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To keep on-device transcripts out of phone backups, exclude the files or database records that store them—not just the audio-processing code. On iPhone, mark transcript files or a dedicated directory as excluded from backup and reapply the setting after writes. On Android, define separate rules for cloud backup and device-to-device transfer on Android 12 and later, while retaining legacy rules for Android 11 and earlier. These controls guide platform backup behavior; verify the outcome on the app’s supported devices and explain what users will lose when transcripts are not restored.
What “on-device” does—and does not—mean
On-device describes where transcription runs. It does not establish where the app saves the resulting text, whether copies are included in operating-system backups, or whether another service receives them. Backup behavior depends on the app’s persistence choices and the platform rules.
Before changing backup settings, trace every transcript-related representation: decoded text, raw or cached audio, temporary chunks, indexes, summaries, database records and sidecar files, exports, logs, and crash-report data. Platform settings can exclude app files, but they cannot identify every place a particular app stores transcript content.
Choose what should survive restore or migration
Excluding transcripts is a privacy and recovery decision. If users expect transcript history to return after reinstalling or moving to a new phone, excluding it may violate that expectation. If the text is especially sensitive, the product may instead accept that it will not be recovered from the routes being excluded. Explain the choice in the app’s behavior and test it across the restore and transfer routes the product supports.
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- Temporary or reproducible data: Store it in an appropriate temporary or cache location if it does not need to persist. Do not use purgeable storage for history users expect to retain.
- Durable transcript history: Keep it in storage suited to its lifecycle, then apply the platform’s backup controls. A location being private or not directly visible to users does not mean it is omitted from backup.
- Sensitive data that must be recoverable: Consider an appropriate protection approach. Android’s guidance recommends excluding particularly sensitive data or requiring end-to-end encryption when it cannot be excluded.
Apple describes backup exclusion as appropriate for data that can be recreated or redownloaded. Its guidance also cautions that exclusion is not a guarantee that an item will never appear in a backup or on a restored device.
Set iPhone backup exclusions on the files that contain transcripts
iOS backs up app data in Documents and Application Support by default. Application Support is not automatically excluded because it is less visible to users; Documents is also included in iCloud and computer backups. Apple provides a per-file or directory resource value for marking data as excluded.
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- Identify the persisted paths. Locate transcript files and related artifacts, including database records and exports. The platform documentation does not establish how an individual app structures its database or backup contents.
- Apply the exclusion. For data intended to stay out of backup, set
URLResourceValues.isExcludedFromBackup = trueon the file or a dedicated directory. Apple’s example writes the resource value usingURL.setResourceValues. - Reapply after file changes. Saving or replacing a file can reset its exclusion resource value. Set it again after operations that may do so. A dedicated directory can simplify handling related transcript artifacts because the exclusion can apply to its contents.
- Test restore behavior. Confirm what is actually present after backup and restore rather than treating the setting as an absolute guarantee.
Do not move durable transcripts into tmp or Caches solely to avoid backup if the app needs them to persist. Apple describes those locations as purgeable; choose a location that fits the data’s lifecycle, then use the appropriate exclusion.
Define Android cloud and device-transfer rules separately
For eligible apps, Android Auto Backup includes almost all app data by default. Android supports an app-wide opt-out with android:allowBackup="false" and targeted include or exclude rules. Android recommends explicitly setting the attribute. An app-wide opt-out is broader than excluding only transcripts, and on some Android 12 and later devices from some manufacturers it disables cloud backup without disabling device-to-device transfer.
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For Android 12 (API 31) and later, use data-extraction rules to state the intended policy independently for cloud backup and device transfer. Keep the legacy rules for Android 11 (API 30) and earlier. The exact behavior also depends on target SDK and device maker.
- Wire the modern rules. Configure the manifest’s
android:dataExtractionRulesattribute to point to the XML rules file for the supported modern combinations. - Set both routes explicitly. In the rules file, define the intended policy under both
<cloud-backup>and<device-transfer>. Exclude transcript paths from every route that should not carry them. If the transfer section is omitted, Android documents that transfer as fully enabled by default apart from excluded directories. - Retain the legacy configuration. Keep the separate
android:fullBackupContentrules and manifest wiring for Android 11 and lower; their syntax differs from the Android 12+ data-extraction rules. - Check every related path. Ensure rules cover transcript text and any associated audio, intermediate files, databases, or other persisted artifacts that the product intends to exclude.
- Test on supported combinations. Verify cloud restore and device-to-device migration on relevant Android versions and manufacturers. Do not rely on
allowBackup="false"alone when the requirement is that transcripts never transfer to another phone.
Android excludes cache, code-cache, and no-backup directories from Auto Backup by default. Use those locations when their lifecycle fits the data; they are not a substitute for a clear retention policy.
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How the platform choices differ
| Decision | iOS | Android |
|---|---|---|
| Granularity | Mark a file or directory for exclusion. The setting guides the system but does not guarantee an item can never appear in a backup or restored device. | Opt out app-wide or use targeted include/exclude rules. |
| Cloud versus device transfer | The cited Apple guidance describes file and directory exclusion; it does not establish a separate policy for each transfer route. | Android 12+ data-extraction rules can specify cloud backup and device-to-device transfer separately. |
| Older OS configuration | Use the documented file or directory resource value, and reapply it after operations that may reset it. | Keep android:fullBackupContent rules for Android 11 and earlier alongside modern rules when those versions are supported. |
| Storage lifecycle | tmp and Caches are purgeable; Documents and Application Support are backed up by default. |
Cache, code-cache, and no-backup directories are excluded from Auto Backup by default. Choose storage according to whether the data is transient or durable. |
Review the first transcription pull request
- Trace transcript data from inference output through persistent files, databases, sidecars, logs, crash reporting, exports, cached audio, and intermediate artifacts.
- State whether the product excludes cloud backup only or also device-to-device migration. These are distinct routes on Android 12+.
- On iOS, inspect save and replacement paths to ensure exclusions are applied again after file operations that can reset them.
- On Android, review manifest attributes and XML rules across the app’s supported target SDK and OS ranges, including Android 11 and earlier.
- Test actual backups, restores, and migrations on relevant platform versions and manufacturers; configuration intent alone does not establish the app’s runtime result.
- Check what users see when transcript history is absent after reinstall, restore, or migration, and make that behavior consistent with the product’s stated retention choice.
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