Privacy Policy

Effective 2026-06-24Last updated 2026-07-20

SpellKey ("the App", "we", "us") is a macOS menu-bar dictation app published by WEIBIN LIN, an individual based in Australia. This policy explains what the App does and does not do with your data. Contact: [email protected].

1Data processed on your device only

The following never leaves your Mac and is never sent to us:

• Voice / audio. Recorded only while a recording is active — you tap the trigger key to start and tap again to stop — and transcribed by speech-recognition models that run locally on your Mac (SenseVoice, and optionally Qwen3 if you download it). Audio is held in memory for the duration of a recording and discarded after transcription. It is not stored as files and not transmitted to us.
• Transcribed text produced by fast dictation is pasted into the app you are using and is not retained by SpellKey beyond an in-memory list of your most recent transcripts. That list is memory-only, cleared when you quit SpellKey, and never written to disk.
• Selected text. In "selection" mode the App reads text you have selected in another app so it can act on it locally; this text is processed only as described in Section 2.
• Settings, usage statistics, and logs are stored locally on your Mac (in your Application Support folder and ~/Library/Logs/SpellKey.log).
• Your AI provider API key (if you use the BYOK feature) is stored in the macOS Keychain on your Mac and is never transmitted to us.

2Data you choose to send to a third-party AI provider (BYOK)

SpellKey's optional AI features (AI clean-up, translation, and acting on selected text) can run in two ways:

• Local model (on-device Qwen): the text is processed on your Mac and nothing leaves it.
• BYOK ("bring your own key"): if you configure your own OpenAI-compatible API endpoint, the relevant text (your dictated text and, in selection mode, the text you selected) is sent directly from your Mac to the AI provider you chose in order to produce the result. We are not a party to that request, do not proxy it, and do not receive or store that text. The privacy policy and terms of the AI provider you configure govern that data. You choose the provider and are responsible for reviewing its terms.

3Optional model downloads

If you choose to download an additional speech-recognition or local AI model, the App fetches model files over the network from the model's hosting source. This is a file download only; no personal data about you is sent in the request.

4macOS permissions and why they are needed

To function, SpellKey requests these macOS permissions. They are used only for the stated purpose and grant no data to us:

• Microphone — to record your voice while a recording is active (from when you tap the trigger key to start until you tap to stop), for on-device transcription.
• Accessibility — to paste transcribed text into the focused field and to read text you have selected.
• Input Monitoring — to detect your global trigger keys.

You can review or revoke these at any time in macOS System Settings > Privacy & Security.

5Purchases and payment

SpellKey is sold through Paddle.com, which acts as the Merchant of Record for your purchase. When you buy a license, Paddle collects and processes your payment and billing information under Paddle's Privacy Policy; we never receive or store your full payment card details. Paddle may share with us limited order information (such as your email address, country, and a record of your purchase) so we can deliver your download and provide support. We use that information only to fulfill and support your purchase.

Activation. To unlock the app after purchase, SpellKey sends your activation code and a one-way device fingerprint (a salted hash that cannot be reversed to identify your machine) to our activation server, which returns a signed license file stored locally on your Mac. Thereafter the app verifies your license offline and does not phone home for normal use. To honour refunds, the app periodically fetches an anonymous list of revoked licenses; that download does not identify you or reveal which license you hold. Our activation server never receives any audio, transcripts, or files.

Software updates. By default SpellKey checks for a software update once a day, requesting an update manifest from dl.spellkey.app; the request contains only your current version and system version and no personal data about you, and no audio, transcripts, or files. When a new version is available you can download and install it in one click from within the app. You can turn off automatic checks at any time in Settings > Help > Updates (manual checks remain available).

6Analytics, tracking, and error reporting

SpellKey contains no analytics, advertising, or third-party tracking, and does not transmit usage data to us. The App does include a problem-reporting feature (Settings → Help → Report a problem). It is opt-in: it only sends when you choose to, shows you exactly what will be sent beforehand so you can review and edit it, and never includes your dictated text.

About this website (spellkey.app): pages that offer a purchase load Paddle's checkout script (cdn.paddle.com) so the buy button can open the checkout; Paddle may set cookies for fraud prevention, as described in Paddle's own privacy policy. Beyond that, the site sets no analytics or advertising cookies, self-hosts all its fonts, and keeps only your language preference (zh/en) in browser local storage.

7Data retention and your rights

Because we hold essentially no personal data about you (only the limited order information from Paddle for purchases and support), there is little to retain. For purchase-related data, you may contact us at [email protected] to ask what we hold, request a copy, or request deletion. Payment records held by Paddle are subject to Paddle's policy and legal retention requirements.

8Children

SpellKey is not directed to children under 16 and we do not knowingly collect data from them.

9International users

The App processes data on your own device. For purchases, Paddle processes data internationally as described in its policy. We handle the limited order information we receive in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles; where applicable to you, we also honour rights under laws such as the GDPR.

10Changes to this policy

We may update this policy. Material changes will be reflected by the "Last updated" date above and posted at spellkey.app/privacy.

11Contact

WEIBIN LIN — [email protected]

You keep the non-excludable consumer rights of your country of residence, regardless of anything in this document.