Privacy Policy

Effective Date: February 25, 2026

Introduction

Offscript (“we,” “our,” or “us”) is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we handle your data when you use the Offscript mobile application.

Data Collection and Usage

Audio Recordings: We request the RECORD_AUDIO permission to allow you to record voice notes. These recordings are processed locally on your device using the Whisper model for transcription. Audio data never leaves your device.
Text Notes: Your transcribed notes and any text you enter are stored locally on your device in an encrypted database.
Permissions:
- RECORD_AUDIO — Required for voice recording.
- INTERNET — Used exclusively to download transcription and embedding models from Hugging Face upon initial setup. No user data is transmitted over the internet.
- BIOMETRIC — Used to provide secure access to the app if enabled by the user.

Data Sharing

We do not share, sell, or transmit any of your personal data, audio recordings, or notes to third parties or our own servers. All processing is performed on-device.

Data Security

Encryption: Audio files are encrypted using AES-256-GCM with keys managed by the Android Keystore. The notes database is encrypted using SQLCipher.
Local Processing: All AI models (Whisper for transcription and ONNX for semantic search) run entirely on your device.
Backup Policy: Android's automatic cloud backup is disabled for this application to ensure that your sensitive notes and keys are never uploaded to the cloud by the operating system.

Data Retention and Deletion

Your data remains on your device until you delete individual notes or uninstall the application. We do not have access to your data and cannot recover it if lost.

App Access

Device Lock Requirement: Offscript requires a secure device lock (PIN, pattern, password, or biometrics) to be set up on the device. This is used to protect the encrypted notes stored within the app. The app will prompt for authentication every time it is opened or brought to the foreground.
Privacy Features: The app uses FLAG_SECURE to prevent screenshots and hide the app's content from the recent apps' overview (task switcher).
Model Download: A one-time internet connection is required on the first launch to download the necessary AI models (~100 MB total). No account or login is required.

Foreground Service & Model Download

On first launch, OffScript uses an Android Foreground Service to download the initial AI models (~100 MB) required for on-device transcription and semantic search.

A foreground service is required because Android restricts long-running background work. Without it, the OS may suspend the download mid-transfer when the app is backgrounded, leaving the models in a corrupt or incomplete state. The foreground service keeps the download active and reliable while displaying a persistent notification so you can see progress — and optionally switch to another app while it completes. Once the models are downloaded, the service stops automatically and is never used again.

One-time only: The service runs exactly once on first launch and terminates as soon as the download finishes.
No data collected: The service only contacts Hugging Face model repositories to fetch the model weights. No personal data is transmitted.
Transparent: A notification is shown throughout the download so you always know it is happening.

The video below demonstrates the foreground service notification during the initial model download.

Recording Foreground Service

While you are recording, OffScript runs an Android microphone foreground service. It starts when you tap record and stops when the recording stops. It is not active at any other time.

The service is required because Android does not allow a backgrounded app to keep using the microphone. Without it, the system silently returns empty audio the moment you switch apps or turn the screen off — a lecture or meeting would be captured as silence, with the correct duration and no indication anything had gone wrong. The service keeps the recording running, and shows a persistent notification for as long as the microphone is in use.

You start it: The service runs only in response to you tapping record, and ends when the recording ends.
Nothing is transmitted: Audio is written to encrypted storage on your device. The service makes no network requests.
Always visible: A notification and the Android microphone indicator are shown the whole time the microphone is active.

The video below demonstrates a recording started by the user continuing while the app is in the background, with the ongoing notification visible.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at [email protected].