InkFlowLocal first, your choice
Data and privacy
Everyday pinyin input runs on your Mac. This page says exactly what the optional features send, and where.
InkFlow’s settings are in Chinese, so setting names below are given in Chinese with a translation.
Data on this Mac
Your user dictionary, custom phrases and input quality records are stored in ~/Library/Application Support/InkFlow/ and are never uploaded.
By default, quality records keep no text you type. They keep candidate rankings and timing (for 28 days), learning events without text (for 90 days, up to 16,384), and, for each selection, the pinyin you typed and a hash of the chosen word. The hash key stays on this Mac and changes when you clear the records.
Only if you turn on 同时保存输入文本 (also save input text) in 质量记录 (quality records) does InkFlow keep the text you type, the candidates and the text before the cursor, also for 28 days. Turning it off deletes the saved text. You can pause or clear the records at any time. The records database isn’t encrypted; FileVault and file permissions that only your user can read protect it. Check any records before you share them for troubleshooting.
On-device speech recognition
Apple’s on-device speech recognition turns your voice into text. Preparing the Chinese recognition model the first time may need the internet.
语音润色 (voice polish) is off by default. When it’s on, only the transcript of that dictation is sent to the AI service you set up. If polishing fails, InkFlow uses the original transcript.
Optional AI suggestions
智能预测 (smart prediction) is off by default. When it’s on, InkFlow sends the current pinyin, the part already chosen and a limited amount of text around the cursor to the service you set up.
How that service handles your data, and what it charges, is up to its provider. Your API key is stored in the macOS keychain. InkFlow keeps usage statistics for smart prediction on your Mac, and keeps samples of the suggested text for 30 days.
The fields, retention rules and how to query them read-only are described in the AI statistics guide (in Chinese).
Updates
Checking for and downloading dictionary updates goes to GitHub. A new dictionary is used once the current input ends. If you turn on update checks, checking for new versions of InkFlow also goes to GitHub.
Managing local data
You can turn off smart prediction and voice polish in InkFlow’s settings. Turning them off doesn’t delete local data already saved.
To clean up, switch to another input method and quit InkFlow, make a backup, then deal with the data folder above. Deleting the whole folder also removes your user dictionary, custom phrases and records. API keys in the keychain are stored separately from that folder.
This website
This website has no analytics, ad tracking or forms, never uses your microphone and never calls an AI service. The typing demo on the home page uses preset text and records nothing. When you switch languages, a cookie remembers your choice. Links to GitHub take you to GitHub’s website.