Privacy

Echo is designed with privacy as a core principle. When you use local transcription, your voice data never leaves your Mac. This page explains exactly what data Echo stores, what it sends externally, and what controls you have.

What Stays on Your Mac

When you use local transcription models (Whisper or Parakeet), everything happens entirely on your device:

• Voice recordings are processed locally and stored in Echo's application data folder. You can configure automatic cleanup to delete recordings after a set period.
• Transcription text is stored locally in Echo's database on your Mac.
• AI models are downloaded once and run locally. No audio is sent to any server during transcription.
• Screen captures (used for context-aware AI Enhancement) are processed locally and are not stored permanently. They're used only during the current transcription session to provide context.
• Personal vocabulary, smart corrections, and filler word settings are stored locally in Echo's preferences.
• Adaptive Awareness profiles (including trigger words, URL patterns, and app rules) are stored locally.

What Is Sent Externally

Echo sends data to external services only when you explicitly choose to use them, with the exception of anonymous usage analytics (which you can disable).

Cloud Transcription

If you select a cloud transcription model (Groq, Deepgram, ElevenLabs, Mistral, or Gemini), your audio recording is sent to that provider's servers for transcription. Each provider has its own privacy policy governing how they handle your audio data. Echo does not control or have access to data once it reaches a cloud provider.

AI Enhancement

If you enable AI Enhancement and configure it with an API key (OpenAI, Anthropic, or a custom provider), your transcribed text is sent to that AI service for processing. If screen context is enabled, a text description of your screen content may also be included. No audio is sent to AI Enhancement services -- only text.

Ollama (Local AI)

If you use Ollama for AI Enhancement, the processing happens locally on your Mac. No data is sent to external servers.

Auto-Updates

Echo uses Sparkle for automatic update checks. When enabled, it contacts the update server to check for new versions. This sends only basic information needed to check for updates (app version and macOS version). You can disable automatic update checks in Settings.

Anonymous Usage Analytics

Echo never collects personal data, transcription content, audio recordings, or anything you type or say. No individual user can be identified from the data collected.

What Is Collected

To help improve Echo, the app collects anonymous usage statistics via PostHog. Analytics are enabled by default and can be disabled at any time in Settings > Privacy Controls > Share Anonymous Usage Data. When you opt out, PostHog stops collecting data and all locally stored analytics data is cleared.

Every event includes three baseline properties: platform (always "macOS"), app_version, and build number. Beyond these, the specific events and their additional properties are:

Onboarding:

• onboarding_started, onboarding_completed, onboarding_skipped (with the step skipped)
• onboarding_permissions_completed (which permissions were granted: microphone, accessibility, screen recording)
• onboarding_model_selected and onboarding_model_downloaded (model name and provider type)

Transcription:

• recording_started (no additional properties)
• transcription_completed (engine type, model name, recording duration in seconds, character count, transcription duration in seconds)
• transcription_failed (engine type, model name, error description)
• enhancement_used (AI provider name, prompt name, enhancement duration in seconds)

Model management:

• model_downloaded (model name, model type)
• model_deleted (model name)

Adaptive Awareness:

• profile_created (whether the profile has voice triggers, URL patterns, or app rules — not the actual trigger words, URLs, or app names)
• profile_activated (profile name)

Application lifecycle:

• App launched and app terminated events (captured automatically by PostHog)

That is the complete list. No other data is collected. Notably, Echo does not collect: the content of your transcriptions, your audio, screen captures, API keys, dictionary entries, replacement rules, URLs you visit, app names, or any text you type.

PostHog data is sent to us.i.posthog.com (hosted in the United States). PostHog's privacy policy is available at posthog.com/privacy.

Echo Website

The Echo website uses Microsoft Clarity to understand how visitors interact with the site. Clarity collects anonymous session data including page views, scroll depth, clicks, and heatmaps. It does not collect personal information or use cookies for advertising. Clarity is subject to Microsoft's Privacy Statement.

No Account Required

Echo does not require you to create an account or sign in to use it. License activation (if applicable) is the only interaction with an external service beyond those you explicitly configure.

Data Storage Locations

All of Echo's data is stored locally in your Mac's Application Support directory:

• Transcription history -- Stored in Echo's local database
• Audio recordings -- Stored in a Recordings folder within Echo's application data
• Downloaded models -- Stored in a WhisperModels folder within Echo's application data
• Preferences and settings -- Stored in macOS user defaults

You can manage your transcription history and audio recordings within Echo. The auto-cleanup feature can automatically delete old transcriptions and recordings after a period you choose.

Permissions and What They Access

Echo requests macOS permissions for specific purposes:

Permission	Purpose	Required?
Microphone	Record your voice for transcription	Yes
Accessibility	Paste text directly at your cursor position	Recommended
Screen Recording	Capture screen content for context-aware AI Enhancement	Optional
Network	Download models, use cloud transcription, use AI Enhancement, check for updates	Only for cloud features

Each permission is used only for its stated purpose. Echo does not access any data beyond what's needed for the feature you're using.

Tips

• For maximum privacy, use local transcription models, Ollama for AI Enhancement, and disable anonymous usage analytics in Settings > Privacy Controls. This keeps all data entirely on your Mac.
• Review each cloud service's privacy policy before entering your API key. Echo sends data to the service you choose, and that service's terms govern how it's handled.
• Use the auto-cleanup feature to automatically delete old recordings and transcriptions if you prefer not to keep a history.

Related

• Permissions setup -- How to grant and manage macOS permissions
• Permission troubleshooting -- Fix permission issues
• Common issues -- Overview of all troubleshooting topics