Privacy Policy

Last updated: 31 March 2026

Gmail Audio Recorder does not collect, store, transmit, or share any user data. Period.

Overview

Gmail Audio Recorder is a Chrome extension that allows users to record voice messages and attach them to emails in Gmail. This privacy policy explains what data the extension accesses and how it is handled.

Data Collection

Gmail Audio Recorder collects no data whatsoever. Specifically:

No personal information is collected
No audio recordings are transmitted to any server
No transcription data is sent externally
No analytics or telemetry data is collected
No cookies are set
No user accounts are required
No third-party services are contacted

How Audio Recording Works

When you record a voice message, the audio is captured using your browser's built-in MediaRecorder API and processed entirely on your device. The audio data exists only in your browser's memory during the recording session. When you click "Attach," the audio file is added directly to your Gmail draft as an attachment. At no point does the audio data leave your browser or get sent to any external server.

How Transcription Works

Live transcription is powered by Chrome's built-in Web Speech API (webkitSpeechRecognition). This is a browser-native feature provided by Google as part of Chrome — it is not a third-party service operated by the extension developer. The extension developer has no access to any speech data processed by Chrome's Web Speech API. For information about how Chrome handles speech recognition data, refer to Google Chrome's privacy policy.

Permissions

The extension requires the following permissions:

Host permission (mail.google.com) — Required to inject the recording button and panel into Gmail's compose window. The extension does not read, modify, or access your email content, contacts, or any other Gmail data.
Microphone access — Requested at runtime via the browser's standard permission prompt when you first click "Start Recording." This permission is used solely to capture audio for your voice message. You can revoke it at any time via Chrome's site settings.

Data Storage

Gmail Audio Recorder does not store any data. It does not use local storage, cookies, IndexedDB, or any other browser storage mechanism. Audio recordings and transcripts exist only in your browser's volatile memory during an active recording session and are discarded when you close the panel, discard the recording, or attach it to an email.

Third-Party Services

Gmail Audio Recorder does not integrate with, communicate with, or send data to any third-party services, APIs, or servers. The extension operates entirely within your browser.

Children's Privacy

Gmail Audio Recorder does not collect any data from any user, including children under the age of 13. Since no data is collected, stored, or transmitted, there are no special provisions required under COPPA or similar regulations.

Changes to This Policy

If this privacy policy is updated, the changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date. Since the extension collects no data, significant changes to this policy are unlikely.

Contact

If you have questions about this privacy policy, you can reach the developer at:

GitHub: Open an issue

Open Source

Gmail Audio Recorder is fully open source under the MIT License. You can inspect every line of code to verify these privacy claims yourself at github.com/danielcregg/gmail-audio-recorder.