Last updated: July 11, 2026
Privacy First: StarWhisper is designed to process voice locally by default. Your voice data stays on your computer in Local Mode. It is sent to OpenAI only if you explicitly choose Cloud Mode, cloud preview, or another cloud transcription feature.
At StarWhisper, we believe your voice data belongs to you. We've built our application with privacy-first principles:
StarWhisper operates in two distinct modes:
Local Mode (Default)
Cloud Mode (Optional - Requires Explicit Consent)
Important: We never collect, store, or analyze voice patterns, voiceprints, or any biometric data. Your voice is used solely for real-time transcription.
If you create an account (optional), we collect:
Account creation is optional. You can use StarWhisper's core features without an account.
By default, StarWhisper collects pseudonymous usage and diagnostic events to help us improve the application, diagnose failures, and understand the download-to-install funnel. These events are linked to a random install ID generated by the app. This includes:
What we do not collect through analytics:
This data is designed not to reveal what you said, but the random install ID lets us count unique installs and correlate product events over time. You can disable usage statistics at any time in the application Settings where the app provides that control.
StarWhisper writes diagnostic logs to your local machine at %APPDATA%\StarWhisper\logs\. These logs help diagnose issues like crashes, microphone problems, and model failures. They include event timestamps, error messages, model and hardware info, and audio duration.
Transcript content is NOT written to these logs by default. A short transcript preview (up to 200 characters) is only written when the developer-only debug flag STARWHISPER_DEBUG_TRANSCRIPTS=1 is explicitly set as an environment variable, which is OFF in production builds. We disclose this so that:
The log files never leave your device unless you choose to share them. We do not auto-upload logs. Recent log excerpts are transmitted only when you explicitly submit an error report or support request and choose to include them.
If you are signed in and explicitly enable Cloud Sync in Settings (off by default), the following preferences are stored on our servers so they can follow you across devices: custom vocabulary, text macros, guidance text, wake word and end word, transcription language, and formatting preferences (capitalization, number format, smart punctuation). These entries may contain words you typed yourself, such as names. They are transmitted over encrypted connections, linked to your account, never sold or shared with third parties, and deleted when your account is deleted. You can disable Cloud Sync at any time in Settings.
If you use the optional "Format with AI" feature, the transcribed text you choose to format is sent to our server and processed by OpenAI's API to apply the formatting. This happens only when you actively use the feature, never automatically. The formatted text is returned to your device; we do not use it for any other purpose. OpenAI states that API data is not used to train or improve models by default.
When you download StarWhisper from our website, we collect:
This information helps us understand where our users come from and optimize our website. IP addresses are not linked to your identity or usage of the application.
All application data is stored locally on your device:
Your local data is stored in your user profile folder and is not uploaded to any server, unless you explicitly enable an optional account feature such as Cloud Sync (see section 2.3.2).
StarWhisper integrates with the following third-party services:
| Service | Purpose | Data Shared |
|---|---|---|
| OpenAI API | Cloud transcription and AI text formatting (both optional) | Audio data (only when cloud transcription is enabled); transcribed text (only when you use AI formatting) |
| Firebase Authentication | Account management | Email, authentication tokens |
| Stripe | Payment processing | Payment details (handled directly by Stripe) |
| Google Ads & Microsoft Advertising | Marketing, analytics, and remarketing (Customer Match) | Hashed (SHA-256, one-way) email address; website activity cookies |
We may use service providers, including Google and Microsoft, for marketing and analytics purposes. This includes sharing a one-way hashed version of your email address with these providers so that we can show relevant advertisements to existing users (remarketing / Customer Match). The hashed email cannot be reversed into your actual email address by these providers.
Each third-party service has its own privacy policy:
Our website uses the following analytics services:
We use Google Analytics 4 to understand how visitors use our website. This includes:
We use conversion tracking from Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising to measure the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns. These services may set cookies to:
When you first visit our website, you will be asked to consent to cookies. You can:
Depending on your location, you may have the following rights:
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [email protected].
If you use cloud transcription or create an account, your data may be processed in the United States by our service providers (OpenAI, Firebase). These transfers are conducted in compliance with applicable data protection laws.
We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your data:
StarWhisper is not intended for children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us.
Application updates are optional and can be downloaded manually. We do not auto-update or require an internet connection for the core application to function.
We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date. For significant changes, we may notify you via email or in-app notification.
If you have questions about this privacy policy or our data practices:
In plain language: StarWhisper processes your voice locally by default. In Local Mode, your audio and transcript content are not sent to transcription servers. If you choose cloud transcription, your audio goes to OpenAI's audio transcription API and is handled under OpenAI's API data controls. We collect optional usage and diagnostic events to improve the app, and we do not create voiceprints.