Audio Stays on Your Device
Dictanta records, transcribes, and summarizes meetings entirely on your Mac. Audio files are written to your local app container and never leave the device. We do not operate a server that receives, stores, or processes your audio. There is no upload step, no cloud transcription queue, and no vendor pipeline behind the scenes.
On-Device AI
Transcription is performed by Apple's SpeechAnalyzer framework. Summaries (TL;DR, action items, decisions) are generated by Apple's Foundation Models framework — the on-device large language model included with Apple Intelligence. Both run on your Mac. No prompts, transcripts, or audio are sent to Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, or any other third party. No API keys are involved.
No Account Required
Dictanta does not ask for an email address, phone number, name, or any other identifier. There is no sign-up, no login, and no user account. Your purchase is associated with your Apple ID by the App Store — we do not see your Apple ID, your billing information, or your real name.
Optional iCloud Sync (Transcripts Only)
If you enable iCloud sync in Settings, Dictanta uses your private CloudKit container to mirror transcripts and meeting metadata across your own devices. Audio files are explicitly excluded from this sync — they remain on the device that recorded them. iCloud data is encrypted by Apple in transit and at rest, and we have no access to it. Disabling sync stops new uploads immediately.
Screen & System Audio Recording Permission
To capture meeting audio (Zoom, Teams, Meet, Webex, etc.), macOS asks for the Screen & System Audio Recording permission. This is the only public macOS API that allows reading system audio. Dictanta uses ScreenCaptureKit in audio-only mode — we do not record video, take screenshots, or read pixels from your screen. You can revoke this permission at any time in System Settings → Privacy & Security.
Auto-Delete Controls
Dictanta lets you set audio files to auto-delete after a number of days, or immediately after transcription completes. Defaults are conservative — nothing is deleted unless you turn the feature on. You can also delete recordings manually from the Library at any time; deleted recordings are removed from disk and from iCloud (if sync is enabled).
No Analytics, Crash Reporting, or Tracking
Dictanta does not embed any third-party analytics SDK, crash-reporting SDK, advertising SDK, or tracking framework. We do not use IDFA, fingerprinting, or App Tracking Transparency. The App Store Privacy Nutrition Label for Dictanta reads "Data Not Collected."
Purchases
Subscriptions and the lifetime upgrade are handled by Apple's StoreKit. Apple shares only the receipt and entitlement status with us — no payment details, no Apple ID, no email. To manage or cancel a subscription, use System Settings → Apple Account → Subscriptions, or the Manage Subscription link inside Dictanta's Settings.
Changes to This Policy
If we ever change how Dictanta handles data, we will update this page and bump the app version notes. Material changes will also surface inside the app on next launch. The privacy promise — audio never leaves your device — is foundational and will not change without an explicit, prominent notice.
Contact
Questions about privacy or a data request? Email support@futuraapp.com.