Privacy Policy
Last updated: March 29, 2026
This privacy policy applies to KIKU (podcast player) and KIKU Studio (podcast recording studio), both developed by wharfe ("we", "us", "our").
Data We Collect
KIKU (Podcast Player)
- Podcast subscriptions and playback data — stored locally on your device only. We do not sync, upload, or access your subscription list.
- Podcast search and discovery — search queries are sent to the Apple iTunes Search API. Trending podcasts are fetched from the Apple RSS Marketing Tools API using your device's country code. We do not log or store these queries.
- Podcast feeds — your subscribed podcast feed URLs are fetched directly from their publishers' servers to retrieve episode listings. No intermediary server is involved.
- AI summaries and chapters (optional) — if you use AI features, episode transcript text (up to 30,000 characters) is sent to the Anthropic Claude API. This requires your own API key (BYOK).
- Transcription (optional) — if you use the Whisper transcription feature, episode audio is sent to the OpenAI Whisper API. This requires your own API key (BYOK).
- Ads — KIKU displays ads via Google AdMob. Ad personalization is subject to your consent choice (GDPR/UMP). You can remove ads with a one-time purchase.
KIKU Studio (Podcast Studio)
- Audio recordings — stored locally on your device only. We never upload, access, or process your recordings on any server.
- Transcription (optional) — two options available:
- On-device: uses whisper.cpp running entirely on your device after a one-time model download (~75MB). No audio data leaves your device.
- Cloud: sends audio to the OpenAI Whisper API. This requires you to provide your own API key (BYOK). We never see or store your API key on our servers.
- AI processing (noise reduction, normalization, VAD, voice anonymization) — performed entirely on-device. No audio data leaves your device for these features.
Bring Your Own Key (BYOK)
Both apps support optional AI features that require third-party API keys. When you provide an API key:
- The key is encrypted and stored locally on your device only (using Android EncryptedSharedPreferences).
- The key is sent directly from your device to the third-party API provider. It never passes through our servers.
- You are responsible for your own API usage and costs with the third-party provider.
- You can remove your API key at any time in Settings.
Crash Reporting & Analytics
We use Firebase Crashlytics to collect anonymous crash reports and Firebase Analytics to collect basic usage statistics. This helps us identify bugs and understand how features are used.
Crash reports include:
- Device model and Android version
- App version
- Stack trace of the crash
- General device state (memory, storage)
Analytics data includes:
- App open events and screen views
- General usage patterns (e.g., which features are used)
- Device and country-level demographics (aggregated)
Crash reports and analytics do not include any personal information, audio content, file names, or API keys. In KIKU Studio, file paths in crash logs are sanitized before sending.
Third-Party Services
| Service | Purpose | Data Sent | Required? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple iTunes Search API | Podcast search (KIKU) | Search queries, country code | For search only |
| Apple RSS Marketing Tools | Trending podcasts (KIKU) | Country code | For discovery only |
| OpenAI Whisper API | Transcription (both apps) | Audio data + your API key | Optional (BYOK) |
| Anthropic Claude API | AI summaries & chapters (KIKU) | Transcript text + your API key | Optional (BYOK) |
| Google AdMob | Ads (KIKU) | Ad requests, consent state | Consent-based; removable via purchase |
| Firebase Crashlytics | Crash reporting | Anonymous crash data | Automatic |
| Firebase Analytics | Usage statistics | Anonymous usage data | Automatic |
Network Security
KIKU Player allows HTTP (unencrypted) connections to support podcast RSS feeds that have not migrated to HTTPS. HTTPS is used whenever available, including for all AI API communication, crash reporting, and analytics. KIKU Studio uses HTTPS for all network communication.
Data Storage
All user data (recordings, subscriptions, settings, API keys) is stored locally on your device. We do not operate any servers that store user data. We do not have user accounts.
Children's Privacy
Our apps are not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last updated" date.
Contact
If you have questions about this privacy policy, contact us at [email protected].