App Privacy Policy

Covers all Beat Kitchen apps and plugins, including the Harmonic Synthesizer, the Harmony Wheel (browser, plugin, macOS app, iOS app), and the BKS Audio Tools.

Effective May 26, 2026

The short version

Audio never leaves your device. We don’t have servers that listen to what you play. The only personal data we touch is what’s required to verify your license, deliver crash reports if you choose to send them, and — on the App Store — let Apple confirm your purchase.

1. Information we do not collect

• Audio. No audio, MIDI, microphone input, or instrument signal is uploaded, streamed, or stored on our servers. All audio analysis (including chord detection in the Harmony Wheel and any DSP in the Harmonic Synthesizer) runs entirely on your device.
• Your work. Presets, sessions, patches, and any creative content you make in the app stay on your device unless you explicitly share them (e.g., by exporting a patch link or saving a file).
• Location. We do not collect or use device location.
• Contacts, photos, calendars, health data, or browsing history. None of our apps request these permissions.
• Advertising identifiers. We do not use the iOS IDFA, do not display ads inside our apps, and do not share data with any ad network.

2. Information we collect

We collect only what is required to operate the app you’ve licensed.

License activation (macOS / Windows / web plugin). When you activate a license, the app sends:

• Your license key
• A hardware fingerprint (a short, opaque identifier derived from your machine; not a personal identifier and not reversible to your identity)

This data is sent to our license server to verify the key, count active machines against your seat limit, and prevent unauthorized sharing. It is retained while your license is active. License records contain no audio, no contents from your DAW, and no usage telemetry.

Purchase verification (iOS App Store). On iOS, your purchase is handled by Apple via In-App Purchase. Apple provides us with a purchase receipt, which we validate to unlock the app. We do not receive your name, email, billing address, or payment details from Apple. Refer to Apple’s privacy policy↗ for how the App Store handles your account.

Resident activation (macOS / Windows only). If you activate as a Beat Kitchen resident rather than entering a purchased license key, the app sends your Discord username so we can verify your active residency. A verification code is delivered to you via a Discord direct message. This flow is not used on iOS.

Diagnostic reports (only when you send them). The app has a “Copy Diagnostics” / “Report Issue” button that copies crash logs and basic system info (OS version, app version, sample rate, buffer size) to your clipboard so you can paste them into Discord or an email to us. We never collect crash data automatically. If you do send a diagnostic report, please review it first — it may include your machine name or DAW name, depending on your OS.

TestFlight (iOS pre-release only). During the iOS beta on TestFlight, Apple shares basic install and crash data with us through TestFlight, governed by Apple’s TestFlight terms. This data ends when the app moves out of TestFlight.

3. How we use this information

• Activate and verify your license. That’s the entire purpose of the license-server traffic.
• Diagnose issues you report to us. When you send a diagnostic, we use it to fix what you encountered.
• Comply with Apple’s purchase requirements on iOS.

We do not use any of this data for advertising, profiling, lookalike audiences, or sale to third parties. We do not sell personal data.

4. Third parties

• Apple (App Store, TestFlight, In-App Purchase) — applicable only to the iOS and macOS App Store builds. Governed by Apple’s privacy policy.
• Stripe — payment processor for direct purchases on beatkitchen.io. Stripe receives your payment details directly; we receive a transaction confirmation. Governed by Stripe’s privacy policy↗.
• Discord — used only if you choose the resident activation flow. We look up your Discord account by the username you provide and send you a verification code via a Discord direct message. Governed by Discord’s terms.
• Bundled libraries. Our apps include the JUCE framework (Raw Material Software), the ONNX Runtime (Microsoft), and the CREMA chord-detection model (Brian McFee, NYU MARL). None of these libraries phone home from inside our apps.

5. Data retention

• License records: retained while your license is active, then archived.
• Diagnostic reports you send us: retained until the issue is resolved, then deleted.
• TestFlight install/crash data: managed by Apple per their retention schedule.

6. Your rights

You can request access to, correction of, or deletion of personal data we hold about you by emailing nathan@beatkitchen.io. We will respond within 30 days. This covers:

• GDPR rights of access, rectification, erasure, restriction, portability, and objection.
• CCPA rights to know, delete, and opt out of sale (we do not sell personal data).

Deleting your license record will deactivate the app on your machines.

7. Children’s information

Our apps are not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact us and we will delete it promptly.

8. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as our apps evolve. The effective date at the top of this page reflects the current version. Material changes will be announced in the app’s release notes.

9. Contact

Beat Kitchen School nathan@beatkitchen.io

See also: the plugin license agreement and our website privacy policy.