Privacy policy

1. Who we are

metcha is an independent project. You can reach us at hello@metcha.io for any privacy-related question or request.

2. The short version

• We do not require an account to use metcha.
• Your conversations are not stored on our servers. The default translation path runs on your iPhone using Apple's on-device translation framework.
• Some features rely on third-party APIs (speech-to-text, premium voices, voice cloning, optional cloud-assisted translation). When you use those features, the relevant audio or text is sent to those providers under their own privacy terms.
• We do not sell your data. We do not use your conversations to train any model.
• You can email us to request access, correction, or deletion of anything we hold (a waitlist email, a stored voice clone, etc.).

3. What metcha collects on your device

The app needs a small amount of information to work. This data stays on your iPhone unless you take an action that sends it somewhere — for example, starting a translation session.

• Microphone audio — captured live during a session. Audio is processed in memory and discarded after the relevant turn is transcribed and translated. We do not write raw audio to disk.
• Conversation transcripts — stored locally on your device so you can replay, save, or export them. You can delete an individual transcript or clear your entire history at any time from inside the app.
• App settings — language pair, ear assignment, theme, voice preferences. Stored locally.
• Voice clone samples (metcha Plus only) — recorded by you to power "your voice in another language." Sample audio is uploaded to our voice-cloning provider to create the clone, then deleted from your device. The resulting clone identifier is stored so the app can use it. You can delete the clone at any time from Settings; doing so deletes it at the provider as well. The specific provider is named on the consent screen in the app, before you record any sample.

4. Categories of third-party services we use

metcha is built on a small set of trusted infrastructure providers. Below is the category-level list of who receives what, and why. We can name a specific sub-processor on request (email hello@metcha.io) and we name the relevant provider at the moment of consent inside the app for high-stakes processing such as voice cloning.

4.1 Apple (App Store, StoreKit, on-device frameworks)

We use Apple's on-device Translation framework as the default translation path. This work happens on your iPhone — text does not leave the device. Apple's privacy policy covers any data that the operating system itself may collect.

When you subscribe to metcha Plus, payment is processed by Apple through StoreKit. We do not see your payment details. Apple provides us with a transaction identifier and your subscription status so the app can unlock the right features.

4.2 Live speech-to-text provider

During a session, captured audio is streamed to a third-party live speech-to-text service for real-time transcription. The service receives only the audio required for the active turn and returns text to your device. Per their commercial terms, audio is not retained for training and is processed live.

4.3 Voice synthesis and voice-cloning provider

metcha Plus uses a third-party voice-synthesis service for premium voices and optional voice cloning. When the premium voice path is active, the translated text for each turn is sent to the provider, which returns synthesized audio. If you create a voice clone, your voice sample is sent to the provider; you can delete the clone at any time from inside metcha. The specific provider is named on the consent screen shown before you record a voice sample.

4.4 Cloud-assisted translation provider (optional, premium-only)

If you enable "Better Translation" in metcha Plus, source and translated text from a turn may be sent to a third-party cloud language model for a more natural rewrite. The provider's commercial terms state that API inputs and outputs are not used to train their models. The app falls back silently to Apple's on-device translation if the network is unavailable.

4.5 Real-time signaling provider (paired sessions)

When two phones are paired into a single conversation, a short-lived signaling exchange is brokered by a worker we operate at a third-party edge platform. The signaling data is ephemeral; voice and translation traffic between the two devices flows peer-to-peer and is not visible to us.

4.6 Form submission provider (waitlist email only)

The waitlist form on metcha.io is processed by a third-party form-submission service. We collect only the email address you submit, plus the timestamp. We use it to email you when metcha is available. You can ask us to delete your waitlist entry at any time.

5. What we do not collect

• We do not require — or have — user accounts.
• We do not collect your name, address, or phone number.
• We do not run third-party analytics or advertising SDKs in the iOS app.
• We do not sell, rent, or share personal data with brokers.
• We do not use your conversations or voice samples to train any model.

6. The marketing website (metcha.io)

We use a privacy-respecting analytics service to understand how many people visit metcha.io and which pages they read. The analytics provider does not use cookies, does not collect personal data, and does not fingerprint visitors. If we change this provider in the future, this section will be updated.

The site stores a small theme preference (metcha-theme) in your browser's local storage so dark mode persists between visits. That value never leaves your browser.

7. Children

metcha is intended for users aged 13 and older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has submitted information to us, contact hello@metcha.io and we will delete it.

8. Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you.
• Correct it if it is inaccurate.
• Delete it (right to erasure).
• Object to or restrict certain processing.
• Receive a copy of it in a portable format.
• Opt out of the "sale" or "sharing" of personal information — metcha does not sell or share personal information for advertising purposes.

To exercise any of these rights, email hello@metcha.io from the address associated with the request. We respond within 30 days.

9. Data retention

• On your device: kept until you delete it (transcripts, settings, cached voice clone identifier).
• Waitlist email: kept until launch is announced or until you ask us to delete it.
• Voice clone audio at the cloning provider: deleted when you delete the clone in metcha. Otherwise retained per the provider's policy.
• Live speech-to-text audio: processed live and not retained beyond the active session per the provider's terms.
• Subscription receipts: stored locally for entitlement validation; we do not maintain a server-side record.

10. Security

metcha communicates with all third-party services over HTTPS. The marketing site uses HSTS preload. We follow current Apple guidance on keychain storage and App Group isolation. No system is perfectly secure; if you become aware of a vulnerability, please disclose it responsibly to security@metcha.io.

11. International transfers

The third-party services listed in §4 are operated primarily in the United States. Where you are outside the United States, using metcha may result in your data being transferred to the U.S. for processing, under the legal mechanisms each provider maintains for international transfers (Standard Contractual Clauses, the EU–U.S. Data Privacy Framework, or equivalents).

12. Changes to this policy

We will update this policy when the product changes in a way that affects what we collect or who we send it to. The "Effective" and "Last updated" dates at the top of the page will change accordingly. For material changes, we'll surface a notice in the app the next time you open it.

13. Contact

Questions, requests, or concerns: hello@metcha.io.