Privacy Policy

Effective: February 9, 2025

StepBack is designed with privacy at its core. Almost everything happens on your device. This policy explains what data exists, what leaves your device, and what doesn't.

1. Data That Stays on Your Device

The following data is stored locally on your device and is never sent to any server:

• Podcast subscriptions and library data
• Playback history and episode progress
• Captured audio clips from podcast episodes
• Transcripts generated by on-device Whisper AI
• Insights and action items extracted from your captures
• App settings and preferences
• Onboarding information (interests and job details you provide for personalized insights)

All local data is stored using SQLite and AsyncStorage. Uninstalling StepBack permanently deletes all of this data from your device.

2. Third-Party Services

StepBack uses a small number of third-party services. Here is exactly what data each receives:

OpenRouter (AI Processing)
When a capture is processed, the transcript text (not audio) is sent to OpenRouter's API to extract actionable insights. No personal information, account data, or device identifiers are included in these requests.

Podcast Index (Search)
When you search for podcasts, your search query is sent to the Podcast Index API. No personal information is attached to these requests.

Sentry (Crash Reporting)
If the app crashes, an anonymous crash report is sent to Sentry. These reports contain technical information about the error (stack trace, device model, OS version) but no personal data, podcast activity, or captured content.

3. No Account Required

StepBack does not require you to create an account, sign in, or provide any personal information to use the app. There is no user registration, email collection, or authentication system.

4. No Tracking or Analytics

StepBack does not use any analytics services, tracking pixels, advertising SDKs, or fingerprinting technologies. We do not track your usage patterns, listening habits, or behavior within the app.

5. No Data Sharing or Selling

We do not sell, rent, share, or trade your data with any third parties for any purpose. The limited data sent to third-party services (described in Section 2) is used solely to provide the app's core functionality.

6. Local Storage

All app data is stored locally on your device using SQLite (structured data) and AsyncStorage (preferences). This data exists only on your device and is not backed up to any cloud service by StepBack. Your device's own backup settings (e.g., iCloud, Google backup) may include app data according to your device configuration.

7. Children's Privacy

StepBack is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect any information from children. Since no account or personal information is required to use the app, no age verification is performed.

8. Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Any changes will be reflected on this page with an updated effective date. Continued use of the app after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

9. Contact

If you have questions about this privacy policy or StepBack's data practices, please contact us at [email protected].