Privacy Policy — Listened

Overview

Listened does not require an account. Most of your data stays on your device. For podcasts found through search, your score and tags are shared anonymously with the community to power discovery features. Comments are only shared if you explicitly allow it. No personal information is ever collected.

Data stored on your device only

The following information is stored locally on your device and never sent anywhere:

Your personal notes and written comments
App preferences such as theme, sort order, and view settings
Podcasts added manually (not found via search)
Your collections, categories, and how you organise your library

Data shared automatically

For podcasts found through the in-app search, the following is sent anonymously to our server to power community features:

A randomly generated device identifier (not linked to you personally)
The podcast's iTunes ID, title, and artwork URL
Your score (including any per-season ratings), tags, and listening status (e.g. finished, in progress, dropped)

This applies only to podcasts discovered via search. Manually added podcasts share nothing.

When you open the app, a lightweight signal is also sent to our server to keep community data fresh. This signal contains only your randomly generated device identifier and a timestamp — no other information.

Why we collect it

Each piece of shared data serves a specific community purpose:

Your rating Used to calculate an average score for each podcast, so other listeners can get a sense of its overall quality before committing to it.

Your tags Used to identify the common feeling about what a podcast is all about, and to help others find it through tag browsing or related podcast suggestions.

Your listening status Used to count how many people are actively listening to a podcast, giving an indication of its current audience.

Your comment (if made public) Shared so others can read common thoughts and impressions about a podcast from real listeners.

Data shared only with your permission

Comments are never shared unless you explicitly enable public sharing for that podcast. If you do, the following is also sent:

Your written comment, and whether it is marked as a spoiler

You can disable this at any time by editing the podcast and unchecking the public sharing option.

Third-party services

Listened uses the following external services:

Apple iTunes Search API — used to search for podcasts by title and retrieve artwork. Your search queries are sent to Apple's servers. Apple's privacy policy applies.
Our own server — community data is stored on a server hosted by DreamHost in the United States. Only data you have explicitly opted to share is sent there.

Your data, your control

You can export your full library at any time from the app's settings menu
You can delete any community contribution by removing the podcast from your library or unchecking the public sharing option
Uninstalling the app removes all locally stored data permanently
Your library is automatically backed up by Google every 7 days. If you accidentally uninstall the app or lose your device, reinstalling it will restore your library from the most recent backup
Community data associated with your device is automatically deleted from our server after approximately 24 weeks of inactivity

Children's privacy

Listened is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect any information from children.

Changes to this policy

If we make material changes to this policy, we will update the date at the top of this page. Continued use of the app after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.