play requires for new apps and updates from 31 August 2026. |
| Privacy policy | www.bookson.co.in/privacy, also linked in the app (About → Your data). |
| Data safety | Declared: app interactions, crash logs and diagnostics, app-instance ID and approximate location (Google Firebase, optional, can be switched off); name, email, phone and profile details only if the user submits them. Encrypted in transit. No data sold or shared for advertising. |
| Data deletion | In the app (About → Your data → Delete my data) and on the web: www.bookson.co.in/delete-data. The app has no user accounts. |
| Ads and purchases | No ads, no advertising ID, no in-app purchases, no subscriptions. |
| Target audience | Adults (18 and over); not designed for children. |
| Financial features | None: a reference and calculator app with no payments, loans or financial products. |
| Government information | Not a government app. The store listing and this website name the CBIC sources and state that the app is not affiliated with the Government; see Sources & disclaimer. |
| App signing | Uses Play App Signing; the signing key is enrolled with the first upload to Google Play. |
| Device compatibility | Native libraries support 16 KB memory pages; edge-to-edge display and predictive back gestures; resizable for large screens. |
Samsung Galaxy Store
- The same app (package
in.bookson.hsn), content and policies as on Google Play; updates are delivered through Galaxy Store. - The in-app "Rate" button opens the Galaxy Store listing on Galaxy Store installs; Google Play features (install referrer, in-app review) are not used there.
- The privacy policy is linked in the app and on the store listing; the age rating follows the Galaxy Store questionnaire for an adult business app.
Release notes
Version 1.0.0 — 28 September 2026
- First release: HSN/SAC search by code, words or both (with Hindi and Tamil terms), rate as on any date since 1 July 2017, rate cards citing the CBIC notification entry, chapter-wise browse, bookmarks and recent codes.
- Calculators: GST amount (inclusive/exclusive, intra/inter-state, cess) and late fee & interest for GSTR-1, GSTR-3B, GSTR-4, GSTR-9 and GSTR-9C.
- New BooksOn design with light, dark and "follow system" themes; English, Hindi and Tamil.
- Dataset version 3 (published 28 September 2026).