Popy is local-first — your data lives on your Mac, not in our cloud. Here's exactly what that means.
Your notes, meetings, reads and contacts live in a database on your own Mac. That's the source of truth — not a copy on someone else's cloud.
We don't keep your content. There's no archive of your work sitting on our side waiting to be breached, subpoenaed, or sold.
Our agreements with the providers behind Popy's AI features ensure your content isn't used to train AI. It's written into our terms.
The local database is encrypted, so even on your own device, what's inside stays unreadable to anything that shouldn't have it.
The honest version, including the part most "private" apps leave out.
Everything you capture is written to the encrypted database on your Mac. Day to day, your data simply doesn't leave.
When you transcribe a meeting or generate a summary, that specific content is sent to our model providers to do the work, then it's gone. It isn't retained, and it isn't used for training. We send the minimum needed and nothing more.
Sharing your context with an outside AI over MCP only happens when you switch it on — and you control exactly what it can see, item by item.
Local-first isn't only about where data sits. It's about who's in charge of it.
Your data is yours to take. Export it in open formats, whenever you want, no questions asked.
Delete anything, or everything. When it's gone from your Mac, it's gone — there's no shadow copy to chase down.
Connecting an AI like Claude or ChatGPT? You choose exactly what it can read and write, and you can revoke it any time.
We built Popy to hold the most personal record of your work there is. The only way that's acceptable is if it's genuinely yours. So it is.
Download for MacYour data is stored on your device. We don't keep copies of your notes, articles, meetings, or anything you save. Some features — like syncing, digests, and browser extension saves — require data to pass through our servers temporarily to work, but we don't read it, sell it, or use it for anything other than delivering that feature. When we use AI for transcription or summaries, that data is processed and discarded — never used to train models. We track basic usage stats (like how many minutes of audio were transcribed) to understand costs and usage patterns, but we never see the actual content.
That's the gist. The rest of this document explains exactly how it all works.
We're the Popy team — a small group of builders who miss some of the iconic apps like Pocket and Wanderlust, and who are strong believers in AI making humans smarter and more efficient, not yet doing things for them (might get there soon).
If you have questions about this policy, contact us at: team@getpopy.com
This includes:
Where this data lives: On your device. We do not maintain copies of this data on our servers, and the primary store of all your content is always your device.
When data may pass through our servers: Certain features require your data to be temporarily transmitted to our servers in order to function. These include syncing across devices, delivering personalised digests, processing browser extension saves, and maintaining the configuration necessary to provide these features. In all such cases, data is used solely to deliver the feature you activated, is transmitted securely (encrypted in transit), and is not used for any other purpose. See Section 3.2 for more detail.
If you create a Popy account, we collect:
We collect anonymised, aggregate usage statistics to understand how Popy is used and to manage costs. This includes:
What we don't collect: The actual content of your notes, articles, meetings, voice memos, or any other data you create. We see that "a transcription request was made" but not what was said.
When you use Popy, we may automatically collect:
Your data powers all of Popy's core features — search, organisation, connections between items, and more. This processing happens on your device.
Some features cannot operate entirely on your device. When you use these features, limited data is transmitted to our servers:
In all of these cases: we do not read, sell, or repurpose your content. Data transmitted to our servers is used solely for the purpose of delivering the feature, is encrypted in transit, and we make commercially reasonable efforts to ensure its security at rest.
Certain features require sending data to third-party AI providers. Our agreements with these providers ensure:
We use anonymised, aggregate usage data to:
If you've provided your email, we may send:
We will never sell your email address or share it with third parties for marketing.
Your content lives on your device, under your control. We do not have routine access to it.
All data transmitted between your device and our servers, or between your device and third-party providers, is encrypted using TLS/HTTPS.
Where data is temporarily processed or stored on our servers (see Section 3.2), we apply commercially reasonable security measures to protect it. However, no method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
We follow the principle of data minimisation — we only collect and transmit what we need to provide and improve the Service.
Popy uses third-party services for audio transcription, AI processing, and payment processing. We select providers with strong privacy practices and data protection agreements. When your data is sent to a third-party provider, it is governed by that provider's privacy policy in addition to ours. We encourage you to review their policies.
Your notes, articles, meetings, and other content are stored on your device. We don't maintain permanent copies, so we don't have retention policies for this data — you control it entirely.
Where data has been temporarily transmitted to our servers to deliver a feature (Section 3.2), it is retained only as long as necessary to provide that feature and is removed promptly thereafter.
If you have an account, we retain your email and account details for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we delete this information within 30 days.
Anonymised usage statistics may be retained indefinitely for aggregate analysis. This data cannot be tied back to you or your content.
Depending on where you live, you may have the following rights:
You can request a copy of any personal data we hold about you (primarily account information and usage data associated with your account).
You can request deletion of your account and associated data. Since your content is stored on your device, deleting it is as simple as deleting it within the app or uninstalling Popy.
You can update your account information at any time in the app settings.
You can opt out of non-essential communications at any time.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at team@getpopy.com.
Your content — notes, articles, meetings, voice memos, tasks, and all related data — is stored on your device. We do not have access to this data and cannot read, modify, or delete it remotely. When you delete content within Popy or uninstall the app, that data remains on your device under your control.
If you need assistance clearing local data from your device, contact us at team@getpopy.com and we will guide you through the process.
Certain features require temporary server-side processing or storage (see Section 3.2). When you delete the app or your account, any server-side data associated with these features is automatically deleted within 4 hours.
Popy does not require an account to use. If you connected a Google account to Popy (for example, for calendar integration), that data was stored on your device and not on our servers.
If you created a Popy account, your account information (email, payment history) is deleted within 30 days of account deletion. Anonymised usage statistics are retained but cannot be connected to you.
Popy is not intended for anyone under 18, and you must be at least 18 to use the Service. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If you believe someone under 18 has provided us with personal information, please contact us at team@getpopy.com and we'll remove it.
If you're located outside the United States, please note that data sent to our AI providers or processed by our servers may be handled in different countries. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place through our data processing agreements with these providers.
We may update this privacy policy from time to time. If we make significant changes, we'll notify you through the app or via email before the changes take effect.
The "Last updated" date at the top indicates when this policy was last revised.
If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this privacy policy or your data, contact us at:
Email: team@getpopy.com
Web: getpopy.com
| Data type | Stored where | Shared with | Retention |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your content (notes, articles, etc.) | Your device | AI providers for processing (then discarded); our servers temporarily for sync, digests, and extension features | You control it |
| Account info (email) | Our servers | Payment provider | Until account deletion + 30 days |
| Usage statistics | Our servers | No one | Indefinitely (anonymised) |
| Payment info | Payment provider | — | Per provider policy |