Overview
reSpoke is built on a simple rule: your messages never leave your phone. The app reads incoming message notifications aloud, locally, using Android’s on-device text-to-speech engine. There is no server, no account, and no advertising.
This policy explains what little data we do collect (anonymous usage analytics and crash reports), why we collect it, and the choices you have. It also explains one optional, off-by-default setting — reading link titles — that contacts the website a link points to.
What we collect
Anonymous usage analytics (opt-out). We use Firebase Analytics (a Google service) to understand which features get used and how often, so we can decide what to improve — screen views, button taps, and auto-collected session metrics from the Firebase SDK. We never log message text, notification content, sender names, phone numbers, contact details, conversation history, or your SMS messages — we don’t have permission to read SMS and never request it.
Crash diagnostics. We use Firebase Crashlytics (a Google service) to receive a report when reSpoke crashes: the stack trace and failing line, device model, OS version, app version, and a random rotating device fingerprint — no name, email, or phone number. Reports help us fix bugs and are kept anonymous.
Purchase acknowledgements. Purchases of reSpoke Pro are processed by Google Play Billing. We receive only a purchase token to unlock Pro features — never your card number, Google account password, or payment details.
How your messages are processed
- An app you’ve chosen (e.g. your SMS app, WhatsApp, Telegram) shows a notification.
- Android’s notification listener service — granted explicitly via a system settings page, not silently — delivers that notification to reSpoke. reSpoke can only see notifications; it cannot read your message history, contacts, or call log, and does not have (or request) the READ_SMS permission.
- On your phone, reSpoke filters the message per your per-app and per-contact rules, formats it for speech, and sends it to Android’s built-in text-to-speech engine.
- The text is spoken aloud through your phone speaker or connected Bluetooth device (helmet intercom, car kit, earbuds).
- The text is not transmitted to us or anyone else and not written to your phone’s storage. reSpoke keeps the messages it has read aloud in the phone’s memory only, so you can look back at them in the in-app Message log while the app is running. That list is cleared when you tap Clear or when Android closes the app, and it is never saved to disk or sent anywhere. We can’t see your messages and have no way to retrieve them.
There is no backend server and no cloud. The only network traffic the app generates is the anonymous analytics and crash reports described above — and you can turn analytics off — plus, only if you switch it on, the optional link-title lookup described next.
Optional: reading link titles (off by default). By default, when a message contains a web link, reSpoke does not read the address aloud; it says “a link from” followed by the site’s name (for example, “a link from example.com”), worked out on your phone from the text of the link. Nothing is fetched.
If you turn on Settings → General → Read link titles, reSpoke will instead try to say the title of the page, such as “Link: Ten Best Coastal Rides”. To do that it opens the first link in the message (and only that one) and reads the page’s title, waiting about three seconds before giving up and using the site name instead; makes the request over a secure (HTTPS) connection, without cookies, login details or a referrer, identifying itself only as “reSpoke”; refuses to contact addresses on private or local networks (such as your home router); and keeps the title in your phone’s memory for a short while so a replayed message isn’t looked up again, never saving it to disk.
What this means for you: the website the link points to can see that a request arrived — including your device’s IP address and that the request came from reSpoke — so the sender of a message may be able to tell the link was opened, for example with tracking links. No message text, sender name, contact detail or personal identifier is sent, and reSpoke does not send the link, the title or the result to us. We do not collect or receive any of it. You can turn this off at any time in the same setting; it takes effect immediately.
Permissions reSpoke requests
| Permission | Why we need it | Optional? |
|---|
| Notification access | To see incoming messages from the apps you choose, so they can be read aloud. Granted via a system settings page; revocable at any time. | Optional — app won’t read messages without it, but will still open. |
| Display over other apps | So the floating control can sit above your navigation app. | Optional. |
| Foreground service — special use | So the reader keeps running while your screen is off, with a persistent notification in the status bar. | Required for the reader to work in the background. |
| Post notifications | So reSpoke’s own status-bar notifications (reader-active, lock-screen controls) appear. | Optional. |
| Bluetooth connect | To auto-start reading when your helmet or car kit connects (Pro feature). | Optional. |
| Battery optimization exemption | So Android doesn’t pause the reader mid-ride. | Optional but recommended. |
reSpoke does not request: location, camera, microphone, contacts, calendar, SMS, call log, storage, or phone state.
Third-party services
| Service | Provider | Purpose |
|---|
| Firebase Analytics | Google | Anonymous usage analytics |
| Firebase Crashlytics | Google | Crash diagnostics |
| Google Play Billing | Google | In-app purchase processing |
| Google Play In-App Review | Google | Lets you rate the app without leaving it; reSpoke sends nothing to it and learns nothing about whether you rated |
| Text-to-speech engine | Your device manufacturer | Converts text to speech, entirely on-device |
We do not use any advertising SDKs or the Android Advertising ID — collection is explicitly disabled in the app’s manifest.
Your choices
Turn off link-title lookups. Link titles are off unless you turn them on. To stop them, open reSpoke → Settings → General and switch Read link titles off. Links are then read as “a link from <site>” with no network request.
Turn off analytics. Open reSpoke → Settings → Analytics and toggle off. The change takes effect immediately. Crash reports continue, because they’re core to keeping the app stable — a bug that only affects you would otherwise be invisible to us and might never get fixed. Crash reports never contain message content; email us if this is unacceptable and we’ll honor a manual deletion request.
Request data deletion. Email privacy@applimatix.com with the subject “Data deletion request” and we’ll trigger Firebase Analytics and Crashlytics deletion for your device fingerprint, confirming once complete (typically within 30 days). Because there is no account, the in-app analytics toggle plus this email channel is your full control surface.
Disable the app entirely. Revoke notification access at any time in Android Settings → Apps → reSpoke → Notifications, or uninstall the app. Revoking notification access immediately stops reSpoke from seeing any messages.
Children’s privacy
reSpoke is not directed at children under 13 and we don’t knowingly collect data from them. The app is designed for licensed drivers, motorcycle riders, and pedestrians — there is no content appeal to children and no marketing directed at them. If you believe a child under 13 has used reSpoke and want their (anonymous, device-level) data deleted, contact us.
International users (GDPR / UK GDPR / CCPA)
Legal basis for processing (GDPR Art. 6(1)(f)): our legitimate interest in improving the app’s stability and usability.
Data subject rights: access, rectification, erasure, restriction, objection, and data portability. Because analytics are aggregated and crash reports are anonymized, we typically cannot identify an individual — nevertheless, email us and we’ll act on any identifiable data.
No data transfers outside the Google infrastructure: Firebase data is processed per Google’s data-residency commitments; we don’t move data through any other jurisdiction.
CCPA: California residents can request deletion and opt out of “sale” — reSpoke does not sell personal information, so this is automatically satisfied; analytics opt-out is the only relevant control.
Changes to this policy
We’ll update this policy if the app changes in a way that affects your privacy. We’ll note material changes in the app’s release notes and update the effective date above. Continued use after a change constitutes acceptance.
Open-source acknowledgements
reSpoke uses the following open-source libraries (full list in the app’s About screen): Kotlin (JetBrains), AndroidX (Google), Jetpack Compose (Google), Koin, Google Play Billing, Firebase Analytics and Crashlytics (Google). All under their respective licenses (Apache 2.0 or similar).
Contact
Applimatix Pty Ltd · privacy@applimatix.com
