Ballad Privacy Policy

Proprietary Software Notice

Unlike many other Rosie.run utilities which are open source, Ballad is proprietary closed-source commercial software. Ballad still runs inside the macOS App Sandbox and follows Mac App Store security requirements.

How Audio is Processed

Ballad uses macOS 15.0+ Core Audio process taps to capture audio streams from individual running applications, apply gain scaling, and route the result to your current system output.

• Local processing only: Capture, volume changes, mute behavior, and routing happen on your Mac in real time.
• No recording or storage: Audio samples are processed in memory and immediately discarded after playback.
• No microphone use: Ballad uses process-tap audio capture, not the microphone. It does not listen to room audio.
• No invasive drivers: Ballad does not install kernel extensions, background daemons, Accessibility overrides, or global event taps.

Permission Prompt at Launch

Ballad may ask for macOS audio-capture permission. To make this prompt appear before you start mixing audio, Ballad creates and immediately destroys a single throwaway process tap at first launch. This primer tap starts no audio processing, captures nothing, stores nothing, and exists only to trigger the system permission dialog.

Local Preferences

Ballad stores only local app preferences in macOS UserDefaults, including per-app volume, mute state, appearance, and launch-at-login settings. These settings stay on your device and are not transmitted.

Network Connectivity & Updates

Ballad does not connect to Rosie.run or other servers for tracking, telemetry, licensing, or analytics. Tapping support or privacy links opens your default browser; no Ballad app data is included in those requests.

App updates are handled through the Mac App Store.

Summary

If you have privacy questions, see the Ballad FAQ or contact support.