Privacy.

Last updated: 19 August 2026.

The short version

Serval the Mac app doesn't collect anything. It can't — macOS blocks it from making network requests. The only data Serval keeps is salted hashes of the headphones you've connected, stored inside its sandbox on your Mac, so it remembers them next time.

This website is separate. If you choose to join the waitlist for an unsupported headphone model, the website stores your email address, selected model, and optional marketing preference until you unsubscribe.

What Serval doesn't do

• No accounts. Serval doesn't require a sign-in.
• No analytics or telemetry. Serval contains no analytics SDKs, tracking technology, or third-party data collection.
• No network access. Serval ships sandboxed without the network-client entitlement. macOS prevents it from opening any outgoing network connection.
• No vendor cloud integration. Serval doesn't talk to Sony, Bose, Nothing, Samsung, or Apple servers.

What Serval keeps on your Mac

So Serval can recognise headphones between sessions, it stores two files inside its macOS sandbox container — a folder only Serval can read:

• A random salt, unique to your Mac. Generated once, never transmitted.
• A small JSON file mapping salted SHA-256 hashes of each headphone's Bluetooth identifier to hardware metadata about that headphone — its model name (for example, WH-1000XM4), firmware version, product family, colour, and timestamps for when it was first seen and last confirmed.

The raw Bluetooth identifier isn't stored, and the salt makes the hash impossible to reverse without your Mac. Your settings — noise cancelling, equaliser, ambient sound mode, and so on — live on the headphones themselves, not on your Mac. Serval reads them live from the device each session and doesn't keep its own copy.

All of this stays on your Mac. Uninstalling Serval removes it.

Website waitlist

The Supported Devices section of this website lets you join a waitlist for a headphone model that Serval doesn't support yet. The waitlist is a website feature — it doesn't go through the Mac app, and the Mac app stays sandboxed and offline regardless of whether you sign up.

If you join the waitlist, this site stores:

• The email address you submitted.
• The selected model identifier (for example, sony_wh_1000xm5).
• Whether you opted into occasional broader Serval news.
• The timestamp the signup was created and a random unsubscribe token.

The legal basis is your consent. Joining a model waitlist signs you up for updates about support for that model. If you also select the optional checkbox, you may receive occasional Serval beta news, launch updates, and discounts. The site does not share your email address with third parties or use it outside the purposes you selected.

This site uses self-hosted Plausible for anonymous analytics. When you pick a roadmap model in the waitlist flow, Plausible records the selected model identifier and its roadmap state as an anonymous interest signal — your email address is never sent to Plausible.

Waitlist records are kept until you unsubscribe, request deletion, or the list is retired. Every waitlist email includes an unsubscribe link that asks for confirmation before hard-deleting your row from the database. You can also email support@servalcontrol.app to remove your address manually.

macOS diagnostic reports

If you've opted in to Share with App Developers in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Analytics & Improvements, macOS may send anonymised diagnostic information about Serval to Apple. This can include:

• Stack traces from crashes
• Your macOS version
• Your Mac's hardware model

macOS collects and sends this data, not Serval. Apple makes anonymised reports for Serval available through App Store Connect. They never include audio you have listened to, controls you have used, or any personal information. Apple's privacy policy governs this data: apple.com/legal/privacy. You can disable the setting any time.

TestFlight beta

If you install Serval through TestFlight, Apple shares aggregated install and crash counts via App Store Connect. See Apple's TestFlight documentation: testflight.apple.com.

Trademarks

Sony, Samsung, Bose, Nothing, and Apple are trademarks of their respective owners. Serval is an independent app — not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any of them.

Your rights under EU and UK data-protection law

Under the GDPR and UK GDPR, you have the right to access, rectify, erase, restrict, port, and object to the processing of your personal data, and to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority.

For the Serval Mac app there's nothing to grant, correct, or erase — it doesn't transmit data off your Mac, and uninstalling removes the salted hashes and hardware metadata it stored locally. For website waitlist signups, email support@servalcontrol.app or use the unsubscribe link in any Serval email to delete your record. Data Apple processes via TestFlight, App Store, or macOS diagnostics falls under Apple's privacy policy — direct those requests to Apple.

Changes

This policy may change. The current version is always available at this URL.

Contact

Questions? Email support@servalcontrol.app.