Recording conversations requires absolute trust in the tool doing the recording. Listen was designed from the outset around a single privacy principle: your conversations belong to you, not to us.
What never touches our servers
Listen does not store your audio recordings on shared servers. Your transcriptions are not read, analysed, or used for model training. No personal profile is created beyond an anonymous quota identifier. Your audio stays in your personal iCloud Drive, encrypted by Apple. The only data that leaves your device is the audio sent for AI processing - in transit, immediately discarded.
Regulatory compliance across jurisdictions
In the UK, Listen's architecture is compatible with UK GDPR requirements for data minimisation and storage limitation. In the US, where CCPA (California) and a growing patchwork of state privacy laws apply, the absence of server-side data retention means Listen has minimal compliance surface. In the EU/EEA, the combination of Apple's encryption and Listen's zero-retention server policy satisfies GDPR's core principles. For healthcare contexts where HIPAA (US) or NHS data governance (UK) applies, see our article on medical consultations with Listen.
For maximum security, enable Advanced Data Protection in iOS Settings → your Apple ID → iCloud. This activates end-to-end encryption for all iCloud Drive content, including your Listen recordings.
Read our full privacy policy for complete technical details.