Seeing is Hearing Privacy Policy

Effective date: 12 September 2026

Current TestFlight version: 1.1 build 17. Apple Watch support is on hold and is not included in this build. The microphone input is on the iPhone or iPad.

Seeing is Hearing turns nearby speech into readable text on your device. The app does not collect personal data or sell it to others. It has no account, advertising, analytics, or tracking features.

Microphone and speech

When you tap Start and grant the necessary permissions, the microphone device receives nearby speech. In a paired session, either device can start, pause, or clear the conversation after both devices confirm the connection. Apple’s on-device speech recognition processes the audio locally and returns text for the screen. Speech recognition does not send audio or recognized text to us, Apple’s speech recognition servers, or another service.

The microphone device requires on-device recognition for its current language. A paired reader displays the resulting text and does not need speech recognition or microphone permission. If that capability is unavailable, the app explains the problem and does not switch to online recognition. It does not download speech models.

The iPhone or iPad must remain open in the foreground while listening. Pausing or leaving that app stops capture and headphone sound. Leaving either nearby caption app closes that connection; a lost or unresponsive connection also pauses listening. Returning does not restart listening automatically.

Optional nearby captions (version 1.1 and later)

You can choose to connect two nearby devices, for example an iPhone near the person speaking and an iPad for reading. This feature uses Apple’s local networking framework. It does not need an internet connection, a server, an account, or a subscription.

While you connect, the app advertises or discovers a device display name and the app’s connection service on the local network. Only one device can be paired at a time. Both devices must confirm a matching number before they can exchange conversation text, listening status, or Start, Pause, and Clear controls. The connection is encrypted. Microphone audio is never sent to the paired caption reader; only the resulting captions and session controls are sent to that device.

A new pairing starts with an empty conversation. Text received on the reader is held only in temporary memory. Previously connected devices are not remembered or automatically trusted after disconnection. You can disconnect at any time, or revoke Local Network access in Settings. Clear while connected removes the current conversation from both app displays once the microphone device acknowledges it. If disconnected, Clear removes only the text on the device where you tap it.

To avoid duplicate entries when reconnecting, the app saves a random identity for this installation on this device. This identity is excluded from device backups and does not contain conversation text or pairing secrets. You can also choose a device name in Connect devices. The name is saved as a local preference and is visible to nearby devices while connecting. A saved name or identity never bypasses the matching-number confirmation.

Optional live audio

You can choose to hear nearby speech through compatible headphones or hearing devices connected directly to the microphone iPhone or iPad. Compatibility depends on the accessory and the audio connection supplied by iOS; it is not guaranteed for every hearing device.

Live audio is processed in temporary memory and plays through the microphone device's connected accessory. It does not create an audio recording, send audio over the internet, or send audio to the paired caption reader. The reader does not play microphone audio. The microphone device's system audio controls manage the accessory and its volume. Choosing live audio does not itself start the microphone; Start and Pause continue to control listening. Clear removes captions; the app has no audio replay or audio archive.

Mute switches off headphone sound while microphone capture, captions and the input meter continue. Pause stops listening and headphone audio together. The mute choice is held in memory through Pause and Clear during this app run; turning off headphone listening resets it. Opening the headphone setup screen does not itself pause an active conversation. Changing the headphone-listening switch pauses listening and requires Start again.

Microphone level

The microphone device displays a sound-level meter while listening. The meter shows incoming sound and uses temporary memory on the microphone device. It does not save audio, meter history, or a voice profile. Meter readings are not sent to the paired caption reader.

Temporary text and saved preferences

The current conversation is held in temporary memory. The app does not save audio recordings, conversation files, or transcript history. Tap Clear to remove the conversation from the display. Conversations are not restored after the app terminates.

You can select text and use the device’s Copy action. Copied text is placed on the system clipboard. iOS may make clipboard content available to other apps or your other devices according to your system settings, and a destination where you paste it may save or share it. Other system actions you choose for selected text are handled by iOS and the chosen destination. Clear removes the conversation in Seeing is Hearing; it does not erase copies, screenshots, or text you have sent elsewhere. The app has no conversation archive or dedicated export feature.

Tutorial completion, text size, appearance, keep-screen-awake, the device name, and headphone live audio are saved in the app’s local settings so you do not need to choose them each time. These preferences contain no conversation content. Deleting the app removes its local settings. Device backups may include settings according to your Apple backup configuration; the app does not use an account or sync service.

Your controls

You choose when to start and pause listening. You can revoke microphone and speech recognition access in the device’s Settings app. Speech recognition permission is used when the app needs Apple’s older on-device recognition service. Permission prompts are supplied by iOS.

Text visible on your screen may be seen by people nearby. Screenshots or screen recordings that you choose to make are managed by your device, outside this app.

Apple services and support

Apple operates the App Store, device permissions, system speech models, backups, and optional device diagnostics under its own privacy practices. This app has no analytics or crash-reporting service of its own.

For questions about this app or this policy, use the contact information on the App Support page linked from Seeing is Hearing’s App Store listing. A message you choose to send to the developer is separate from the app’s local conversation processing; do not include conversation text unless you wish to share it.

Policy changes

An updated policy will display a new effective date. Any change to the app’s handling of personal data will be reflected here and in its App Store privacy information.