Privacy Policy
Last updated 10 October 2026
Inbox Aloud is a voice assistant for Gmail. You talk (or type) to our assistant, Ava, and she helps you go through your email: telling you what needs attention, reading emails to you, writing replies you approve, and organising mail with labels. This policy explains what information we use, why, who helps us process it, how long we keep it, and the choices you have.
The short version: we use your Gmail data only to run the assistant for you. We never sell it, never use it for advertising, never use it to train AI models, and Inbox Aloud cannot delete your email. You can disconnect at any time and we'll delete what we hold.
1. Who we are
Inbox Aloud is run by Winston Dube, an individual based in the United Kingdom, who is the data controller for the information described here. We are registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (registration number ZC184401). In this policy "we", "us" and "our" mean Inbox Aloud. For any privacy question or request, email hello@inboxaloud.com.
2. Information from your Google account
When you connect Gmail, you sign in with Google and choose to give Inbox Aloud these permissions:
| Permission | What we use it for |
|---|---|
| Your Google account email address | To know which Gmail account is connected and to address emails you send. |
gmail.modifyRead, label and send email | To read your recent inbox (sender, recipients, subject, date, labels and message content) so Ava can sort it by importance, summarise it and read it to you; to look up people you've emailed before when you ask Ava to write to them; to add or remove the two labels Inbox Aloud creates: "Delete list" and "Receipts & invoices" (when a receipt is filed, it's moved out of your inbox into that label); and to send a reply or new email that you have approved with a clear spoken "yes" or a tap on Send. Ava cannot send anything on her own. Once you've acted on an email (replied, skipped, marked it handled, asked for a reminder, put it on the Delete list or opened it), Inbox Aloud marks it as read. It does not delete email, empty your bin, or change other labels. |
3. Other information
- What you say or type to Ava. Your voice is converted to text so Ava can understand it, and she replies with a synthesised voice. We keep a written transcript of each session so you can look back at it.
- Drafts and actions. Drafts Ava writes for you, which emails you sent, skipped, deferred, marked as handled or put on the Delete list, and when.
- Waitlist. If you join the waitlist: your email address and, if you choose, which email service you use and your country.
- Technical data. Basic server logs (such as IP address and errors) to keep the service secure and working. We don't use advertising trackers or analytics cookies.
4. How we use it
- To provide the features you ask for: sorting and summarising your email, reading it aloud, drafting replies and new emails, sending the ones you approve, reminders, and labelling.
- To keep Inbox Aloud secure, prevent abuse, and fix problems.
- To email you about the service (for example, when it opens if you're on the waitlist).
5. Google API Services: Limited Use
Inbox Aloud's use and transfer to any other app of information received from Google APIs will adhere to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements. In particular:
- We use Gmail data only to provide and improve the features you use in Inbox Aloud.
- We only transfer Gmail data to others when it's needed to provide those features (see section 6), to comply with the law, or as part of a merger or sale, and then only with your explicit prior consent.
- We never use Gmail data for advertising, including retargeting or personalised ads.
- We never sell Gmail data.
- People do not read your Gmail data, unless you give us permission for specific messages (for example, to help with a support request), it's needed for security (such as investigating abuse), or the law requires it.
- Inbox Aloud does not use data from Google Workspace APIs to develop, improve, or train generalized or non-personalized AI and/or ML models. Our AI providers do not train their models on it.
6. Who processes data for us
We use a small number of service providers to run Inbox Aloud. They process data only on our instructions, to provide the service.
| Provider | What they do | Data involved |
|---|---|---|
| Anthropic (Claude) | The AI that sorts and summarises your email, holds the conversation, and writes drafts. | The email content and conversation needed for each request. Anthropic does not train its models on this data, and keeps request data for up to 30 days for abuse monitoring before deleting it. |
| ElevenLabs | Speech recognition (your voice to text) and Ava's voice (text to speech). | Your voice audio during a session, and the text Ava speaks, which can include parts of your emails. |
| Railway | Cloud hosting for our servers and database. | Everything we store (section 7). |
Some of these providers process data outside the UK, including in the United States. Where that happens, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as the UK International Data Transfer Addendum or equivalent contractual protections.
7. What we store and for how long
| What | How long |
|---|---|
| Your Google sign-in tokens (encrypted) | Until you disconnect. |
| Sorting details for your recent email (sender, subject, date, a short AI summary, priority and status) | While the email is in the last 7 days we work on; older entries are removed as the window moves on. All of it is deleted when you disconnect. |
| Full email content | Not kept in our database. It's fetched from Gmail when needed. Parts Ava reads out or summarises can appear in your session transcript (deleted after 30 days). |
| Drafts, and a record of emails you sent | Until you disconnect. |
| Session transcripts | 30 days, then deleted automatically. |
| Voice audio | Not stored by us. Our voice provider is set not to record audio, and to delete conversation text after 30 days. |
| Waitlist details | Until we launch and have told you, then up to 12 months, or until you remove yourself. |
8. Your choices and rights
- Disconnect any time. Disconnect in the app, or remove Inbox Aloud from your Google account at myaccount.google.com/permissions. When you disconnect in the app, we revoke our access and delete your stored data straight away.
- Your rights. Under UK data protection law you can ask to see, correct, delete or move your data, or object to how we use it. Email hello@inboxaloud.com and we'll reply within one month.
- Complaints. You can complain to the UK Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk.
9. Security
Data is encrypted in transit (HTTPS). Everything we store is encrypted at rest by our hosting provider (Railway, which is SOC 2 Type 2 audited), and Google sign-in tokens are additionally encrypted by Inbox Aloud itself. Access is limited to what's needed to run the service. Inbox Aloud is built so the assistant cannot delete email and cannot send without your approval. Email content is treated as untrusted: instructions written inside an email cannot make Ava send, label or move mail.
10. Children
Inbox Aloud is not for anyone under 18, and we don't knowingly collect data from children.
11. Legal basis
We process your data to provide the service you asked for (contract), with your consent (for example, connecting Gmail or joining the waitlist), and for our legitimate interest in keeping the service secure. You can withdraw consent at any time by disconnecting.
12. Changes
If we change this policy in a way that matters, we'll update the date above and tell you in the app or by email before the change applies.
Remove yourself from the waitlist
Enter the address you signed up with and we'll delete it straight away.