Privacy Policy

Last updated: May 16, 2026

Voice recordings and transcripts

Your voice recordings are transcribed entirely on your device using on-device AI (Whisper). Audio files are stored locally on your iPhone. Transcripts are stored in a private database on your device.

AI enrichment & data routing

AI enrichment generates titles, tags, task extraction, and summaries from transcript text. In all cases, your audio recordings are never transmitted off your device. Transcript text is sent for AI enrichment, depending on the AI path active in the app. If you attach a photo to a notch, Notchd resizes and compresses the photo and sends it to the AI provider for visual context. If you have granted location permission, Notchd includes a human-readable place label (e.g., "Home" or "Downtown Chicago") in the enrichment prompt — raw GPS coordinates are not included.

Free trial (default for new users — first 20 notches). When you first start using Notchd, your notch transcripts are processed by Notchd's AI service, powered by OpenRouter. Transcript text is sent through a Notchd-operated Cloudflare Worker to OpenRouter using a Notchd shared key. The Cloudflare Worker is an infrastructure layer operated by Cloudflare; Cloudflare may process ordinary request metadata such as IP address and headers as part of routing requests. The Worker is designed not to store transcript content. OpenRouter does not train on this data. To support rate-limiting and usage analytics, the Worker logs a random app-generated device identifier (a UUID created at first launch, not linked to your Notchd account, Apple ID, name, or email) along with request usage metadata — timestamp, token count, model used, status code, and tier. This device identifier is also forwarded to OpenRouter as part of the trial request. These usage logs are retained for 90 days.

OpenRouter account (your own). If you connect your own OpenRouter account via Settings → AI, transcript text is sent directly under your OpenRouter account and is subject to OpenRouter's terms and privacy policy. Notchd's shared key is not used.

Your own API key (BYOK). If you provide your own OpenAI or OpenRouter API key, transcript text is sent directly to that provider under your key. API keys are stored securely in your device's Keychain and are never sent to Notchd's servers.

Backups

If you enable backups, Notchd can write a backup snapshot to your own iCloud Drive. This is a private backup bundle, not a Notchd server sync service. Notchd cannot read your backup.

Location

If you grant location permission, Notchd captures your approximate location at the time of each entry. Raw GPS coordinates are stored locally on your device and included only in your private iCloud Drive backup if backups are enabled. Raw coordinates are never sent to Notchd. When AI enrichment is active, a human-readable place label (e.g., "Home" or a city-level description) may be included in the enrichment prompt sent to the AI provider — this is coarse context, not precise coordinates.

In-app purchases

Notchd offers a one-time in-app purchase to unlock the full app. Purchase transactions are processed by Apple using StoreKit. Notchd stores only a local flag (whether the purchase is unlocked) on your device — no purchase details are sent to Notchd servers. Under Apple's App Privacy guidelines, accessing purchase history via StoreKit is considered data linked to your Apple ID.

Crash reporting & diagnostics

Notchd uses Sentry for crash reporting and diagnostics. Sentry may receive:

Crash reports — if the app crashes, a crash report is sent that may include device model, OS version, and a stack trace.

Diagnostic messages — the app sends diagnostic messages to Sentry to detect performance issues, such as slow audio start or recording hang events. These messages include timing data and event identifiers, not journal content.

Performance traces — approximately 10% of app sessions include performance trace data sent to Sentry for monitoring app responsiveness. No journal content is included in any Sentry data.

Where your data lives

Data	Where it lives
Voice recordings	Your iPhone, local only
Journal entries & transcripts	Your iPhone, with optional iCloud Drive backup. Transcript text may also be sent for AI enrichment.
Attached photos	Resized and sent to the AI provider when you attach a photo to a notch. Not stored on Notchd servers.
Location context	Raw GPS — your iPhone only. Human-readable place label (coarse, e.g., "Home") — included in AI enrichment prompt when location is available.
API keys	Your iPhone Keychain
Purchase unlock status	Stored locally on your device. No purchase details sent to Notchd. Processed by Apple via StoreKit; linked to your Apple ID per Apple's framework guidelines.
AI enrichment requests (trial)	Notchd Cloudflare Worker → OpenRouter (Notchd shared key). Worker logs request usage metadata (timestamp, token count, model, status code, tier) keyed by device UUID. Device UUID is also forwarded to OpenRouter. No transcript stored. Logs retained 90 days. Cloudflare processes request metadata (IP, headers) as infrastructure.
AI enrichment requests (OpenRouter OAuth)	Your OpenRouter account directly. Subject to OpenRouter's terms.
AI enrichment requests (BYOK)	Your own API provider (OpenAI, OpenRouter, etc.) under your key.
Crash reports & diagnostics	Sentry — crash reports (device model, OS, stack trace), diagnostic messages (timing/hang detection), performance traces (~10% of sessions). No journal content.

What Notchd does NOT collect

We do not collect your voice recordings, journal entries, name, location history, or personal identifying information. Waitlist email addresses are collected only when you submit the waitlist form.

Children's privacy

Notchd is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect data from children.

Changes to this policy

We will update this page if our privacy practices change. The date at the top reflects the most recent revision.

Contact

Questions? Email support@notchd.app