Overview
Retag is a Mac music tag editor built by ARRcade. The guiding principle is simple: your files and your music library data never leave your Mac without your explicit action. All tag reading and writing happens locally. Retag has no backend, no account system, and no analytics.
Network activity exists in exactly one context: optional, user-initiated lookups to third-party metadata services (MusicBrainz, Discogs, AcoustID, Cover Art Archive). These are triggered by you, on demand, for specific tracks. Nothing is sent automatically or in the background.
Retag does not collect personal data. It does not phone home. It does not track usage. Your audio files are read and written entirely on your Mac. The only outbound network traffic is the lookup queries you explicitly trigger, sent to the third-party metadata services described in this policy.
What We Collect
Retag does not collect personal data. No analytics, no telemetry, no crash reporting that leaves your Mac. Here is the full picture:
| Data Type | Collected? | Accessible to ARRcade? |
|---|---|---|
| Personal information | Not Collected | No |
| Usage analytics or telemetry | Not Collected | No |
| Audio file contents or metadata | Not Collected | No |
| File names or directory listings | Not Collected | No |
| Location data | Not Collected | No |
| Device identifiers | Not Collected | No |
| App preferences and column layouts | On Device Only | No |
| Lookup queries sent to third-party services | User-Initiated Only | No — see Online Lookups below |
Retag does not include analytics SDKs, advertising networks, or third-party crash reporters. The only third-party code in Retag is TagLib (audio tag reading/writing, runs entirely locally), Chromaprint with KissFFT (acoustic fingerprinting, runs locally), and the standard macOS frameworks provided by Apple.
Your Files Never Leave Your Mac
Retag reads and writes audio file metadata entirely on your Mac. Every tag edit — whether a single field on one track or a batch operation across ten thousand files — is processed locally using the TagLib library running in-process. No file content, tag value, file name, or directory path is transmitted to ARRcade or any external server as part of normal tag editing.
- Tag reads and writes happen entirely on-device using TagLib 2.2.1.
- The pending-changes preview is computed locally — nothing is written to disk until you confirm Apply.
- Multi-level Undo history is kept in memory on your Mac only.
- Batch rename operations, case unification, encoding repair, ID3v1 stripping, lyrics editing, and all other cleanup tools operate entirely locally.
- Exported playlist files (M3U, PLS, XSPF, CSV) and copied or moved files go only to the destination you choose on your own Mac or a connected volume.
- There is no ARRcade server or cloud service that ever receives your audio data.
Retag makes no network connections on launch, in the background, or at any point during tag editing. The only outbound connections are the on-demand lookup queries you trigger explicitly. See the Online Lookups section below for the full details.
Online Lookups — Optional, User-Initiated
Retag can look up metadata and cover art from four third-party services. These lookups are entirely optional and happen only when you trigger them. No query is sent automatically; no background polling occurs. When you initiate a lookup, Retag sends a minimal query to the relevant service to retrieve matching metadata or artwork.
The query content varies by service: existing tag values (artist, album, title) for MusicBrainz and Discogs searches; an acoustic fingerprint derived from the audio waveform (not the audio itself) for AcoustID; or a MusicBrainz release ID for Cover Art Archive artwork. No personal data is sent. No account or login is required.
The four services and their privacy policies are listed below. ARRcade has no affiliation with these services and does not receive any data from them.
| Service | What is sent | Privacy Policy |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | Tag values (artist, album, title, etc.) or a MusicBrainz release ID, used to search or fetch structured metadata | metabrainz.org/privacy |
| Discogs | Tag values (artist, album, title) used to search the Discogs catalog for matching releases and artwork | discogs.com/about/privacy |
| AcoustID | An acoustic fingerprint computed locally from the audio waveform of the selected file — the fingerprint is a compact numeric summary, not a copy of your audio. The fingerprint is submitted to the AcoustID service to retrieve matching MusicBrainz recording IDs. | acoustid.org/privacy-policy |
| Cover Art Archive | A MusicBrainz release ID, used to fetch the associated cover artwork image | coverartarchive.org (operated by the Internet Archive & MetaBrainz) |
All four services are operated by independent organisations. Their own privacy policies govern how they handle any data received from API queries. ARRcade receives no data from these services other than the metadata or artwork returned to your Mac in the lookup response.
Apple Music Library Access
Retag can import tracks from your Apple Music library into the tag-editing grid. This access is read-only and requires your explicit consent via a macOS permission prompt before any library data is read.
- Retag reads your Music library solely to populate the grid with file paths and existing tags for editing. It does not modify, delete, or add anything to your Music library.
- Library data (track paths, tags) is loaded into the editing grid on your Mac and is not transmitted anywhere.
- You can revoke this permission at any time in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Media & Apple Music.
The Apple Music library import feature is strictly one-way: tracks come in for editing, and any changes are written to the audio files directly — not fed back into Apple Music. Retag has no write access to the Music library database.
Permissions & App Sandbox
Retag runs in the macOS App Sandbox. All file access is explicit and user-initiated — Retag can only read or write files that you open through an Open dialog or that you drag into the app. It does not have background access to your filesystem.
- File access (security-scoped bookmarks): Retag uses security-scoped bookmarks to remember folders you have opened, so you do not need to re-grant access each session. These bookmarks are stored locally on your Mac and grant access only to the folders you have chosen.
- Network access: The sandbox allows outbound network connections for the optional online lookups described above. No inbound connections are accepted.
- Apple Music library access: Requested only when you use the Music library import feature, requiring your explicit consent.
Retag does not request access to your camera, microphone, contacts, calendar, photos, or any other sensitive permission beyond the file and network access described here.
App Store-Supplied Data
Retag is distributed through the Mac App Store. Apple receives standard anonymous app metrics — crash reports, app launch counts, and aggregate usage data — from all apps distributed through their platforms. ARRcade has access to these aggregated, anonymised metrics through App Store Connect, but has no access to any information that identifies individual users through these channels.
For details on what Apple collects, see Apple's Privacy Policy.
Your Rights
Because Retag stores no personal data beyond your on-device preferences and security-scoped bookmarks, you have complete control at all times.
- Access: There is no personal data to access — ARRcade holds none.
- Deletion: Uninstalling Retag removes all local preferences and bookmarks. No data exists on ARRcade servers because none was ever sent.
- Portability: No personal data exists to port.
For users in the European Economic Area (EEA), this design means your GDPR rights are inherently satisfied — no formal request to us is required because no personal data is processed by ARRcade. Note that the third-party lookup services (MusicBrainz, Discogs, AcoustID, Cover Art Archive) are independent controllers for any data their APIs receive; consult their privacy policies for your rights with respect to those services.
For California residents: Retag does not sell personal information, so CCPA opt-out rights do not apply. There is no personal information to sell.
Children's Privacy
Retag is a music tag editing utility designed for adults and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. Because Retag collects no personal data from anyone, this is inherently satisfied.
Changes to This Policy
If we make material changes to this Privacy Policy, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page and note the change in the accompanying app update on the Mac App Store.
Given Retag's architecture — no personal data collection, no servers, no accounts — the scope for meaningful change is narrow. Any change that introduced data collection would require explicit, informed opt-in from users.
Contact
Questions about this Privacy Policy or how Retag handles data? We are happy to help.