At Yaps, privacy is not a feature. It is the foundation. We built Yaps to process your content on-device because we believe your voice, your words, your recordings, your files, and your thoughts belong to you.
The short version: Yaps does not upload your content to a cloud AI service for core dictation, cleanup, transcription, read-aloud, translation, notes, or media processing. Yaps still uses the internet for the services around that work, including accounts, billing, sync, model downloads, updates, limited diagnostics, and actions you explicitly connect to another service. Those connections are described below.
Information We Collect
We collect only the minimum information necessary to provide and improve our service:
- Account information: Email address and name when you create an account.
- Subscription and billing metadata: Plan, status, renewal dates, and billing identifiers required to manage paid plans.
- Usage metadata: Feature usage counters and related telemetry needed to enforce plan limits, protect against abuse, and improve reliability. This can include an installation identifier, account link when signed in, app and device type, app version, model identifiers, feature attempts and outcomes, durations, and aggregate word or media counts. Product events are designed to exclude dictated audio, transcripts, note bodies, prompts, clipboard content, screen content, filenames, file paths, and raw error messages.
- Crash reports: Limited technical diagnostic data used to help us fix failures. Reports are configured not to include your dictated content or typed text and not to send default personal information.
- Website analytics and advertising data: When you visit the Yaps website, Mixpanel, Google Analytics 4, and Meta Pixel collect device, browser, page-view, and interaction data, including cookies or similar identifiers used for analytics and advertising attribution.
Content Processing
On-Device AI
Yaps uses local models and platform capabilities for its core content workflows. Dictated audio, transcripts, notes, recordings, files, and generated media stay on your device while Yaps processes them. Yaps does not send that content to a cloud AI service for core dictation, cleanup, transcription, read-aloud, translation, notes, or media processing.
When the Internet Is Used
Dictation, text cleanup, read-aloud, and notes can run on your device after setup and do not need an internet connection. Signing in, billing, optional note sync, model downloads, application updates, plan checks, and limited diagnostics use the internet. A GIF or sticker search, a custom Google Font import, a support upload, or a request made through a connected external AI client sends only the information needed for that action, as explained in the relevant sections below.
On iPhone and iPad, Yaps requests on-device speech recognition. When an on-device recognizer is unavailable, the current operating-system speech service can fall back to Apple's remote recognition under your Apple device settings and Apple's terms.
Encrypted Note Sync
Optional note sync uses end-to-end encryption between your devices. A public relay may carry encrypted packets when a direct device connection is unavailable. The relay can see network metadata needed to route the connection, but it cannot read the encrypted note content.
Snap.Yaps Screen Recording
Snap.Yaps records only the display, window, system audio, microphone, and webcam sources you select. Recordings, cursor data, projects, edits, automatic captions, and exports are processed and stored on your device for the core workflow. Snap.Yaps does not upload or host that content.
Snap.Yaps contacts Yaps when you sign in, request or verify an email code, refresh paid-plan access, start Checkout, or open the billing portal. Yaps receives the email address and account, plan, subscription, and entitlement information needed for those actions. Stripe receives the customer and payment information entered in its hosted Checkout or billing portal; Snap.Yaps does not receive your full card number.
If you choose to import a custom Google Font, the app requests the font from Google and Google receives the network information normally sent with that request. Diagnostic files remain local unless you choose to share them with support.
Browser Extension (Save to Yaps)
The Save to Yaps browser extension lets you save web pages and images into your Yaps vault. It is built to keep what you save on your own computer.
- What it reads: When you click Save, choose a "Save to Yaps" item from the right-click menu, or use the hover button on an image, the extension reads that page's title, address, and content, or the image you picked. It reads page content only when you actively save something. It does not track, log, or transmit your browsing history.
- Where it goes: What you save is sent only to the Yaps app running on your own computer, over a local connection (127.0.0.1). The extension does not send this content to Yaps servers or to any third party.
- What it stores: A single pairing token is kept in your browser's local storage so the extension can connect to the Yaps app on your device. The extension stores no other personal data.
The extension does not sell, share, or transfer your data to third parties. You need the Yaps desktop app installed for the extension to work.
Agent Access and External AI Clients
Your Yaps vault is stored locally as Markdown files. Yaps does not upload or host your vault, and connecting an external AI client does not automatically upload the vault or inject it into a conversation.
You can choose to connect a third-party AI client, such as Codex, Claude, or Cursor, through Yaps' local MCP integration, called Agent Access. When you ask a connected client to retrieve information from your vault, Yaps returns only the tool results requested by that client. The client may then transmit or process those selected excerpts under its provider's terms, privacy policy, account settings, and retention practices.
New Agent Access connections are read-only. You must explicitly enable write access for each client. You can revoke write access or disconnect a client at any time.
How We Use Your Information
- To provide and maintain the Yaps service.
- To authenticate accounts and manage signed-in sessions.
- To process your subscription and billing.
- To send important service updates (you can opt out of marketing emails).
- To enforce plan limits and improve product reliability.
- To measure how the marketing website is used and to attribute visits from advertising.
Legal Bases
Where data-protection law requires a legal basis, we rely on:
- Contract: To create and secure your account, provide requested features, manage subscriptions, and provide support.
- Legitimate interests: To protect the service from abuse, diagnose failures, and improve reliability, where those interests are not overridden by your rights.
- Legal obligations: To keep records and respond where tax, accounting, consumer-protection, or other law requires it.
- Consent: For optional marketing or device permissions where consent is required. You may withdraw consent at any time without affecting earlier lawful processing.
Third-Party Services
We work with a limited number of trusted partners:
- Payment processing: On the web and desktop, Stripe handles payment data. On iOS, subscriptions are processed by Apple through the App Store using In-App Purchase. In either case we never see or store your full card number.
- Crash and diagnostics: We use Sentry to collect crash reports and basic technical diagnostics so we can fix problems. These reports are configured not to include your dictated content or typed text and not to send default personal information. If you choose to send a support bundle, Yaps shows you the included diagnostic files before upload; the bundle remains local until you submit it.
- Website analytics and advertising: On the Yaps website we use Mixpanel (including autocapture and session replay of page interactions), Google Analytics 4, and Meta Pixel. These processors help us understand site usage and measure marketing and advertising attribution. They are not required to use the Yaps product. They do not receive raw voice recordings or dictated content.
- GIFs and stickers: When you search for a GIF or sticker in the keyboard, your search term is sent to our GIF provider (Klipy) to return results. It is not linked to your account.
- Apple speech recognition: On iPhone and iPad, the current operating-system speech service can use Apple's remote recognition when an on-device recognizer is unavailable. This path is controlled by the operating system and Apple's terms.
Cookies
The Yaps website uses essential cookies so the site can function, plus analytics and advertising cookies and similar technologies from Mixpanel, Google Analytics 4, and Meta Pixel. These are used for marketing website analytics and attribution. They are not required to use the Yaps product, and they do not receive raw voice recordings or dictated content. See our Cookie Policy for full details.
Data Retention
We retain account and subscription data while your account is active. Account-linked product events used to understand feature attempts and outcomes are retained for up to 90 days. Other operational records are retained as needed for billing, security, support, and legal obligations. If you delete your account, we delete or anonymize personal data within 30 days unless we are required to keep specific records by law.
Snap.Yaps recordings, projects, captions, cursor data, and exports are not retained by Yaps because the core workflow stores them on your device. You control their deletion from your files and project library.
Your Rights
Depending on your location, you may have the following rights under GDPR, CCPA, or similar legislation:
- Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Correction: Request correction of inaccurate data.
- Deletion: Request deletion of your personal data.
- Portability: Request your data in a portable format.
- Objection: Object to processing of your data for certain purposes.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@yaps.ai.
If you are in the United Kingdom, you also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office. If you are elsewhere, you may contact the data-protection authority where you live or work.
Children's Privacy
Yaps is not directed at children under 13. If you are under the age at which you can consent to personal data processing for online services in your jurisdiction, you should use Yaps only with authorization from a parent or guardian. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13, or from users below the applicable age of consent in their jurisdiction without the required authorization. If you believe we have collected information from a child in violation of this policy, please contact us immediately.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes via email or an in-app notice. Continued use of Yaps after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
Contact
Questions about this privacy policy? Reach us at privacy@yaps.ai.