Privacy Overview
Privacy by design is the whole point of Voibe. It was built around a simple promise about your data: it is never stored, never sold, and never used to train AI. On an Apple Silicon Mac you choose how transcription runs. Pick on-device mode and audio is transcribed entirely on your Mac — your audio stays on the device. Pick zero-retention cloud mode and audio is transcribed by open-source models, then immediately deleted.
On Windows and on Intel Macs, Voibe runs in zero-retention cloud mode. That is the same privacy standard on different infrastructure, not a lesser tier: open-source models only, audio deleted the moment it becomes text, nothing ever used to train AI.
Optional AI text formatting sends the finished transcript to a zero-retention cloud model with either dictation engine. For fully local, offline dictation on an Apple Silicon Mac, choose On-Device and turn AI text formatting off in Voibe → Dashboard → Settings.
The 30-second version
- ✓ You choose where transcription happens — fully on your Mac (on-device mode, Apple Silicon) or in zero-retention cloud mode, which uses open-source models only. On Windows and Intel Macs, cloud mode is the way Voibe runs.
- ✓ Your audio is never stored, sold, or used to train AI — in cloud mode it is deleted the moment transcription completes; in on-device mode it never leaves your Mac.
- ✓ Transcripts stay yours — kept in a local history on your own machine; the cloud keeps no copy.
- ✓ We collect the minimum to run your account — email, usage analytics, crash reports. None of which contain your dictated content.
- ✓ On-device mode works fully offline — once licensed, you can dictate with Wi-Fi disconnected with AI text formatting turned off. It requires an Apple Silicon Mac. (Cloud mode, including all Windows dictation, needs a connection.)
On this page
What stays on your device
A lot of what Voibe produces from your voice stays on your own machine no matter which mode or platform you use. Specifically:
- ✓ Audio. Captured only during active dictation. In on-device mode it is held briefly in memory while the model runs on your Mac and discarded once the transcript is produced. In zero-retention cloud mode it is sent over an encrypted connection, transcribed by an open-source model, and deleted the moment transcription completes — never stored, sold, or used to train AI.
- ✓ Transcripts. Pasted into the app you're focused on. A local-only history is kept on your own machine so you can recall recent dictations. When AI text formatting is enabled, the finished text is sent to a zero-retention cloud model for cleanup.
- ✓ Memory entries. The shortcuts and word corrections you teach Voibe live in a local store on your own machine. Your custom vocabulary is yours.
- ✓ Settings. Hotkey, mode preferences, mic choice, formatting rules — all stored locally.
- ✓ Workspace context (Developer Mode). File and folder names from your editor are scanned locally so Voibe can resolve identifiers. The scan never leaves your computer.
Your history, Memory entries, settings, and workspace context are stored locally on your computer. Cloud processing is separate from cloud storage: cloud transcription processes audio transiently, and optional AI text formatting processes the finished text transiently. Neither retains your dictated content or uses it to train AI. Windows and Intel Macs use cloud transcription; Apple Silicon Macs can choose either engine.
What we do collect (and why)
Voibe is a paid product, so a small amount of account data has to leave your machine. None of it includes the content you dictate.
| Data | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Email address | Login, licence management, transactional email (receipts, password resets). |
| Usage analytics | Counts of dictations, feature usage, performance. This data is not used to identify you. Never includes transcribed content. |
| Error / crash reports | Technical diagnostics when something breaks. Does not include audio, transcripts, or memory entries. |
| Payment data | Processed by LemonSqueezy. We never receive or store your card details. |
The complete legal description, including legal bases and your UK GDPR rights, lives in our Privacy Policy. The list of subprocessors and our technical controls is on the Security page.
Voibe vs cloud dictation
Most modern dictation tools stream your audio to a remote server, run transcription there, and send the text back — and often retain your voice and text, sometimes to train their models. Voibe is different on both fronts: on an Apple Silicon Mac you can keep everything on your machine with on-device mode and AI text formatting off, and in cloud mode — the mode Windows and Intel Macs use — Voibe uses open-source models only, deletes your audio immediately, and never trains on your data.
| Question | Voibe | Typical cloud dictation |
|---|---|---|
| Where does my audio go? | On-device mode: stays on your Mac. Cloud mode: to open-source models on zero-retention providers, then deleted. | Streamed to a remote server. |
| Is audio stored? | No. Deleted after transcription in either mode. | Often retained for a window of time, sometimes used to retrain models. |
| Where do transcripts go? | Pasted into your app and kept in local history. Optional AI text formatting sends text to the cloud without retaining it. | Returned to you, often retained server-side. |
| Is my dictation used to train AI? | Never — in either mode. | Sometimes, depending on the vendor. |
| Does it work offline? | On-device mode on Apple Silicon with AI text formatting off: yes, after setup. Cloud mode and AI text formatting: need a connection. | No. |
| Retained copy of your dictation content? | None — nothing is stored on our side. | Often, and may be compelled to produce it. |
When this matters
For most people, where dictation runs is just a quietly nice property to have a say over. For some people and some kinds of work, it's the deciding factor — and those are the cases where on-device mode, on an Apple Silicon Mac, is worth choosing deliberately.
Legal and privileged work
Drafting privileged communications, deposition prep, internal investigations. Read Voibe for Legal Work.
Healthcare and clinical notes
Chart notes, dictating between appointments. Read Dictation for Healthcare.
NDA-bound and pre-launch work
Drafting product specs, M&A documents, anything under an NDA. On an Apple Silicon Mac, choose on-device mode and turn AI text formatting off to keep dictated content on your machine.
Personal journaling and therapy notes
For fully local journaling on an Apple Silicon Mac, select On-Device under Dictation Engine and turn AI text formatting off in Voibe → Dashboard → Settings.
Read more
- How On-Device Dictation Works — the technical pipeline, Apple Silicon Neural Engine, what "on-device" actually means.
- Dictation for Healthcare — for clinicians handling sensitive patient information.
- Voibe for Legal Work — for privileged and confidential dictation.
- GDPR Compliance — for EU and UK users.
- Microphone & Accessibility Permissions — what microphone and macOS accessibility permissions grant and what Voibe cannot do with it.
- Security page — full subprocessor list, access controls, encryption details.
- Privacy Policy — the legal version with UK GDPR rights and bases.
- Best Dictation Apps in 2026 — how the most popular dictation tools compare on privacy and on-device processing.
Still have questions? Email hi@getvoibe.com — we'll answer them.
Privacy and support questions
Does On-Device Mode keep AI text formatting offline too?
No. AI text formatting is an optional cloud feature, separate from the dictation engine. For fully local, offline dictation on an Apple Silicon Mac, choose On-Device under Dictation Engine and turn AI text formatting off in Voibe → Dashboard → Settings. With formatting enabled, the finished text is sent to the cloud for cleanup; the on-device engine still transcribes your audio locally.
How AI formatting worksCan support see my dictation history?
Your dictation history stays on your computer. Support cannot open it from the backend. We can investigate account and activation issues; for a dictation problem, share a short non-sensitive example only if needed.
What to include in a support requestCan I request a BAA for my workflow?
Yes. BAAs are available on demand. Email hi@getvoibe.com with your requirements and whether you intend to use On-Device or Cloud Mode.
Send your BAA requirements