Last updated: 25 July 2026
ShellDrop does not collect, store, or transmit any of your data to us. We have no servers, no analytics, no tracking, no accounts. The one optional exception: if you enable the Groq engine for Voice Drop, your dictation audio goes directly from your device to Groq using your own API key.
Your saved connections (hostname, port, username) are stored locally using SwiftData. Passwords are stored in the iOS Keychain with device-only protection and are never synced or transmitted to us.
If you have iCloud enabled, your saved connections (not passwords) sync via Apple's CloudKit. This is Apple's infrastructure with end-to-end encryption. We never see this data and have no access to your iCloud account.
ShellDrop connects directly to servers you specify over SSH. These are direct connections between your device and your server. No traffic passes through our infrastructure because we don't have any.
Voice Drop turns your speech into text at the terminal. It has two engines.
Apple on-device speech (the default): audio is processed on your device by Apple's speech frameworks. Nothing leaves your device.
Groq (optional, your own API key): if you choose the Groq engine in Settings and paste in your own key, then each time you record a dictation the recorded audio file and an optional vocabulary hint are sent over HTTPS directly from your device to Groq's transcription API (api.groq.com) using your key. We never receive, see, or store any of it; the request goes from your device to Groq and the transcript comes straight back. Groq's handling of that audio is governed by Groq's privacy policy. The app asks for your confirmation before your first Groq transcription, and nothing is ever sent unless you actively record with the Groq engine selected.
Your API key is stored in the device Keychain and leaves your device only as the authorization header on your own transcription requests.
No analytics SDKs, no crash reporting, no advertising, no third-party code that phones home. The only optional third-party transmission is Groq for Voice Drop transcription when you enable it with your own API key (see Voice Drop and your audio above).
ShellDrop is not directed at children under 13 and does not knowingly collect any personal information.
If this policy changes, we'll update this page with the new date.
Questions about privacy? Contact us using the Request a Feature button on the homepage.
