Your audio and data

Local tools and cloud tools

Tools marked Local processing read audio or subtitle files inside your browser. Those tools do not upload the file to SoundHalo. Microphone testing also runs locally. Cloud transcription, noise reduction and normalization upload audio to the SoundHalo API.

Only upload recordings you have permission to process. Avoid sensitive recordings unless you are comfortable with the storage and provider behavior described below.

Uploaded and processed audio

SoundHalo stores source audio and generated audio files in Cloudflare R2. They are not deleted immediately when processing finishes. Access to an audio asset expires 30 days after its creation. Link expiry is an access restriction, not confirmation that the storage object has been deleted.

The cloud tools have a Delete stored audio control. It removes SoundHalo audio files uploaded or generated in that page session. Use it before closing or leaving the page. The control remains available after a processing error. An API client can delete an asset using its asset token through DELETE /v1/assets/:id.

Deletion removes the stored audio file and its asset metadata and revokes its token. A token-hash-keyed deletion receipt is retained for seven days so a failed or interrupted deletion request can be retried. Results already loaded into your browser, files you downloaded, in-flight processing and copies held by a speech provider are not erased by this control.

Automatic storage cleanup is configured for source and generated audio objects in SoundHalo's API audio bucket after 30 days. Cloudflare performs lifecycle deletion asynchronously, so the 30-day access limit is not an exact physical-deletion deadline. The audio cleanup rules do not target saved account transcripts, job results or website images. New uploads' asset metadata and access tokens expire seven days after audio access expires, unless you delete the audio sooner. Older metadata records may remain until separately cleaned up. Expiring metadata does not itself delete stored audio.

Transcripts and job results

Transcripts displayed in the public tool workbench remain in browser memory until you leave the page. Download your work if you want to keep it. Output presets store settings on your device, not recordings or transcript text.

Async processing also stores job status and results on SoundHalo so the browser can retrieve them. Deleting an audio asset does not delete its job result. Signed-in account transcripts are stored separately on SoundHalo and can be deleted from the account library. They do not share the audio asset's 30-day access deadline.

Speech providers and email

Cloud transcription sends audio to a speech provider. Supported providers are Lemonfox, Groq, OpenAI, ElevenLabs and Google Gemini. Provider fallback can send a recording to another provider if an attempt fails. Provider copies, logs, retention and data-use rules depend on that provider's policies and account configuration. Deleting SoundHalo audio does not send a deletion request to those providers.

If you request a transcript by email, we send your email address and transcript to Plunk for delivery. The delivered email and the email provider's records are separate from audio storage.

Accounts, usage and analytics

SoundHalo supports accounts through Clerk. Account authentication can use cookies and account identifiers. We process account and plan information to provide access to the signed-in app.

If you choose Google sign-in, Google shares your name, profile picture and email address with SoundHalo through Clerk for authentication. This sign-in requests basic identity permissions, not access to Gmail, Google Drive or your recordings.

When subscription billing is available, payments and billing details are handled directly by Stripe's hosted checkout and customer portal, not Clerk Billing. SoundHalo sends Stripe your account identifier and stores the linked Stripe customer and checkout identifiers to verify subscription access. Card details are entered on Stripe, not stored by SoundHalo. Audio and transcript content are not sent to Stripe.

Deleting your sign-in account schedules cancellation of its SoundHalo subscriptions and expiry of open checkouts. SoundHalo retains a minimal billing closure record and linked identifiers to reconcile cancellation and prevent a closed account from starting billing again. Cancellation can take time if Stripe is unavailable. It does not automatically refund earlier payments or remove Stripe records, saved transcripts, job results or provider copies. Delete saved transcripts from the library before closing your account, or contact us about remaining data.

The API uses request metadata, IP-derived usage identifiers, timestamps, operation names, recording durations and processing parameters for rate limits, abuse prevention and processing allowances. Deleting audio does not reset an allowance or erase those operational records.

When configured, PostHog receives page visits, referring site domains and product events such as tool use, completed local analyses or conversions, download requests and upgrade actions. Local-tool events contain the tool name, operation, result category and output format, not your audio, filename, caption text or error messages. URL query strings and fragments are removed. Session recording, automatic interaction capture, surveys and person profiles are disabled. We request that PostHog not use IP addresses for location enrichment.

PostHog's browser identifier is held in page memory, not an analytics cookie or persistent browser identifier. Separate local-storage markers prevent repeated account milestone events. Analytics respects browser Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control signals. Account authentication and saved tool settings can still use browser storage independently of analytics.

Deletion requests and questions

Use the tool's audio deletion control or the signed-in transcript library where available. For account data, operational records or other privacy questions, contact privacy@soundhalo.com. Tell us which service and data your request concerns. Do not email audio files or secret asset tokens unless we arrange a safe way to provide them.

We update this page when our data handling changes. The date above identifies this version.