Last updated 3 June 2026
Privacy policy.
The short version: we have no servers, we collect no analytics, and we have nothing to sell about you. Here's the longer version.
The short version
What you actually need to know.
- We don’t run servers. Your recordings, notes, transcripts, and shared items live on your device and in your personal iCloud account. We have no infrastructure that holds your data.
- We don’t collect analytics. No telemetry, no event tracking, no third-party SDKs (no Firebase, no Sentry, no Crashlytics, no Mixpanel, no Amplitude). We literally cannot tell you when you opened the app, what you recorded, or how long it was.
- We don’t sell data. There is no business model that depends on what you said or wrote.
- Optional integrations are yours. If you connect OpenAI Whisper or AssemblyAI for transcription, audio goes directly from your device to that service under your own API key. If you connect Google Drive for backup, those files go to your Drive. We are not in either request path.
- Your data, your control. Delete the app and everything local goes with it. Sign out of iCloud and the sync stops. Revoke your API keys or your Google Drive token from those providers and we lose access too.
On your device
Everything starts and stays local.
ThoughtRecorder does not operate a backend server. There is no account, no sign-up, and no usage analytics. The following data is created and stored only on your device, and never leaves it unless you opt into a backup, sharing, or cloud-transcription feature.- REC
Recordings, transcripts, and notes
Voice recordings (.m4a audio files), transcripts and AI-generated summaries, notes, titles, and categories. None of this leaves your device by default. - MIC
Microphone
Used solely to record your voice. Audio is saved directly to your device’s local storage. We do not process, analyze, or upload your recordings without your knowledge. - LOC
Location (optional)
If you grant location permission, ThoughtRecorder may attach an approximate location to recordings and notes for your own reference. Location data is stored only on your device and is never shared with us or any third party. You can revoke it in iOS Settings at any time — the app works fully without it. - TXT
Transcription (default, on-device)
By default, transcription uses Apple’s Speech Recognition framework. Depending on the language and your iOS version, Apple may process audio on-device or on Apple’s servers — this is governed by Apple’s privacy policy, not ours. Download an offline language pack in iOS Settings → General → Language & Region to keep everything on-device. Summarization uses Apple’s on-device Foundation Models framework and is processed entirely on your device. - DLY
Dailies (activity extraction)
If you use the Dailies feature, ThoughtRecorder reads transcripts tagged with the “Dailies” category and uses Apple’s on-device Foundation Models framework to extract structured activity data (e.g. minutes of exercise, hours of sleep). PDF exports include a short reflective summary generated on the same on-device framework. Nothing is sent to us or to any third party. Extracted data is stored locally with your other Core Data and syncs to your personal iCloud account through Apple’s CloudKit if iCloud Drive is enabled.
Opt-in cloud features
If you connect a service, you’re in charge of it.
Each of the following is off by default. Where a third-party service is involved, audio or file data travels directly from your device to that provider under your own account — GonzoDocs is not in the request path and never sees the contents.- ENH
Enhanced transcription (on-device)
An optional on-device engine that uses two open-source frameworks compiled to Apple’s CoreML format: WhisperKit (transcription) and FluidAudio (speaker labels). The one-time setup downloads roughly 500 MB of model files from third-party hosts (Hugging Face: argmaxinc, digtek, FluidInference). We do not see this download. After install, all processing is local to your device. Remove the model files from Settings → Transcription → Enhanced at any time. - WHI
OpenAI Whisper (cloud, your API key)
If you connect your own OpenAI API key, audio you transcribe with Whisper is sent directly from your device to OpenAI’s servers and billed to your OpenAI account. GonzoDocs is not involved in this transfer. Usage is governed by OpenAI’s privacy policy and API data usage policy. Disable anytime in Settings → Transcription. - ASR
AssemblyAI (cloud, your API key)
If you connect your own AssemblyAI API key, audio you transcribe with AssemblyAI is sent directly from your device to AssemblyAI’s servers and billed to your AssemblyAI account. GonzoDocs is not involved in this transfer. Usage is governed by AssemblyAI’s privacy policy. Disable anytime in Settings → Transcription. - iCL
iCloud Backup (default, your account)
By default the app uses Apple’s iCloud Drive to keep an extra safety copy of your recordings and notes in your personal iCloud account. This uses your own iCloud storage, which Apple manages — GonzoDocs has no access. Disable anytime in Settings → Backup → iCloud Drive. - GDR
Google Drive Backup (optional)
An optional second backup destination using your personal Google Drive. ThoughtRecorder requests only the narrow drive.file OAuth scope, which grants the app permission to create, read, modify, and delete only the files and folders the app itself creates in your Drive — your other documents, photos, and files remain invisible to ThoughtRecorder. When enabled, the app creates a “Thought Recorder Backup” folder and uploads your recordings, notes, and a metadata.json index into it, organized by year and category. Data transfers directly between your device and Google’s servers using OAuth 2.0 tokens stored locally in your device’s secure storage. GonzoDocs never receives, processes, or stores any of this data. Disconnect in Settings → Backup → Google Drive, or revoke independently at myaccount.google.com/permissions. Usage of your Drive data is governed by Google’s privacy policy and the API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements that apply to the drive.file scope.
Sharing & profiles
What happens when you share.
When you share a recording or note with someone, or fill in your profile and choose which fields to make visible, that data is written to Apple’s CloudKit (a public container within ThoughtRecorder’s CloudKit account). This includes the content you chose to share, any comments posted on the shared item, and the profile fields you marked visible.Recipients you share with see this data. Other ThoughtRecorder users do not see your data unless you explicitly share with them. Anyone who has your profile link (e.g. via a QR code you generated) can view the fields you chose to make visible — that’s the point of the link.Local-only data (your unshared notes, recording bodies, transcripts) is never written to the public container. Items you receive are stored locally on your device after you receive them.View status is one-directional. When you open an item someone shared with you, only the original sender’s app learns you’ve viewed it (so they see a “viewed” indicator next to your name). Other people on the same share don’t see your view status, and you don’t see theirs. The list of invitees is visible to everyone on the share; whether each person has actually opened it is visible only to the original sender.Deleting a shared item from your device does not by itself remove copies other recipients hold. You can remove a contact’s items from your library via Settings → Contacts.App Lock. When App Lock is enabled, ThoughtRecorder uses Face ID, Touch ID, or your device passcode to restrict access. Biometric data is handled entirely by iOS and is never accessible to the app or to GonzoDocs. What we don’t do
No analytics. No tracking. No SDKs. No ads. No data sales.
ThoughtRecorder contains no advertising networks, no cross-app tracking, and no third-party SDKs of any kind. We do not build a profile on you, sell your data, or share any information with data brokers. GonzoDocs does not retain copies of any user data — because we never receive any. Retention, children, and changes
Your data sticks around exactly as long as you want it to.
Data retention. All data created in ThoughtRecorder remains on your device until you delete it. Backups in iCloud or Google Drive remain there until you delete them through the respective service or via ThoughtRecorder’s reset functions in Settings → Backup. GonzoDocs does not retain copies of any user data because we never receive any.Not directed at children. ThoughtRecorder is not directed at children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect any data from children.Changes to this policy. If we make material changes, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page and note the change in the app’s release notes. We won’t email you about it because we don’t have your email. Continued use of the app after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy. Contact
Questions? Reach out.
Reach us at [email protected].ThoughtRecorder is developed by GonzoDocs.Questions?
If anything here is unclear or you'd like to dig deeper into how the app works, just email.