What we store

On our server

Your account

Your Sign in with Apple account ID, and the email address Apple shares with us, which may be a private relay address.

Your profile

Your name and account photo, if you add them. Other people using August can’t see them. August’s operators can see your name, to run the service and help with your account.

Your library

The shows you follow, listening progress, played and saved episodes, your queue, Inbox choices and settings. When you follow and unfollow shows, to count follows over time.

Imports

The feed addresses and show names you import. Private feeds, such as paid subscriber feeds, are never shown to anyone else. A feed that marks itself private, or whose address carries a personal key, is removed, with its episodes and its address, 30 days after the last person following it leaves, unless someone still has one of its episodes saved, played or queued. When you delete your account, a feed that isn't in a public directory and that only you followed or listened to is removed with it.

Your devices

A notification token, app version and last-seen time for each device, so new-episode alerts can reach it.

Usage limits

Counts of some actions, such as searches and imports, so one account can't overload August. We keep them for up to 90 days.

If you ask for an invite

When you ask for an invite on august.fm, we keep your name, your email address and the podcast app you use, so Steven can review your request and send your invite. When Steven invites you himself, we keep only your name and his note. When you choose Count me in, you get August's TestFlight link, and Apple's TestFlight uses the Apple Account on your iPhone; we don't need your email for that. To limit spam, the form keeps a scrambled, one-way version of your IP address, which can't be turned back into the address. We delete all of this when the beta ends, or sooner if you ask at support@august.fm.

Only on your device

Downloaded episodes and cached artwork stay on your iPhone.

Transcripts and recaps

August makes transcripts and recaps of public podcast episodes. An episode's audio goes to a transcription service, and the transcript goes to an AI service that writes the recap. Neither receives anything about you: no account, email, library or listening history. Private feeds, such as paid subscriber feeds, are never sent to either. We delete the downloaded audio about a week after its transcript is saved. Transcripts and recaps are stored with the episode, not with your account.

Who else is involved

• Hosting providers run the database, sign-in, this website and the service that checks podcast feeds, prepares transcripts and recaps, and sends alerts.
• Apple handles Sign in with Apple and delivers notifications.
• Searches and links. Our server looks up searches in Apple's podcast directory. A search is kept for up to a week so it can be answered faster next time, and it's never linked to your account. Links you paste are looked up with the service they came from, such as Apple or Spotify.
• AI services help choose Worth a Listen, using public podcast information only.
• An email provider handles messages to support@august.fm and sends invites.
• An error-reporting service receives crash and error reports. They identify you only by a random account number, and feed and email addresses are removed first.
• Podcast publishers. When you play or download an episode, your iPhone fetches the audio directly from the publisher's host, like any podcast app. They see your IP address and may insert ads.
• YouTube. Videos play in YouTube's own embedded player, and Google's privacy policy applies to them. See below.

Our hosting providers keep standard request logs, including IP addresses, for a short time. Our own logs never record email addresses, feed addresses or sign-in tokens.

We try to use services that commit to protecting your information at least as well as this policy does.

Where your data is stored

August's servers are in the United States: the database and sign-in in Oregon, and the service that checks feeds in California. If you're outside the US, including in Canada, your information is stored and processed there.

YouTube

August uses YouTube API Services to find the video version of an episode, using public YouTube information only. When you choose Watch Video, the video plays in YouTube's player, and by watching you agree to the YouTube Terms of Service. YouTube and Google may collect information about your viewing as described in the Google Privacy Policy. August doesn't connect to your YouTube or Google account.

Keeping and deleting your data

We keep your information until you delete your account. In the app, go to Settings › Delete Account. That removes your account, your account photo and everything stored with it, on every device. Downloads on each device are removed when you delete the app.

Children

August isn't meant for children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect their information.

Questions

Email support@august.fm, or see Support. If this page changes in a way that matters, we'll say so in the app.