Bellnote Privacy Policy

About this policy

This policy covers the Bellnote apps for iPhone and Mac, built by Second Bell. It describes what Bellnote stores, what (if anything) leaves your device, and the choices you have. The Second Bell website has its own privacy policy.

The short version: Bellnote has no account and no server of ours that receives your content. There is no analytics and no tracking. Your recordings, transcripts, and notes stay on your device unless you choose to use a cloud service with your own API key.

What Bellnote stores on your device

Bellnote saves your notes as plain Markdown files, with each transcript as its own linked file, in the folder or Obsidian vault you choose. Audio is used to produce a transcript and is deleted once the transcript is saved, unless you turn on “Keep audio recordings,” in which case recordings are stored in a local folder you control. Settings — including any API keys you add — are stored on the device, with keys kept in the system Keychain.

What leaves your device

By default, nothing. On-device transcription runs locally, and Bellnote has no backend of its own. Content leaves your device only when you turn on a feature that uses a cloud provider with your own API key:

• AI note enhancement (optional). If you enable it and add your own key, Bellnote sends the meeting title, your typed notes, the transcript, and — when calendar access is on — attendee names and emails to the AI provider you chose (Anthropic, OpenAI, OpenRouter, or a local/compatible endpoint). The request goes directly to that provider, authenticated with your key, and is governed by their terms and privacy policy. We never see it.
• Cloud transcription (optional). If you choose a cloud transcription service instead of the on-device one, your recording audio is sent directly from your device to that service (AssemblyAI or ElevenLabs) using your own key. With the default on-device transcription, your audio never leaves the device.
• On-device model download. The first time you use on-device transcription, Bellnote downloads the speech model from its public host. This transfers the model to your device; none of your recordings or notes are sent.

If you keep transcription on-device and do not enable AI enhancement, none of your recordings, transcripts, or notes leave your device.

Microphone and audio

The microphone is used only while you are recording, after you grant permission. On the Mac, capturing other participants’ audio additionally uses system-audio access that you grant. Audio is processed to produce your transcript and is not retained after the transcript is saved unless you have chosen to keep recordings.

Calendar access

Calendar access is optional and read-only. Bellnote uses it to detect meetings and title your notes, and — on iPhone — to remind you before upcoming meetings. You can limit which calendars Bellnote reads. Attendee names and emails only leave your device if you have AI enhancement enabled, as described above. Bellnote never writes to or shares your calendar.

Your API keys

API keys are optional and are used only to authenticate requests from your device to the provider you chose. They are stored in the device Keychain and are synced across your own devices through iCloud Keychain. Keys are never sent anywhere except to your chosen provider, and you can remove them at any time in Settings.

No analytics or tracking

Bellnote includes no advertising SDKs, no analytics SDKs, no tracking domains, and no cross-app tracking. There is no account system and no Second Bell server that receives your content.

Deleting your data

Your notes and transcripts are files you can delete in Bellnote or in your notes folder or Obsidian vault. Kept recordings live in a local folder you can clear at any time. Removing an API key in Settings deletes it from the Keychain. Because there is no account and no server, uninstalling Bellnote removes everything it stored on that device.

Changes to this policy

If Bellnote’s data handling ever changes, we will update this policy and the “last updated” date above before the change ships.

Contact

Questions about this policy or how Bellnote handles your data? Email hi@thesecondbell.com.