Retext

Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 2026

Introduction

Retext ("we", "our", or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your information when you use our macOS text expansion application.

Information We Collect

Local Data

Your snippets and application preferences are stored locally on your Mac using macOS UserDefaults. This data never leaves your device unless you explicitly choose to use cloud features.

Teams

If you join a team, the team's shared snippets are stored on our servers so every member can use them, and a copy is kept on each member's Mac. Your personal snippets are not shared with the team.

Dictation and Notes

Dictation is transcribed on your Mac; the audio and the text aren't sent to our server. Retext keeps the text of your last 50 dictations on your Mac until you turn dictation history off. Notes are recorded and transcribed on the device that made them. Recordings and transcripts stay on that device.

Keyboard Input

Retext requires Accessibility permissions to detect trigger keywords as you type. We maintain a small rolling buffer (50 characters) to match triggers. This buffer is processed entirely on your device and is never transmitted, logged, or stored permanently.

License Information

If you purchase a Pro license, we store your license key locally to validate your subscription. License validation requests are sent to Polar.sh, our payment processor, to verify your subscription status.

AI Generation (Pro Feature)

When you use AI-powered snippet generation, your prompts are sent to our backend API which processes them using Anthropic's Claude API. We do not store your prompts or generated content beyond what is necessary to complete the request.

Analytics

The Mac app sends a small number of usage events to PostHog so we can see which features people use and where they get stuck. The rule for every event: analytics never include what you type or say. No snippet text, no triggers, no AI prompts or results, no clipboard contents, no URLs and no window titles. Events carry counts and simple labels only.

What the app records today

  • The app opened, went to the background or was updated
  • A snippet was created or deleted, and whether it was personal or a team snippet
  • A snippet was expanded, and when you expanded your first one
  • Starter snippets were added, or a prompt template from this website was added (which public template)
  • An AI generation started or finished
  • You signed in (with Google or Apple) or signed out
  • A team was created or joined
  • A license was activated
  • The tutorial was started, practiced, finished or skipped
  • A referral code was applied, or you copied your referral code or link
  • You created a free account, and whether you did it from Settings or after reaching a limit
  • You gave Retext Accessibility permission, and how many seconds after it asked
  • You reached a limit of your plan, which limit it was (such as snippets, AI generations or Remote dictation) and your plan
  • An upgrade prompt was shown, or you clicked through to checkout, which prompt it was and, for team plans, which plan
  • A dictation started or finished: hold-to-talk or hands-free, which engine, how it ended, how many seconds it took and how many words it inserted
  • Polish rewrote a dictation, and which polish mode it used
  • A voice command was used, by the command's name (such as new line)
  • A note was summarized on your Mac, whether that worked and how many action items it found
  • You accepted your first autocomplete suggestion
  • For each day you used Retext: how many expansions, dictations, dictated words and seconds, autocomplete suggestions shown, accepted or dismissed, polishes and voice commands, and in how many apps

Each event includes the app version, your macOS version and whether it came from a test build. To count installs, the app uses a salted hash of your Mac's hardware ID instead of the ID itself. If you sign in, events are linked to your account and your plan (free, Pro or team).

Turning it off

You can turn analytics off in Retext's Settings. The app then stops sending these events, and it asks our server not to record events for the requests the app makes. A few events on our side can't see this setting, so it doesn't stop them: our server still records when it sends an onboarding email, whether that email was delivered, opened or clicked, and when someone picks a template on this website to add to the app. Those events are recorded under a random ID, so they aren't linked to you, your account or your Mac.

On this website

retext.io uses Fathom for page views and PostHog for a few clicks, such as the Download button.

How We Use Your Information

  • To provide text expansion functionality
  • To validate your license status
  • To process AI generation requests (if you use this feature)
  • To improve our application and services

Data Security

We take data security seriously. Your snippets are stored locally on your device. Any sensitive information, such as API keys, is stored in the macOS Keychain, Apple's secure credential storage system.

Third-Party Services

Polar.sh

We use Polar.sh to process payments and manage subscriptions. When you purchase a license, Polar.sh handles the transaction. Please review Polar.sh's Privacy Policy for information about how they handle your data.

Anthropic

AI generation features use Anthropic's Claude API. Prompts you submit for AI generation are processed by Anthropic. Please review Anthropic's Privacy Policy for information about how they handle data.

Sparkle

We use Sparkle for automatic updates. Sparkle may collect anonymous usage statistics to help us understand how updates are performing. No personally identifiable information is collected.

Your Rights

Since your data is stored locally on your device, you have full control over it. You can:

  • Delete all your snippets at any time within the app
  • Email us if you'd like help removing Retext's local data from your Mac
  • Delete your Retext account and the data stored with it from within the app, or by contacting us

Children's Privacy

Retext is not intended for use by children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at support@retext.io.