Privacy First Principle
Nova is a local productivity tool running on your desktop and phone. You do not need to register a cloud account on our servers to use it, and we never sell, share, or analyze the contents of your speech or transcripts.
No audio stored on our cloud · API keys securely stored locally · Zero advertisements · Zero cross-platform tracking.
Audio Processing & BYOK
Nova operates strictly on a "Bring Your Own Key" (BYOK) architecture:
- API keys you enter are saved only in your local system vault.
- When you record audio, it is compressed and sent directly over TLS 1.3 to your chosen AI speech provider (such as Groq, OpenAI, or Google Gemini).
- No audio stream or transcription result ever touches any Nova intermediary server. Communication is point-to-point between your device and your provider.
Local Draft Storage
All transcription results, drafts, and dictation history remain stored exclusively in your local application directory. There is no forced cloud syncing, and you can clear your history with one click in Settings at any time.
Issue Reports & Redaction
When you file an issue report from Nova or the website:
- The system automatically inspects the report and redacts common API keys (such as
gsk_...,sk-...,AIza...) and sensitive local file paths before submission. - We only ask for your email if you wish to receive updates when your issue is resolved.
Analytics & Update Checks
The desktop app periodically fetches a lightweight update manifest JSON to notify you of new stable releases. This request carries no persistent user ID or personal data. Read the full details on our Usage data page.
Complete Data Deletion
Uninstalling Nova or removing its local configuration directory (~/.config/nova on Linux, or %APPDATA%\nova on Windows) deletes all stored keys, preferences, and drafts from your machine immediately and irreversibly.