EarCuePrivacy Policy
EarCue is built so that your speeches stay yours. Your recordings, notes and transcripts live on your device and are never sent to us. This policy explains what that means in detail, and the little information we do handle.
Who we are
The EarCue app and this website are provided by Jonathan Lin (“we”, “us”). If you have any question about privacy, our contact point is contact@earcue.com.
The short version
- Your recordings, notes and transcripts stay on your device. We never receive them. If you choose to turn on the optional iCloud Backup, copies are also stored in your own iCloud account, which only you can access.
- EarCue has no accounts, no ads and no analytics, advertising or tracking tools, and the app does not send your data to any third party.
- We only receive what you choose to send us, such as a message through our Contact or Support form.
- We do not sell your information.
What stays on your device
When you use the EarCue app, the following is created and stored only on your device:
- Recordings made with your microphone, and any audio you crop or combine.
- Notes, flags and cue-sound choices you add to a recording.
- Transcripts generated from your recordings.
- App settings, such as your preferred playback options.
The app asks for microphone access so it can record your speech. It uses the microphone only while you are recording. You can turn this permission off at any time in your device’s Settings, although you will not be able to record without it.
Transcription runs entirely on your device, using a speech-recognition model built into the app. Your audio is not uploaded to a server to be transcribed, and transcription works without an internet connection.
The app itself does not send your recordings, notes, transcripts or settings to us or to any other party, and it does not include third-party analytics, advertising or crash-reporting tools. The only exception is the optional iCloud Backup described below, which you control.
Optional iCloud Backup (iPhone)
On iPhone, you can turn on iCloud Backup in the app’s Settings. When it is on, EarCue copies your recordings, notes, transcripts, folders and custom sounds to EarCue’s private storage in your own iCloud account, so you can restore them on a new iPhone. The copies are stored and synced by Apple under your Apple Account and Apple’s privacy policy. We cannot see or access them, and they are not sent to us. Backup is off by default.
When backup is on, recordings you delete in the app are also removed from your iCloud copy. You can turn backup off at any time, and you can delete the backup from the app (Settings, then Delete iCloud backup) or from your device’s iCloud storage settings. Your iPhone may also include EarCue’s data in your regular iCloud device backups, as described under “Backups” below.
Purchases
Some features, such as cropping and combining audio, are part of EarCue Pro. Purchases are handled entirely by Apple’s App Store or Google Play, depending on your device. We do not see or store your payment details. The store tells the app whether Pro has been unlocked on your account so that it can enable those features, and you can restore a previous purchase through the store.
Information you send us
If you contact us through the Contact or Support form on our website, or by email, we receive the information you provide: your name, your email address, your message and, for support requests, the topic and optionally your device and software version. We use this only to respond to you, to understand and fix problems, and to improve EarCue. Messages sent through the website travel over an encrypted (HTTPS) connection and are delivered to our email inbox. We do not use them for advertising or share them with anyone other than the service providers listed below.
Website and hosting
Our website is hosted by Hostinger. Like most web servers, the hosting service automatically records basic technical information when you visit, such as your IP address, browser type and the pages requested. This is used to deliver the site, keep it secure and diagnose problems. Our website does not use advertising or tracking cookies and does not use third-party analytics.
Who we share information with
The app shares nothing with third parties. For our website and the messages you send us, we rely on a small number of service providers who process information on our behalf:
- Hostinger, which hosts our website and provides our email.
- Apple and Google, which process purchases made through their stores under their own privacy policies. If you turn on iCloud Backup, Apple also stores your backup copies in your iCloud account.
These providers handle information under their own terms and privacy policies, and we do not give any of them your recordings, notes or transcripts. We may also disclose information if required to by law or to protect our rights and users’ safety.
How long we keep information
- In the app: your recordings, notes, transcripts and settings stay on your device until you delete them or uninstall the app.
- iCloud Backup: if you turn it on, copies stay in your iCloud account until you delete the recording in the app, delete the backup, or remove EarCue’s data from your iCloud storage settings.
- Messages you send us: we keep them only as long as needed to respond and follow up, and generally delete them within 24 months.
- Website server logs: these are kept by our hosting provider according to its own retention schedule.
- Deletion requests: if you ask us to delete information we hold about you, we will do so within 30 days, except where the law requires us to keep it.
What we don’t do
- We do not sell or rent your information.
- We do not show advertising or share information with advertisers.
- We do not build profiles about you or track you across other apps and websites.
- We do not listen to, review or have access to your recordings, including any iCloud backup.
Backups
Separately from EarCue’s own iCloud Backup, your device may include EarCue’s data in its regular device backups, for example iCloud or Google backups, depending on your device settings. Those backups are controlled by you and your device provider, not by us.
Your choices and rights
- Delete your data: delete any recording, with its notes and transcript, inside the app. Uninstalling the app removes all of its data from your device.
- Your messages to us: email us to ask what we hold about you, to correct it, to have it deleted, or to withdraw your consent to us using it. We respond within 30 days.
- Permissions: change or withdraw microphone access at any time in your device’s Settings.
Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights over your personal information, such as access, correction, deletion, portability or objection. If you are in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, you may also complain to your local data protection authority. California residents have the right to know, delete and correct their personal information, and we do not sell or “share” personal information as those terms are defined by California law. We will honor valid requests; just contact us using the details below.
International transfers
Our hosting and email providers may store and process the messages you send us in countries other than your own. By sending us a message, you understand that it may be transferred and processed there.
Recording other people
Laws about recording speech differ by place. If you record other people, you are responsible for getting any permission the law requires.
Children
EarCue is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child has sent us information, please contact us and we will delete it.
Security
Because your recordings stay on your device, their security depends largely on your device’s own protections, such as a passcode and up-to-date software. For the limited information we receive through our forms, we use reasonable measures to protect it, including encrypted HTTPS connections and access limited to the people who answer your messages, but no method of transmission or storage is completely secure.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we will change the effective date at the top of this page. If a change is significant, we will make that clear in the app or on our website.
Contact us
Questions about this policy or your information? Email contact@earcue.com or use our contact form.