Echo Node is designed around a simple principle: your recordings should begin and remain on your device unless you choose otherwise.
Recording, playback, organization, notes, search, and on-device transcription do not require you to place your recording library in Echo Node-controlled cloud storage.
Cloud-powered tools are available, but they are optional and initiated by the user.
On-device first means Echo Node creates and stores your recordings on your Android device.
You do not need to create an Echo Node cloud library or pay for cloud storage before you can record and play audio.
By default:
Recordings are created on your device
Basic playback happens on your device
Your library is organized on your device
Notes and saved results remain available in the app
On-device transcription is processed locally
Recordings are not automatically submitted to Gemini
Echo Node does not sell your recordings, transcripts, notes, or summaries
Online services are used only when you choose or enable a feature that requires them.
No, not by default.
Starting a recording does not automatically upload the audio. Playing a recording does not send it to a cloud service.
A recording or related content leaves your device only when you deliberately choose or enable an action such as:
Gemini transcription
An AI summary
Google Drive synchronization
Sharing or exporting content
If you enable automatic Google Drive synchronization, supported content will sync according to the settings you select.
Basic recording and playback do not require an internet connection.
Echo Node can create an audio recording, save it to your device, and play it back without submitting it to Gemini or another transcription provider.
Android permissions and system restrictions still apply. Echo Node requires microphone access to record, and Android displays an ongoing notification while the microphone is active.
Echo Node includes on-device transcription as part of the Free experience.
With on-device transcription, the selected recording is processed locally by the transcription capabilities available on your Android device. The audio does not need to be submitted to Gemini for this process.
On-device transcription can be useful when:
You do not have an internet connection
You do not want to submit the recording for cloud processing
You need a quick, editable text version
The recording does not require enhanced transcription
Accuracy varies based on the device, audio quality, background noise, speech clarity, accents, specialized vocabulary, and overlapping speakers.
The resulting transcript can be edited after it is generated.
Gemini transcription is an optional Premium feature.
When you deliberately request Gemini transcription, the selected audio is sent for cloud processing. Gemini can produce a more capable timed transcript with enhanced speaker separation.
Echo Node does not automatically submit every recording for Gemini transcription. You select the recording and start the request.
The resulting transcript is saved with the recording in Echo Node and can be edited by the user.
See On-Device vs. Gemini Transcription for a complete comparison.
AI summaries are also user-initiated Premium features.
When you request an AI summary, Echo Node submits the selected transcript and the information needed to perform that request. Gemini then returns a structured result that may include a concise overview, important moments, decisions, questions, or useful next steps, depending on the conversation.
Echo Node does not automatically summarize every recording or continuously analyze your recording library.
You decide which transcript to summarize and when to request it.
Echo Node offers Google Drive synchronization at no additional cost.
You can connect your personal Google Drive from the Settings page and choose to synchronize supported Echo Node content, including:
Recordings
Transcripts
Notes
AI summaries
Synchronization can be performed manually or automatically, depending on your settings.
Google Drive synchronization is optional. Echo Node remains usable without it, and synchronized files use the storage available in your own Google account.
No.
You do not need Google Drive to create, keep, or play recordings. You also do not need it to use on-device transcription, notes, local organization, or search.
Google Drive is available for people who want an additional copy of supported Echo Node content in their own account.
Keeping recordings on your device gives you control, but local storage is not the same as a backup.
Uninstalling Echo Node, clearing its app data, losing or damaging your phone, or performing certain device resets can remove locally stored information.
For important recordings, consider using one or more of the following:
Optional Google Drive synchronization
Manual export
Android sharing tools
Another backup location you control
Back up important content before uninstalling Echo Node, clearing its data, or replacing your device.
Sharing and exporting are user-controlled actions.
When you choose to share or export a recording, transcript, note, summary, or other supported result, Android allows you to select the destination. That destination may be another app, a person, a storage provider, or a location you control.
Once content is shared outside Echo Node, the receiving app or service handles it according to its own privacy practices.
Review the destination before sending private or sensitive information.
An internet connection is generally required for:
Gemini transcription
AI summaries
Google Drive synchronization
Google Play purchases and subscription management
Other features that communicate with an online service
Basic recording and playback do not require an internet connection.
On-device transcription availability and performance may depend on the transcription capabilities installed or supported by your Android device.
No.
Echo Node does not sell your recordings, transcripts, notes, summaries, or voice-profile information.
Echo Node does not, and will never, display advertising in either the Free or Premium experience.
No. It means cloud use is optional and controlled by the user.
Some people want to keep a recording entirely on their device. Others want an additional copy in Google Drive or the enhanced capabilities available through Gemini.
Echo Node supports both approaches:
Keep the recording and its results on your device
Synchronize supported content with your personal Google Drive
Use Gemini only for selected Premium actions
Share or export content when you choose
The important distinction is that recording something does not automatically enroll it in every cloud-powered service.
Echo Node does not treat local storage and cloud-powered tools as all-or-nothing choices.
You can record and work on-device, synchronize selected content with Google Drive, and use Gemini only for the recordings where enhanced processing is worth it.
On-device first. AI when you want it.
For complete information about data processing, service providers, retention, and user choices, read the Echo Node Privacy Policy.