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Synopsule Privacy Policy

Synopsule is a Mac and iPhone app that records, transcribes, and (optionally) summarizes conversations on your device. This policy explains what data the app handles, where it goes, and the choices you have.

TL;DR

• Audio never leaves your device. Recordings are stored locally on your Mac or iPhone; raw audio is never uploaded.
• Transcripts stay on your device by default. Transcription happens fully on-device.
• AI summaries are optional and opt-in. They are the only path where any of your content (transcript text) leaves your device, and only with your explicit consent. Audio is never sent.
• Anonymous product analytics, easy to turn off. We send anonymous usage events (e.g. "a recording was started", "the export sheet was opened") to help improve the app. No transcript text, no audio, no account, and no advertising identifiers — and you can disable it any time in Settings → Privacy → Share anonymous analytics.

What we collect

Synopsule itself does not collect, store, or transmit personal data to its developer. Specifically:

• Microphone audio (and, on a Mac, that Mac's system audio) captured during a recording are processed locally on your device. The raw audio is held on your device for the duration of the recording and is deleted after finalization by default. Audio is never uploaded.
• Transcripts and recording metadata (titles, speakers, timestamps, your local notes) are stored in the app's local storage on your device. They remain on your device and are not transmitted to us.
• Settings and preferences (selected model, source toggles, AI provider choice, consent acknowledgements) are stored in the app's local preferences on your device.
• API keys (if you bring your own LLM key) are stored in your device's Keychain. We never see them.

Anonymous product analytics

Unless you opt out, Synopsule sends anonymous usage events to Mixpanel (mixpanel.com) so we can understand which features are used, where users get stuck during setup, and which errors are most common. We use this data to prioritize improvements.

What is sent:

• Event names like app_launched, recording_started, recording_stopped, summarize_completed, purchase_completed, export_failed, and similar product-interaction events.
• Coarse metadata about those events: app version, OS version (macOS or iOS), plan type (free vs Pro), recording duration, error category, export format, and similar non-identifying signals.
• A randomly-generated device identifier ("distinct ID") that Mixpanel assigns automatically.

What is NOT sent:

• Audio, ever.
• Transcript text or summaries.
• File names, paths, or session titles.
• Your name, email, IP-level account, advertising identifier, or any contact information.
• API keys.
• The text of any search query you type.

The data is not linked to your identity, not used for tracking across apps or sites, and not shared with advertisers. It is used only by us to improve Synopsule.

Turning it off: Open Settings → Privacy → Share anonymous analytics and switch it off. Synopsule stops sending events immediately and clears any queued ones. You can turn it back on at any time.

When data leaves your device

The only time any of your content leaves your device is if you choose to generate an AI summary. In that case, only the transcript text required for the summary is sent — never the audio.

You can use AI summaries in one of two ways:

Bring your own key (BYO)

If you configure your own LLM API key, your transcript text is sent directly to the provider you select, not through Synopsule:

• OpenAI — transcript text is sent to api.openai.com.
• Anthropic — transcript text is sent to api.anthropic.com.
• Google Gemini — transcript text is sent to generativelanguage.googleapis.com.
• LiteLLM-compatible gateway — transcript text is sent to the base URL you configure.

These requests use your API key and are subject to that provider's privacy policy. We never see them.

Synopsule subscription

If you subscribe via the App Store, transcript text is sent to the Synopsule API Worker (hosted on Cloudflare), which validates your App Store subscription receipt and forwards the request to OpenAI to generate the summary. We do not store the transcript text after the request completes.

Before the first off-device summary on either path, Synopsule asks for your explicit permission and names the destination provider. You can revoke this permission at any time in Settings → Intelligence → Reset AI consent, and you can stop using AI summaries entirely by simply not pressing "Summarize" — your recordings and transcripts continue to work fully offline.

Subscriptions and payments

Subscriptions are sold through the Apple App Store. Apple processes payments — we never see your payment information. To validate active subscriptions, Synopsule sends the App Store-signed transaction (a JWS token, not any personal data) to the Synopsule API Worker, which verifies it with Apple's servers.

Permissions

• Microphone access is requested so the app can capture your voice and in-room speakers. Audio capture happens entirely on your device.
• Audio recording access (macOS only) is requested so the app can capture this Mac's system audio for remote meeting participants. The iPhone app records from the microphone only and does not capture system audio.

You can change or revoke these permissions any time in Settings → Privacy & Security on iPhone, or System Settings → Privacy & Security on Mac.

Recording other people

When you capture this Mac's system audio during a meeting, you are recording the other participants on the call. You are responsible for obtaining their consent as required by the laws and norms of your jurisdiction. Synopsule will remind you of this when you first enable system audio.

Children

Synopsule is not directed to children under 13 and does not knowingly collect data from children.

Data retention and deletion

• Recordings and transcripts live on your device. You can delete them at any time in the app's Library — and on Mac you can also remove the app's Application Support folder.
• Uninstalling the app removes its data from your device.

Security

• Audio and transcripts are stored in your device's user-protected app directories.
• API keys are stored in the device Keychain with at-rest encryption and per-item access control.
• All network calls use HTTPS.

Third parties

Synopsule only contacts third parties in the specific cases above:

We only share data with these third parties to provide the functionality you request, and we require that any third party with whom we share data provides the same or equal protection of your data as stated in this policy. We do not sell your data, and we do not share it with data brokers.

Changes to this policy

If we change this policy in a way that affects how your data is handled, we will update the Effective date above and surface the change in the app on next launch.

Contact

Questions or requests? Email [email protected].