Privacy policy

Effective October 3, 2026

ListenArc is a podcast player for iPhone and Apple Watch. It is built so that we, the people who make it, do not receive your data: there is no ListenArc account, no ListenArc server, and no analytics or advertising code in the app. This policy explains what happens to information when you use ListenArc, and the few cases where something reaches us because you chose to send it.

What stays on your iPhone

Your shows, episodes, Queue and playlists, listening progress, downloaded audio, transcripts, the ads ListenArc found and the corrections you make, chapters and settings are stored on your device. Transcription uses Apple's on-device speech recognition, ad detection uses a model built into the app, and chapters are written with Apple Intelligence on your device. Audio and transcripts are never sent to a ListenArc server. If you enable sync, they can travel to your own iCloud or paired devices; exports go only where you choose to send them.

What reaches others when you use ListenArc

• Podcast publishers. To follow a show, ListenArc fetches its feed, artwork and audio directly from the publisher's servers or their hosting provider, as any podcast app does. Those servers see your device's IP address and the requests it makes, and may use them under their own privacy policies (for example, to choose which ads to insert into an episode). We do not control or receive this information.
• Apple. Searching for a new show sends your search text to Apple's podcast directory, and the list of popular shows comes from Apple. iOS may download speech recognition models. Installing and updating the app goes through the App Store or TestFlight.
• Optional iCloud sync. If you turn on iCloud sync, your library is stored in the private CloudKit database of your own iCloud account, under Apple's privacy policy. We cannot read it.
• Optional nearby sync. If you pair devices, they exchange your library directly over your local network, encrypted, without going through any server.
• Backups. A library backup is an encrypted file that you choose where to save or send.

What you choose to send us

• Email. If you write to us, including through Settings → About → Send feedback, we receive your email address and what you write. The feedback message includes the app version and iOS version so we can reproduce problems; you can remove them before sending.
• Diagnostics. Diagnostic logging is off unless you turn it on. Its logs stay on your iPhone until you export them and send the file yourself. They describe what the app did (for example, background work and errors) and exclude feed and audio addresses, search text and routine transcript text, but notes you type, and the optional ad-correction context, can include episode excerpts. Review a file before sharing it.
• Ad corrections. Exporting your ad corrections creates a file with your corrections and nearby transcript excerpts. It is shared only if you send it.
• TestFlight. If you use a beta, Apple's TestFlight shares with us the crash reports and the feedback and screenshots you submit, along with basic usage such as installs and sessions, as described in Apple's TestFlight terms. If you were invited by email, we see that address.

We use what you send only to answer you and to improve ListenArc, and we delete it on request. We keep support email only as long as needed to help you.

What we don't do

ListenArc does not track you across apps or websites, contains no third-party analytics, advertising or tracking code, and does not collect data for us. We do not sell or share personal information, and we do not use it for advertising.

Children

ListenArc is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has sent us personal information, contact us and we will delete it.

Your rights, including in California

Because ListenArc does not collect your data, everything about your listening stays under your control on your devices, and deleting the app (and, if you used it, ListenArc's data in iCloud Settings) removes it. For anything you have sent us, you can ask to know what we hold, to correct it, or to delete it. Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, we do not sell or share personal information and do not use sensitive personal information; we will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights.

Security

Data stays in your iPhone's protected storage. Backups and nearby sync are encrypted, and iCloud sync uses Apple's CloudKit.

Changes

If this policy changes, we will update it here with a new effective date, and mention material changes in the app's release notes.

Contact

Questions about privacy: privacy@listenarc.app.