Privacy Policy
Effective July 9, 2026 · Applies to Name Phonics for macOS (Mac App Store and direct-download editions)
The short version: Name Phonics collects no data about you. There is no account, no analytics, no tracking, and no server of ours. Everything the app produces — settings, pronunciation cache, history — stays on your Mac. The only time anything leaves your Mac is if you configure an optional AI provider, in which case the name text alone is sent to that provider under your own API key.
Who we are
Name Phonics is made by Live Oak Workshop LLC, a small shop. You can reach us at support@liveoak.ws.
What we collect
Nothing. Name Phonics has no accounts, no sign-in, no analytics or crash-reporting SDKs, no advertising identifiers, and no telemetry of any kind. We operate no servers, so there is nowhere for your data to go. The app's App Store privacy label is “Data Not Collected.”
What the app handles on your device
To do its job, Name Phonics processes some information locally, on your Mac:
- The name you ask it to pronounce. Text you copy, type into the app, or capture from your screen when you deliberately trigger a hotkey. The app never reads your screen or clipboard on its own — it acts only when you invoke it.
- Screen captures for text recognition. When you use the drag-a-box grab, the selected region of the screen is analyzed by Apple's on-device Vision text recognizer. The image is processed in memory, on your Mac, and is not stored or transmitted.
- Pronunciation cache and history. Names you've looked up and their pronunciations are saved locally so repeat lookups are instant and free. You can clear the history from within the app, and it never leaves your Mac.
- Settings. Your hotkeys, voice preferences, and (if you set one) your AI provider API key are stored locally in the app's own storage.
The optional AI lookup
Out of the box, Name Phonics uses a built-in offline analyzer — no network access is used and nothing leaves your Mac.
For higher accuracy, you may optionally connect an AI provider (such as Anthropic, OpenAI, or OpenRouter) or a compatible endpoint you host yourself, using your own API key. If you do:
- Only the name text itself is sent to the provider you chose — never your screen contents, files, history, or anything else.
- The request goes directly from your Mac to that provider. It does not pass through any server of ours.
- The provider's own privacy policy and terms govern that request, under your account with them. If you point the app at a local model (such as Ollama or LM Studio), the lookup stays entirely on your machine.
- Each name is looked up once and then cached locally, so the same name is not re-sent.
macOS permissions the app may request
| Permission | Why it's needed |
|---|---|
| Screen Recording | Only for the drag-a-box text grab (⌃⌥G), so on-device text recognition can read a name you can't select. Captures happen only when you trigger them. |
| Accessibility & Input Monitoring (direct-download edition only) | Lets the direct-download edition register global hotkeys and copy the current selection for you. The Mac App Store edition uses sandbox-safe hotkeys and does not request these. |
| Notifications (direct-download edition only) | Shows the pronunciation as a notification. Optional; can be turned off in Settings. |
Each permission is requested in context the first time it's needed, and the app keeps working (with reduced features) if you decline.
Purchases
Name Phonics is sold through the Mac App Store. Apple processes the payment; we never see your payment details or Apple ID information.
Children
Name Phonics is a general-audience utility. It collects no data from anyone, including children.
Changes to this policy
If the app's privacy behavior ever changes — for example, if a future version adds opt-in crash reporting — this page will be updated first and the effective date above will change. Material changes will also be noted in the app's release notes.
Contact
Questions about privacy? Email support@liveoak.ws — you'll get a reply from our small shop, not a bot.