Microphone audio
The site asks for microphone access only after you press Start or begin a microphone-based check. Audio is processed live in your browser. It is not recorded, uploaded, sent to an analytics service, or retained as an audio file.
Short audio buffers exist in memory while the calculation runs. The page retains derived level statistics and recent chart values for your current session so that it can show and export the result. They are not uploaded. Stopping releases the microphone; resetting the session or closing the page clears its in-memory measurement state.
Settings on your device
The site can save your chosen display offset, reference-alignment status, and optional analytics preference in local browser storage. This lets the same browser restore those preferences. It does not save audio or create an account. Browser storage can be cleared through your browser's website-data controls; the meter also provides a reset for its offset.
Microphone permission is managed by your browser and operating system. You can revoke it in their site or privacy settings. Changing the offset is separate from revoking permission.
Reports you choose to export
PNG reports are generated in your browser and downloaded to the location you choose. The print view uses your browser's print facility, including its Save as PDF option where available. Reports contain derived levels, session information, and accuracy status, not audio. The site does not upload or keep a copy.
A saved file remains on your device until you delete it. If you send it to someone or use a cloud-synced downloads folder, that action is outside the site's local measurement process.
Website requests and hosting
Loading the website requires normal network requests to its hosting provider, Cloudflare. Serving those requests involves technical information such as IP address, requested path, and browser request headers. This is separate from microphone processing. “Audio stays in your browser” does not mean that visiting a website makes no network requests.
There are no accounts, payment flows, advertising embeds, or user audio uploads. External source links take you to other websites, whose own data practices apply after you follow a link.
Optional usage analytics
The production site at decibelreader.com uses Google Analytics 4, with the public measurement ID G-W152STGS3L, only after you explicitly choose Allow analytics. No Google Analytics script loads before that choice. Declining lets you use the meter and read every guide. Local development and other hostnames do not load this analytics service.
After you opt in, Google Analytics may set analytics cookies such as _ga and process cookie identifiers, network information including your IP address, and browser information as part of its requests. This processing is separate from microphone audio and is not described as anonymous. Your consent preference is stored in this browser.
The site sends page visits and a limited set of interactions: starting measurement, stopping measurement, downloading a PNG report, printing a report, and a microphone permission failure. These events contain no audio, raw or estimated sound levels, microphone identities, or blog search text. The page URL sent to analytics contains only the production hostname and page path; query strings and fragments are omitted, and the referrer value is blank.
Google signals, advertising personalization, and automatic enhanced measurement are disabled. The site does not use analytics to provide advertising or send measurement data to Google.
You can reopen Analytics preferences in the footer and choose Decline to withdraw consent. This changes analytics consent to denied and stops the site from forwarding further optional tool-interaction events. On later page loads, the analytics script remains unloaded while your saved choice is Decline. Withdrawal does not delete information already received by Google or automatically remove existing analytics cookies; you can remove the cookies through your browser's website-data controls.
More detail
Read the measurement method for how in-memory levels are calculated, or the terms of use for the tool's purpose and limits.