Privacy First: SnapTra Translator is designed with your privacy in mind. We do not collect, store, or transmit any personal information. All translation happens locally on your device.
Overview
SnapTra Translator ("the App") is a macOS application that provides instant translation of on-screen text using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and Apple's built-in Translation framework. This privacy policy explains how the App handles information.
Information We Do NOT Collect
The App does not collect, transmit, or share any of the following:
- Personal Information: No names, email addresses, phone numbers, or other personally identifiable information
- Screen Content: Text captured via OCR is processed locally and never sent to our servers or any third parties
- Translation History: The App does not store or track your translation history
- Usage Analytics: We do not collect analytics, crash reports, or usage statistics
- Location Data: The App does not access or collect your location
- Device Information: No device identifiers, system information, or hardware details are collected
Data Stored Locally on Your Device
The App stores the following information locally on your Mac for functional purposes only:
User Preferences
- Hotkey Settings: Your chosen keyboard shortcut for activating translation
- Language Preferences: Selected source and target languages
- Feature Settings: Preferences such as "Play Pronunciation," "Continuous Translation," and "Launch at Login"
System Permissions
The App requests the following macOS permissions:
Screen Recording Permission
- Purpose: Required to capture text from your screen for OCR translation
- Usage: Only captures small regions around your cursor when you press the hotkey
- Storage: Captured images are processed in memory and immediately discarded after translation
- No Recording: The App does not record or save your screen. It only performs real-time OCR on the captured text
Note: You can revoke this permission at any time in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen Recording.
Screen Recording Data
This section provides details about how the App uses screen recording data to comply with App Store review requirements.
Features That Use Screen Recording
- Instant OCR Translation: When you press the hotkey, the App captures a small region around the cursor to recognize on-screen text.
- Continuous Translation (Optional): If enabled, the App periodically captures a small region around the cursor while you move the mouse to provide continuous translation.
Data Collected via Screen Recording
- Captured Screen Image: A small image of the area around your cursor. This may include on-screen text and nearby UI elements.
- Extracted Text: OCR output derived from the captured image.
Purpose of Collection and Use
- To recognize on-screen text using OCR.
- To translate the recognized text and display results in the floating bubble.
Sharing and Disclosure
- No Third-Party Sharing: Screen recording data is not shared with any third parties.
- No Server Uploads: All processing is performed locally on your device.
Storage and Retention
- In-Memory Only: Captured images and OCR text are processed in memory.
- Immediate Disposal: Data is discarded immediately after translation is completed.
- No Persistent Storage: No screen recording data is stored on disk or synced to any cloud service.
How Translation Works
All translation processing happens locally on your device:
- When you press the hotkey and hover over text, the App captures a small region around your cursor
- Apple's Vision framework (built into macOS) performs OCR to extract text from the image
- Apple's Translation framework (built into macOS 15+) translates the text
- The translated text is displayed in a floating bubble
- All captured images and text are immediately discarded after display
No data is sent to external servers. All processing uses Apple's built-in, on-device frameworks.
Third-Party Services
The App does not use any third-party services, analytics tools, or advertising networks.
Data Security
- All data stored by the App is kept locally on your device
- The App uses macOS sandboxing for additional security
- No network connections are made for translation or data collection purposes
- Your data is protected by your Mac's built-in security features
Children's Privacy
The App does not knowingly collect information from children. Since we do not collect any personal information, the App is safe for users of all ages.
Your Rights
Since the App does not collect or store personal information on our servers:
- Data Access: All your data is stored locally on your device and accessible only to you
- Data Deletion: You can delete all App data by uninstalling the App or resetting your preferences in the App settings
- Data Portability: Not applicable as no data is collected by us
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last Updated" date. Continued use of the App after changes indicates acceptance of the updated policy.
Open Source
SnapTra Translator's documentation and website are open source. You can review our code and verify our privacy practices at:
Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or the App's data practices, please contact us:
- GitHub Issues: Report an issue
- GitHub Discussions: Start a discussion