In short: my software doesn't collect any personal information, and I never see your files. CueSplit works entirely on your Mac. SubStantial sends the text of your subtitles to a language model only when you translate or correct them with a provider you've chosen, and that text goes from your Mac straight to that provider, never to me.
Which software this covers
This policy applies to the software I publish, including:
- CueSplit for Mac, whether from the Mac App Store, GitHub or Homebrew
- the
cuesplitcommand-line tool, installed with Homebrew or from GitHub - SubStantial for Mac, from the Mac App Store
If a future version handles information differently, this page will say so before that version is released.
Information collected
None. My apps have no accounts, analytics, advertising or tracking, and include no third-party code that collects data.
Your files
CueSplit reads only the files you open or drop on it, such as cue sheets, audio files and cover images, and saves files only where you choose. When you use Add to Music, it places the converted tracks in the Music app's “Automatically Add to Music” folder, and Music adds them to your library. Your files and their contents never leave your Mac.
SubStantial reads only the folders you add to it, and the subtitle files and videos in them. It saves translations, subtitles made from speech, renamed files and edited subtitles next to your videos, and never writes into a video. The files it makes are marked with how they were made (the file they came from, the language model and provider, and the date), so the app can tell them from subtitles made by people. Your videos never leave your Mac.
Network access
CueSplit and the cuesplit command-line tool don't connect to the internet.
SubStantial connects to the internet only to do these things, when you ask it to:
- Translate or correct subtitles with a provider. When you use a provider you've set up, such as OpenRouter or OpenAI, SubStantial sends it the text of the subtitles, numbered, with instructions and the language to translate into. When correcting, it also sends the description of the video you typed, if any. It never sends the subtitle files themselves, their times or your videos. Your API key goes to that provider only, to identify your account, and for OpenRouter, SubStantial also names itself, as OpenRouter asks apps to. The provider's own privacy policy covers what it does with the text, and SubStantial asks you before it first sends any. Ollama, LM Studio and other services on your Mac or local network keep the text there.
- List a provider's models, when you choose a model in Settings.
- Download models. The language models it translates with on your Mac (Google's Gemma 4) and the speech models it makes subtitles with (OpenAI's Whisper, and Silero VAD) are downloaded from Hugging Face when you choose to download them. Hugging Face receives the request, as any website does, but nothing about you or your files.
When SubStantial translates with a model on your Mac, and when it makes subtitles from speech, nothing leaves your Mac.
Permissions
The first time you add tracks to Music, macOS asks whether CueSplit may access your Music library folder. CueSplit uses this access only to hand tracks to Music. You can change your answer at any time in System Settings > Privacy & Security.
SubStantial can open only the folders you add to it.
Settings
Your preferences, such as the format to save tracks in, are stored on your Mac and are removed when you delete the app.
SubStantial keeps the API keys you enter in your Mac's keychain, and sends each only to its own provider. It also keeps, in its own folder on your Mac, the models you download and what it has read from your videos (their details, sound waveforms and subtitle tracks), so they open quickly.
Crash reports
If you've chosen to share analytics with app developers (System Settings > Privacy & Security > Analytics & Improvements), Apple may send me anonymous crash reports and app usage statistics. These are covered by Apple's privacy policy, and I use them only to find and fix problems.
Purchases
Apple handles all App Store purchases. I don't receive your name, payment details or any other personal information from them. Downloads from GitHub and Homebrew are free and need no account with me.
If you email me, I receive your email address and whatever you include in your message. I use them only to reply to you and to fix the problem you report, and I don't share them with anyone. Ask, and I'll delete your messages.
Children
My software doesn't collect information from anyone, including children.
Changes
If this policy changes, I'll update this page and the date at the top.
Contact
For questions about privacy, email [email protected]. For help with an app, see Support & Contact.