Privacy Policy
Stella Viae LLC operates the Earsona iPhone app and this website. This policy explains the information used by the app, this website and our support. It covers the features actually available in your version of Earsona; it isn't a promise that every planned music service is available. Contact us at earsona@stellaviae.com.
In short: Earsona has no Earsona account, advertising, analytics or purchases. Your music-service sign-in stays on your device and with the provider. We don't sell your personal information or use it for targeted advertising. To show song and artist details, the app looks up public music information from MusicBrainz and Wikidata, as explained below.
Spotify
When you connect Spotify, Earsona processes your Spotify account identifier and eligibility, authorization tokens and reusable playback credentials, an installation identifier, device and platform information, and playlist, track, artist, album and recording identifiers. These are sent to Spotify to authorize the connection, browse your library and play the music you select, and Spotify can associate them with your account. You sign in through Spotify's own authorization page, not an Earsona password form. Spotify may offer its own sign-in options, such as Facebook.
Earsona stores its credentials in your device's iOS Keychain, set to that device only. Settings and an account locator are kept in the app's local preferences. Credentials are not sent to any server operated by Earsona.
To play music, Earsona may hold encrypted streaming data temporarily in its own cache folder on your device. That folder is excluded from device backups. It's used only for playback and isn't a download or offline library. iOS removes it when you delete the app and may clear it when your device needs storage.
Apple Music
Apple Music uses iOS's Media & Apple Music permission, Apple's subscription and library checks, and Apple's automatic token management. Earsona processes the playlists you select and their song and artist information for playback and announcements. Apple manages your Apple Account and its tokens; Earsona never collects your Apple Account password. Artist and recording lookups for Apple Music use Apple's own catalog identifiers and are kept separate from any Spotify account data.
Amazon Music
Connecting Amazon Music isn't available in Earsona yet. When Amazon approves it, sign-in will use Login with Amazon, Amazon's own software, which stores the authorization on your device. Earsona will request only your Amazon account ID and the approved Music library and catalog access, keep that account and catalog information in the app's memory, and send a separate random device identifier with those requests. Signing out uses Amazon's software. Login with Amazon processes information under Amazon's Privacy Notice.
Full playback from Amazon Music and YouTube Music isn't provided. A button that opens another music app or website takes you to that service, and its own privacy practices apply there.
Artist facts from MusicBrainz and Wikidata
For details like an artist's origin or a recording's release year, Earsona looks up public information from MusicBrainz and Wikidata. These requests can include public artist and recording identifiers, ISRC codes, and song title, artist and duration for matching. Like any website, those services also receive ordinary network information, such as your IP address and request headers, which may show which artists or recordings are being looked up. Earsona never attaches your Spotify or Apple sign-in to these requests.
These lookups happen when a new song starts playing in Earsona from Spotify or Apple Music, whether or not announcements are turned on. There isn't a separate setting to turn them off today. Results are kept in the app's memory (up to 256 artists and recordings, for up to 30 days while the app keeps running) and are cleared when you disconnect Spotify.
Spoken announcements
Announcements are generated on your device using voice models included with the app, a pronunciation dictionary and the Apple voices installed on your iPhone. Earsona doesn't send announcement text or your music to a cloud speech service. Downloading Apple voices and using Siri are separate iOS features. Prepared speech is kept in memory only, within fixed size limits.
Diagnostics
Earsona keeps small diagnostic records on your device about app startup, audio recovery and speech preparation: up to 24 recent startup and recovery entries and 48 speech-preparation entries, limited to fixed stages, states, counts, timings and voice choices. If you run the optional offline voice check, it saves a report in the app's documents. Earsona doesn't send diagnostics to us automatically. They're removed when you delete the app, but the voice-check report may be included in device backups. If we ever need a diagnostic for a support request, we'll tell you exactly what to send.
What Earsona doesn't do
- No Earsona account, advertising, analytics, tracking or in-app purchases.
- No access to your microphone, location, contacts, photos, Health or workout data.
- No sale of personal information, and no use of it for targeted advertising.
This website
This website is hosted by Cloudflare. To deliver and protect the site, Cloudflare processes your IP address, browser request headers (such as user agent and referrer), the pages requested and the time of each request. Cloudflare keeps this information under its own privacy policy. We don't turn on request logging for this site. Cloudflare may ask your browser to report network errors to it (Network Error Logging).
The site doesn't use analytics, advertising, forms, third-party fonts or embedded content, and it doesn't set cookies or use browser storage. If Cloudflare's security systems ever show you a check before loading the site, Cloudflare may set a strictly necessary cookie to remember that you passed it.
Support emails
If you email us, we receive what you send: your email address, your message and any attachments you choose to include. Mail to earsona@stellaviae.com is routed by Cloudflare Email Routing to our email provider. We use your message to answer your request, fix problems and protect the service. We keep support emails only as long as we need them to handle your request and any follow-up, then delete them, unless the law requires us to keep them longer. Please don't send passwords, sign-in codes, tokens or raw authentication logs.
Your choices
- Disconnect Spotify: in Earsona's listening settings, choose Disconnect Spotify. This stops Earsona's access and removes its saved credentials. If it reports an error, unlock your device and try again. You can also manage Earsona's access in your Spotify account settings. Disconnecting doesn't delete your Spotify account or Spotify's records.
- Apple Music: change Earsona's permission in iOS Settings.
- Deleting the app removes its local files, but it may not erase iOS Keychain records or permissions you granted to a music provider. Disconnect first, and review the provider's account settings. Local preferences may be included in normal device backups.
Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, delete or receive a copy of personal information we hold about you, to object to or restrict how we use it, and to withdraw consent. To make a request, email earsona@stellaviae.com with the subject Earsona privacy request. We'll confirm that the request comes from the email address involved, and we won't ask for passwords or identity documents unless we explain a specific, secure verification process first. We'll respond within the time required by the law that applies to you. You also have the right to complain to your local data protection authority. We won't treat you differently for exercising your rights.
Most information Earsona uses stays on your device or with your music provider. We can act only on information under our control; providers handle their own account records under their policies.
Legal bases (EEA, UK and similar laws): we process information to provide the features you ask for, for our legitimate interests in running, securing and supporting Earsona and showing sourced song and artist details, to meet legal obligations, and with your consent where the law requires it, such as the iOS permissions you grant.
International transfers: Stella Viae LLC is based in the United States, and our service providers may process information in other countries. Where the law requires a transfer safeguard, we rely on the mechanisms our providers make available, such as Standard Contractual Clauses.
Children
Earsona is a general-audience app. It isn't directed to children under 13, or the higher minimum age that applies in your country, and we don't knowingly collect personal information from them. Music services set their own minimum ages. If you believe a child has sent us personal information, contact us and we'll delete it.
Other services
Spotify, Apple, Amazon, MetaBrainz (MusicBrainz), the Wikimedia Foundation (Wikidata) and Cloudflare have their own privacy policies: Spotify, Apple, Amazon, MetaBrainz, Wikimedia and Cloudflare. Regional versions may apply to you. Spotify is a third-party beneficiary of this policy to the extent the governing Spotify agreement requires. Nothing here expands Earsona's access to any service or changes a provider's obligations.
Changes to this policy
When we update this policy, we'll post the new version here with a new effective date. For material changes, we'll also give notice on this website or in the app before they take effect.
Contact
Stella Viae LLC · earsona@stellaviae.com