Privacy Policy

Overview

uListen ("the service", "we", "our") is available as a free Chrome browser extension, an Android mobile app, and an iOS mobile app. uListen makes YouTube podcasts searchable and memorable with AI-powered summaries, searchable transcripts, speaker-labeled captions, and smart playback controls for YouTube videos. On Chrome, the extension only operates on YouTube (youtube.com) and cannot access your browsing activity on other websites. This privacy policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, and your rights regarding your data.

Summary: We collect your email address to identify your account and track usage. Video IDs are sent to check if analysis (summaries, transcripts, captions) is available. Standard server logs (IP addresses, video IDs, search terms, timestamps) are kept for 90 days. We do not sell data or use it for advertising. The iOS app works without any sign-in and never collects an email address.

Privacy at a Glance

Here's how we handle your data:

Data Collection

This section describes all data the service (extension and apps) collects and does not collect.

Data Handling

Data is transmitted to our server via encrypted HTTPS:

• Email address: Sent once during authentication to identify your account
• Video IDs: Sent when you visit a video to check if analysis (summaries, transcripts, captions) is available
• Catalog requests: The extension and apps fetch the list of supported podcast channels, episode details for individual channels, and search results when you search the catalog
• Search queries: Sent when you search the podcast catalog to return matching episodes. Catalog search works without sign-in, so queries are not tied to your account. Queries are not stored in our database, but they can appear in temporary server logs that are kept for up to 90 days. This includes the host and guest name picker in the mobile apps, which sends the name text as you type so we can suggest matching people; these lookups are handled the same way as other search queries. On iOS, recent search text can also appear in a crash report's activity breadcrumbs (see Crash Reporting)
• Video playback (iOS): Episodes stream directly from YouTube inside the app. Our servers never proxy or log the video stream. While a video plays, YouTube receives the same standard playback data as when watching on youtube.com

All transmission uses TLS 1.2+ encryption. Your email is used only to identify your account and track usage, never for marketing or sold to third parties.

Data Storage

All data storage is designed to be minimal and privacy-preserving.

Data Sharing

We do not sell user data or share it for advertising purposes.

Chrome Permissions Explained

The extension requests these permissions for the following specific purposes:

For future premium features (usage tracking, subscriptions), the extension may request additional permissions to read your Chrome profile email for account identification.

Android App Permissions Explained

The Android app requests these permissions for the following specific purposes:

iOS App Permissions Explained

The iOS app requests a single permission, for the following specific purpose:

The iOS app requests no other permissions: no notifications, no camera or microphone, no location, and no tracking. No App Tracking Transparency prompt appears because uListen does not track you across other companies' apps or websites; the embedded YouTube player's own data collection is described under Data Sharing.

Notification Data Handling (Android)

The Android app's Smart Detection feature reads YouTube notification titles to identify when a supported podcast episode is playing. This data is handled as follows:

• Notification titles from YouTube are used for local fuzzy matching only and are never sent to our servers
• Non-YouTube notifications are discarded immediately in the first line of our notification handler without being read, stored, or transmitted
• No notification content is logged, cached, or persisted in any form

Android Local Data Storage

The following data is stored locally on your Android device:

All local data is deleted when you uninstall the app. To clear data without uninstalling, use Android Settings > Apps > uListen > Clear Data.

iOS Local Data Storage

The following data is stored locally on your iOS device:

Episode titles and channel names from the public catalog are also indexed on-device with Apple's CoreSpotlight so episodes appear in iOS search (Spotlight). This index stays on your device, is never transmitted, and is removed when you uninstall the app. The Live Activity and Dynamic Island display show transient analysis progress only: the state ends when analysis completes or the app closes, and nothing is stored or transmitted.

None of this data is synced to any server by uListen. Like most apps, this local data is included in your device's own iCloud or computer backups if you have backups turned on; backups are controlled by you and Apple, we never receive them and cannot read them, and a copy may remain in your backups until those backups are replaced or deleted. All local data is deleted when you uninstall the app; the iOS app does not currently offer a separate clear-data option. Cookies set by the embedded YouTube player (see the Data Sharing section) live in the app's web storage and also persist until you uninstall the app.

Account & Email

The service's core features, including captions, summaries, transcripts, and podcast catalog, work without any account or sign-in. When you visit a supported video, the service fetches analysis using only the video ID.

For premium features (usage tracking, subscriptions), we may access your email address:

• Chrome extension: Read from your Chrome browser profile (no separate sign-in required)
• Android app: Obtained via Google Credential Manager sign-in (Google Account picker)
• iOS app: No sign-in exists in the iOS app today. Every feature works without an account, and the iOS app never collects an email address
• Sent to our server to identify your account
• Stored locally on your device for convenience
• Never used for marketing or shared with third parties

If you're not signed in, the service still works for basic features.

AI-Generated Content

The service displays AI-generated summaries, transcripts, and speaker identifications for supported podcast episodes. This content is pre-processed on our servers from publicly available video content. We do not process your personal viewing activity with AI.

AI-generated content is provided for informational purposes. Summaries are interpretive and highlight what our AI identifies as key points. Transcripts are high-accuracy but may contain errors, particularly with technical terms or proper nouns. Speaker identification is automated and may occasionally misattribute dialogue.

If you notice errors in AI-generated content, please contact us at support@ulisten.ai.

Data Security

Crash Reporting (Android & iOS)

The Android app uses Firebase Crashlytics for crash reporting in production builds only. When a crash occurs:

• An anonymized crash report is sent to Firebase Crashlytics, including stack traces and device information (OS version, device model)
• No email address or personally identifiable information is included in crash reports (PII is stripped before sending)
• Crash reporting is disabled in debug/development builds
• Crash data is retained by Firebase Crashlytics for 90 days

The iOS app uses Sentry for crash reporting and performance diagnostics in production builds only. When a crash occurs:

• An anonymized crash report is sent to Sentry, including stack traces, device information (OS version, device model), and recent in-app activity breadcrumbs: a short rolling log of screens viewed, log messages, and the web addresses of the app's recent requests to our servers, which can include catalog search terms you typed shortly before the report
• No email address or personally identifiable information is included in crash reports, and crash data is not linked to your identity
• Crash data is not used for tracking or advertising
• Reports are grouped under a random identifier created when the app is installed. It is not derived from you or your device, is used only to group reports from the same installation, and resets if you delete and reinstall the app
• Crash reporting is disabled in debug/development builds
• Crash data is retained by Sentry for up to 90 days

Beyond crashes, the iOS app also reports to Sentry when the app hangs or is terminated by the system, and when you tap a special uListen diagnostic link that we may send you during a support conversation (a diagnostic report is never triggered automatically). Each time you launch the app it also sends a brief anonymous session signal (app version, OS version, device model) so we can measure crash-free usage. These diagnostic reports follow the same rules as crash reports: no email address, no identity linkage, and retention of up to 90 days.

Extension Error Reporting

The Chrome extension includes automatic error reporting to help us detect and fix issues that prevent the extension from working correctly:

• When a feature fails to load (e.g., the panel or player controls do not appear), an automatic report is sent containing the extension version, Chrome version, and which page elements were present or missing
• You can also submit a manual bug report from the panel header, which includes the above plus recent extension log entries and basic settings
• No personal data is included in error reports: no email address, no authentication tokens, no browsing history, and no content from other extensions or YouTube's internal logging
• Log entries are scoped to our own extension output only (entries prefixed with [uListen-])
• Error reports are stored in Google Cloud Storage and retained for 90 days

Your Rights

Under GDPR, CCPA, and similar privacy regulations, you have rights regarding your personal data. While server logs contain IP addresses (which may be considered personal data under some regulations), here is how we handle your rights:

• Right to Access: Contact us to request any data associated with your email address or IP
• Right to Deletion: You can delete your account at any time. Server logs are automatically deleted after 90 days.
• Right to Deletion (iOS app): There is no account to delete. Uninstalling the app removes all data stored on your device, and the only server-side records of your use (server logs and anonymous crash and diagnostic reports, which are keyed to a random identifier we cannot link to you) delete automatically within 90 days
• Right to Portability: Contact us if you need a copy of your data
• Right to Opt-Out: You can uninstall the extension or the mobile apps at any time

To remove all local data, simply uninstall the extension from Chrome or the app from your Android or iOS device. This will delete all locally stored preferences and data.

To exercise these rights, contact us at support@ulisten.ai

Google API Compliance & Limited Use

The use of information received from Google APIs adheres to the Chrome Web Store User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements:

Children's Privacy

uListen is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us personal information, contact us at support@ulisten.ai and we will delete it.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. If we make significant changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Continued use of the service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this privacy policy or the service's data practices, please contact us at: support@ulisten.ai

Developer Information

uListen is developed and maintained by the uListen team.
Website: https://ulisten.ai