Privacy Policy
What Transcribbler does with your data.
Short version: your recordings and transcripts stay on your Mac. I never receive them, and there is no server for them to go to. The only personal data I hold is an email address, if you gave me one for launch news.
Last updated: 29 July 2026
Who this is. Transcribbler is made by Madilyn Thomas, an independent developer working alone. For anything privacy-related, including a request to delete your data, email [email protected] and it comes straight to me.
1. The app
What stays on your Mac
Recordings, transcripts, speaker voice profiles, your custom dictionary, notes, tags, templates and settings are stored in Transcribbler's own folder on your Mac. They are not uploaded anywhere. There is no account and no sign-in, so there is nothing linking your library to an identity in the first place.
Transcription, speaker separation and search all run on your machine using on-device models. Deleting a conversation in the app deletes it from your Mac.
There is no analytics or telemetry
Transcribbler contains no analytics SDK, no crash reporter of mine, no usage tracking and no advertising identifiers. I do not know how many transcripts you make, how long they are, or what is in them.
One exception worth naming plainly: if you use the TestFlight beta, Apple collects crash reports and basic usage information from beta builds and shows them to me. That is Apple's mechanism, not mine, and it is covered by Apple's privacy policy. Crash reports can include technical details about your Mac and what the app was doing when it stopped. They do not include your recordings or transcripts.
When the app does use the network
Everything below is either something you start, or a one-off download. Nothing here sends your audio anywhere.
| What | When | What is sent |
|---|---|---|
| Downloading a speech model | The first time you choose an engine that isn't already on your Mac | An ordinary file download from the model host. Nothing about you or your recordings is sent. |
| Optional AI features (Summary, Ask, Discover) |
Off by default. Only after you switch them on and add your own API key, and only when you ask for them. | Transcript text — or, for Discover, just your search query — goes to the provider you chose (Anthropic or OpenAI). Your audio is never sent. Terms you have redacted are left out. |
| Optional translation | Only if you add a DeepL key and ask for a translation | The transcript text you chose to translate, sent to DeepL. |
| Buying and unlocking | If you purchase | Handled entirely by Apple (Mac App Store) or Polar (direct purchases). They are the merchant; I never see or store your card details. |
| Checking for updates | Only in the version downloaded from this website, not the Mac App Store version | The app asks transcribblerapp.com for a small version file. Like any web request, that means my host briefly sees your IP address and the app version. Nothing else is sent, and you can turn automatic checks off. |
Your API keys are stored in the macOS Keychain on your Mac. They are never sent to me.
When you use an AI feature, that provider's own policies apply to the text you send. Their current terms are worth reading if it matters to you: Anthropic, OpenAI, DeepL.
Recording other people
If you record a conversation, you are the one deciding to collect someone else's voice, and you are responsible for that under the law where you are. Transcribbler can show a consent reminder based on the state you set, but that is a convenience and not legal advice. See the terms.
2. This website
The waitlist form
If you enter your email address to hear about launch, the form stores exactly three things:
- Your email address — so I can send that one email.
- Which form you used — a short label like "hero" or "footer", so I know which part of the page works.
- Your browser's user-agent string — the standard text your browser sends identifying itself, kept as a basic guard against automated spam signups.
That's it. No name, no IP address stored, no profile built. It lives in a Cloudflare D1 database that only I can reach.
What I do with it: send you one email when Transcribbler is available. There is no newsletter and no drip campaign. If you would rather I didn't hold it at all, email me and I'll delete it — no explanation needed.
How long: until I've sent that launch email, plus a short period in case it bounced. Then it's deleted. Sooner if you ask.
Legal basis (if you're in the UK or EU): your consent, which you gave by submitting the form and can withdraw any time by emailing me.
No cookies, no tracking
This site sets no cookies, runs no analytics, and loads no third-party scripts, fonts, pixels or embeds. That's why there is no cookie banner — there is nothing to consent to.
The site is hosted on Cloudflare Pages. Like any web host, Cloudflare processes the request needed to send you the page and keeps short-lived operational logs for security and abuse prevention. That is Cloudflare acting as my infrastructure provider.
3. Your rights
Wherever you live, you can email me to ask what I hold about you, correct it, or have it deleted, and I'll do it. Since the only thing I'm likely to hold is an email address, that is usually a one-line answer and a deleted row.
If you're in the UK or EU, the GDPR gives you rights of access, rectification, erasure, restriction, objection, portability and withdrawal of consent, and a right to complain to your data protection authority. If you're in California, the CCPA/CPRA gives you rights to know, delete, correct and opt out of sale — and I do not sell or share personal information, and never have.
4. Children
Transcribbler isn't designed for or directed at children, and I don't knowingly collect data from anyone under 16. If you believe a child has submitted their email here, tell me and I'll remove it.
5. Changes to this policy
If I change how any of this works, I'll update this page and change the date at the top. If a change is significant and I hold your email address, I'll tell you directly rather than quietly editing the page.
6. Contact
[email protected] — it's one person's inbox, so please be patient, but it does get read.