Privacy Policy

Audio and transcription

Relay uses on-device speech recognition to turn system audio and microphone input into text. Automatic language detection also runs on your Mac. Relay does not send your audio or transcripts to Asher Bloom or a transcription service.

Audio is buffered in memory while it is processed. Relay does not save an audio recording. Speaker echo reduction also processes audio locally to reduce playback picked up by the microphone.

Permissions

Relay requests microphone and system-audio access. macOS groups the latter permission under Screen & System Audio Recording. Relay captures audio only; it does not receive or save screen images.

System audio may be processed as an echo-cancellation reference even when only Microphone is selected. Only the sources you select are transcribed. You can review or revoke permissions in System Settings → Privacy & Security.

Transcript files

A .relay file contains the transcript text, title, source labels, timing, dates, duration, language, and source choices. It does not contain the original audio.

Relay uses its folder in iCloud Drive by default. If iCloud Drive is unavailable, it uses a local folder on your Mac. You can move files to another location. Apple or the storage provider you choose handles any synchronization, storage, and backups under its own policies. Asher Bloom does not have access to those files.

You can rename, move, or delete transcript files in Relay or Finder. Deleted files may remain in the Trash or in backups until removed there.

Language models

Relay may download speech-recognition models from Apple and an automatic language-detection model from Hugging Face. These downloads do not send your audio or transcript text to the model providers.

A download request exposes normal network information, such as your IP address, to the provider delivering the model. Once available, the models are used locally. Network and model availability can affect first-time setup.

Copying and export

Selecting text copies it to the system clipboard. Copying the full transcript or exporting a file makes that content available wherever you choose to paste, save, or share it. macOS clipboard features, including Universal Clipboard when enabled, may make copied text available on your other devices. Other apps and the selected destination determine how those copies are handled.

App data collection

Relay does not include advertising, usage analytics, or a service that receives your recordings or transcripts. It does not require a Relay account. Preferences and file references needed for the app’s operation are stored on your Mac.

Relay may write technical diagnostics, such as capture timing and errors, to macOS system logs. Relay does not operate a service that collects those logs.

Apple may process purchases, downloads, and diagnostics through its platform according to your settings and Apple’s Privacy Policy.

Support messages

If you contact support, your email address and the information you include are used to respond and investigate the issue. Please send only what is needed to explain the problem, and omit private transcript content or personal details from screenshots.

Support messages are handled through email services and are separate from your Relay files. Do not send passwords or other sensitive account information.

This website

This support and privacy website is hosted on Vercel. Vercel may process technical request information, including IP addresses, to deliver and protect the site. See Vercel’s Privacy Notice for details.

The website does not add analytics, advertising trackers, or tracking cookies. Following an external link takes you to a service governed by its own privacy policy.

Changes and contact

This policy may be updated as Relay changes. The date above identifies the latest revision.

For privacy questions, contact Asher Bloom at asherbloom@nyu.edu.