Privacy Policy
Last updated: December 13, 2025
Vocado is a macOS dictation application provided by Vision Forge Studios ("we", "us", "our"). This Privacy Policy explains how we handle your information when you use Vocado.
1. Information We Collect
Device Identifier
When you first launch Vocado, a random unique identifier (UUID) is generated and stored in your macOS Keychain. This identifier is used solely for license validation and rate limiting. It is not linked to your name, email, Apple ID, or any personal information.
Audio Data
When you use Vocado to transcribe speech, your audio is temporarily sent to our transcription service provider (see Third-Party Services below). Audio is processed and immediately deleted by the provider—it is not stored on any server. If you enable local audio storage in Settings, recordings are saved only on your Mac and never uploaded anywhere.
Crash Reports
If Vocado crashes or encounters an error, diagnostic information may be sent to our error reporting service (Sentry). This includes the error type, app version, and technical context. No personal information, transcription content, or audio is included in crash reports.
2. Anonymous Usage Statistics
We collect basic, anonymous usage statistics to help us understand how Vocado is being used and to make informed decisions about the service. Here's why this matters: without this data, we're flying blind. We can't know if the service needs to scale, if error rates are creeping up, or whether our pricing remains sustainable as usage grows.
What we collect
| Data | Example | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Transcription count | "Device X made 47 requests this month" | Understand usage patterns |
| Request success/failure | "98% success rate" | Monitor service quality |
| Audio duration | "Average 30 seconds per transcription" | Capacity planning |
| App version | "v1.2.3" | Track update adoption, support |
| macOS version | "macOS 15.1" | Compatibility decisions |
| Timestamp | "Request at 2024-12-10 14:32 UTC" | Identify peak usage times |
What this data is tied to
Usage statistics are associated with your anonymous device identifier (the random UUID mentioned above). This allows us to understand patterns like "how many active devices this month" or "average transcriptions per user" without knowing who you are.
What we do with it
- Monitor service health and error rates
- Plan infrastructure scaling
- Make pricing decisions as the service grows
- Identify and fix issues affecting users
- Understand which features are actually used
We do not use this data for advertising, profiling, or any purpose other than operating and improving Vocado.
3. Information We Do NOT Collect
We want to be explicit about what we don't do:
- We do not collect your name, email address, or any personal identifiers
- We do not require account creation or login
- We do not log your clipboard contents
- We do not take screenshots or screen recordings
- We do not log keystrokes
- We do not track which applications you use
- We do not track your behaviour across other apps or websites
- We do not sell any data to third parties
- We do not display advertisements
- We do not store or access your transcription content
4. Local Data Storage
The following data is stored locally on your Mac and never transmitted to any server:
| Data | Location | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Transcription history | SQLite database in Application Support | View and search past transcriptions |
| Audio recordings | Application Support/Vocado/Recordings | Playback (if enabled in Settings) |
| Custom dictionary | UserDefaults | Improve transcription accuracy |
| App settings | UserDefaults | Your preferences |
| License key | macOS Keychain | Subscription validation |
5. Third-Party Services
Vocado uses the following third-party services to provide functionality:
Groq (Primary Transcription Provider)
Your audio is sent to Groq's Whisper API for transcription. Audio is processed in real-time and immediately deleted—Groq does not store your audio or transcriptions. See Groq's Privacy Policy.
OpenAI (Fallback Transcription Provider)
If Groq is unavailable, audio may be sent to OpenAI's Whisper API as a fallback. The same privacy protections apply. See OpenAI's Privacy Policy.
Paddle (Payment Processing)
Subscription payments are processed by Paddle, who acts as our Merchant of Record. We do not receive or store your payment card details. Paddle handles all payment information in accordance with PCI compliance standards. See Paddle's Privacy Policy.
Sentry (Error Reporting)
Crash reports and error logs are sent to Sentry to help us fix bugs. These reports contain technical information only—no personal data, audio, or transcription content. See Sentry's Privacy Policy.
Cloudflare (Infrastructure)
Our API proxy runs on Cloudflare Workers. Cloudflare processes requests to facilitate transcription but does not store audio or transcription data. See Cloudflare's Privacy Policy.
6. Data Retention
On Your Device
- Transcription history: Last 100 entries by default (configurable in Settings)
- Audio recordings: 30 days by default (configurable, or disable entirely)
- All local data: You can delete at any time through the app
On Our Servers
We do not maintain servers that store your data. Our Cloudflare Worker caches license validation results for up to 1 hour, and trial status records expire automatically after 7 days.
7. Your Rights and Controls
You have full control over your data:
- Delete transcription history: Clear all history from within the app
- Delete audio recordings: Disable audio retention or delete individual recordings
- Delete custom dictionary: Remove entries at any time
- Revoke licence: Deactivate your licence key from Settings
Since we don't collect personal information or maintain user accounts, there is no personal data held on our servers to access, correct, or delete.
8. macOS Permissions
Vocado requires the following system permissions:
| Permission | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Microphone | Record audio for transcription |
| Accessibility | Insert transcribed text into applications |
| Notifications | Display transcription status and results |
You can revoke these permissions at any time in System Settings → Privacy & Security.
9. Children's Privacy
Vocado is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect any information from children.
10. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any significant changes by posting the new policy on our website with an updated revision date.
11. Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:
Email: support@vocado.talk