Privacy Policy
The short version: your audio never leaves your devices, and we don't track you. The personal data we hold is what you give us when you create an account (your name, email, and an optional phone number) plus a random device identifier and a small security log used only to enforce your device limit and prevent sharing.
Phonecast streams audio from your Mac to your own iPhone over a USB cable or your local Wi-Fi network. That audio is never recorded, never sent to us, and never routed through any server. It exists only on your two devices, for as long as you're listening.
Who we are
"Phonecast," "we," or "us" refers to Inbal Sofer, trading as Phonecast (the maker of the Phonecast apps) for Mac and iPhone. You can reach us any time at support@phonecast.app.
What the iPhone app collects
Your email address, and nothing else. The iPhone app asks you to sign in to the same account as your Mac. That is how it knows to accept audio only from your Mac, and to refuse it from anyone else. Your email and your sign-in session are the only things it sends or stores off-device, and the session is kept in the iPhone Keychain.
It has no analytics and no tracking. The audio itself never reaches us: it travels directly between your Mac and your phone, over the cable or your own Wi-Fi network. Your chosen transport stays on the device.
What the Mac app collects
To unlock the paid Mac app, you create an account. In doing so we collect and store:
- Your email address: to sign you in and to match your account to your purchase. Handled by our authentication provider, Supabase.
- Your name: so we can address you and identify your account.
- Your phone number (optional): stored with your account only if you choose to add one. We only send you text messages if you separately opt in to them at sign-up (see Text messages below).
- A device registration: your paid license covers up to four Macs, so we register each Mac you sign in on. This is a random identifier we generate (not a hardware serial number and not an advertising ID) together with your Mac's model (e.g. "MacBookPro18,3"). We do not collect your computer's name.
- A short security log: to enforce that four-device limit and detect account sharing, we record an entry when the limit is reached or when one account is used on several devices at once. Each entry holds your account email, an event type, and a timestamp, nothing more.
Your password is never stored in readable form: Supabase salts and hashes it, and we cannot see it. Beyond the account details above, we do not collect your Mac's hostname, your location, contacts, advertising identifiers, or any behavioral analytics or third-party trackers. The device identifier and security log exist solely to run your license and prevent sharing, never for tracking or advertising.
Critically, we do not collect your audio. Audio is captured on your Mac and streamed only to your paired iPhone over USB or your local Wi-Fi. It never reaches our servers.
Text messages (SMS)
Adding a phone number at sign-up is optional; it is required only if you choose to receive texts. At sign-up you can optionally consent to receive Phonecast product updates and offers by text message. This consent is entirely optional: you do not have to agree to it to buy or use Phonecast. If you opt in: message frequency varies, message and data rates may apply, and you can opt out at any time by replying STOP to any message or emailing support@phonecast.app. We record whether and when you gave consent so we can honor your choice. We never send marketing texts unless you have opted in, and we never share your phone number with third parties for their own marketing.
Payments
Purchases are processed by Stripe. When you buy Phonecast, Stripe collects your email and payment details to complete the transaction. We never see or store your card number. We receive only a confirmation that the purchase succeeded, along with the email used, so we can unlock your account. Stripe's handling of your data is governed by the Stripe Privacy Policy.
Service providers
- Supabase: accounts and authentication (stores your name, email, and phone number). Privacy policy.
- Resend: delivers account emails such as your confirmation and password-reset links (processes your email address). Privacy policy.
- Stripe: payment processing. Privacy policy.
- Netlify: hosts this website, relays account requests when your browser cannot reach our authentication provider directly, and receives messages you send through the contact form (your name, email, and message). Privacy policy.
We use no advertising networks, no third-party analytics, and no trackers.
Update checks
The Mac app checks phonecast.app once a day for software updates. That request carries no account information; like any web request it exposes your IP address to our hosting provider while it is served.
Cookies
We use no cookies and no analytics. Signing in stores a session token in your browser's local storage; it exists only to keep you signed in and is removed when you sign out.
A note on how the Mac app works
The Mac app installs a system audio device to capture what your Mac plays. Like any audio device on macOS, audio routed to it can be read by other programs on your own Mac that you have given audio permission to. Nothing about that leaves your computer.
Legal bases and international transfers
Where GDPR applies: we process your account details and device registrations because they are necessary to provide the service you bought (contract); the small security log is processed under our legitimate interest in preventing account sharing and fraud; text-message marketing happens only with your consent, which you can withdraw at any time. Our service providers above are based in the United States, so your data is transferred there; each provider commits to GDPR-compliant safeguards such as standard contractual clauses or Data Privacy Framework certification. You also have the right to complain to your local data-protection authority.
Your rights & data deletion
You can delete your account yourself, at any time, from your account page. It removes your sign-in and your registered Macs immediately. You can also email support@phonecast.app if you'd rather we did it. Depending on where you live, you may also have the right to access, correct, or export the limited data we hold. Because we hold so little (your name, email, and phone number, your device registrations, and a short security log) these requests are quick to honor.
Data retention
We keep your account details (name, email, and phone number) for as long as your account exists. A device registration is removed when you sign out on that Mac; stale registrations (30+ days unused) and security-log entries older than 90 days are cleared the next time your account checks in. When you delete your account we remove your sign-in, name, phone number, device registrations, and security log. We retain only the purchase record (the email you bought with and the transaction details) for refunds, tax, and accounting; it also means signing up again with the same email restores the license you paid for. Stripe retains transaction records per its own policy and applicable law.
Children
Phonecast is a tool for audio professionals and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect data from children.
Changes to this policy
If we change this policy we'll update the date above and, for material changes, note it in the app or by email. Continued use after a change means you accept the updated policy.
Questions about your privacy? Email support@phonecast.app. A real person reads it.