Privacy Overview
Voibe was built so that the company behind it — us — has no way to read what you dictate. Audio is transcribed entirely on your Mac. It is not uploaded, not stored on our servers, not logged anywhere we control.
That is an architectural choice, not a policy one. The difference matters: a policy can change; the architecture can't see what it doesn't have.
The 30-second version
- ✓ Audio is processed on your Mac — using Apple Silicon's Neural Engine, with no internet round-trip.
- ✓ Audio is discarded after transcription — Voibe drops the recorded buffer the moment it produces text.
- ✓ Transcripts stay on your device — local history only; nothing is uploaded.
- ✓ We collect the minimum to run your account — email, usage analytics, crash reports. None of which contain your dictated content.
- ✓ Voibe works offline — once licensed, you can dictate with Wi-Fi disconnected.
On this page
What stays on your device
Everything Voibe produces from your voice. Specifically:
- ✓ Audio. Captured only while you're holding the hotkey. Held briefly in memory while the model runs. Discarded once the transcript is produced.
- ✓ Transcripts. Pasted into the app you're focused on. A local-only history is kept on your Mac so you can recall recent dictations — never uploaded.
- ✓ Memory entries. The shortcuts and word corrections you teach Voibe live in a local store on your Mac. 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 Mac.
Because none of this transits our servers, it isn't on a backup tape we can be subpoenaed for, isn't on a partner's analytics endpoint, and isn't waiting in a log file we forgot about. We can't lose what we never had.
What we do collect (and why)
Voibe is a paid product, so a small amount of account data has to leave your Mac. 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. That works well for accuracy but means your voice has to travel. Voibe doesn't do that.
| Question | Voibe | Typical cloud dictation |
|---|---|---|
| Where does my audio go? | Stays on your Mac. | Streamed to a remote server. |
| Is audio stored? | No. Discarded after transcription. | Often retained for a window of time, sometimes used to retrain models. |
| Where do transcripts go? | Pasted into your app. Local history only. | Returned to you, often retained server-side. |
| Can the vendor read my dictation? | No — the architecture prevents it. | Yes, technically possible. |
| Does it work offline? | Yes. | No. |
| Subpoena exposure for dictation content? | None — we don't have it. | Vendor may be compelled to produce it. |
When this matters
For most people, on-device dictation is just a quietly nice property — faster, more reliable, no cloud account to worry about. For some people and some kinds of work, it's the deciding factor.
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 HIPAA-Friendly Dictation.
NDA-bound and pre-launch work
Drafting product specs, M&A documents, anything under an NDA. Nothing leaves your Mac that wasn't typed by you anyway.
Personal journaling and therapy notes
Voice journaling, reflection, anything you want to keep to yourself. Voibe's Privacy Mode is designed for exactly this.
Read more
- How On-Device Dictation Works — the technical pipeline, Apple Silicon Neural Engine, what "on-device" actually means.
- HIPAA-Friendly Dictation — for healthcare professionals working with PHI.
- Voibe for Legal Work — for privileged and confidential dictation.
- GDPR Compliance — for EU and UK users.
- Microphone & Accessibility Permissions — what each macOS permission grants 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.
Still have questions? Email hi@getvoibe.com — we'll answer them.