Privacy Policy

Last updated: 2026-05-12.

This policy explains what TheGuitarTuner.com collects, why, and what choices you have. The site is operated as a free, browser-based guitar tuner with a small set of accompanying guides. The principle behind every decision below is the same: process as little personal data as possible, and be plain about what does get processed.

The short version

Your microphone audio is processed inside your browser and is never sent to any server. The site uses Google Analytics for aggregate traffic measurement, Google AdSense to display ads, and Google Fonts to load typefaces. These services may set cookies and process limited information about your visit. You can opt out of ad personalisation and analytics, and you have the right to ask what we hold about you.

Who runs this site

TheGuitarTuner.com is the operator of this website ("we", "us"). For any privacy question, write to [email protected].

Microphone audio

The tuner needs microphone access to detect pitch. When you grant permission:

• Audio is captured by your browser and analysed locally using the Web Audio API.
• Audio data is never recorded, never stored, and never transmitted to our servers or to any third party.
• Capture is active only while the tuner is running. Closing the tab or pressing stop ends it.
• You can revoke microphone permission at any time through your browser's site-settings menu.

What we collect automatically

When you load a page, standard web request information is available to us and our analytics provider, including:

• IP address (used to derive an approximate country/region, then discarded by the analytics provider in aggregated form).
• Browser type, operating system, screen size, and language.
• The referring page or search term that brought you here, if any.
• The pages you viewed, time on page, and basic interaction events such as clicks on the "Start Tuning" button.

This information is collected in aggregate to understand how the site is used. We do not attempt to identify individual visitors from it.

What we collect when you contact us

If you email us at the address on the contact page, we receive your email address and the contents of your message. We use that information only to reply and to keep a record of the exchange for as long as is reasonably needed to resolve the issue. We do not add your address to a mailing list — there isn't one.

Cookies and similar technologies

The site uses a small number of cookies and local storage entries. A separate cookie policy lists each category in detail. In summary:

• Strictly necessary — none required beyond what the browser sets for the page itself.
• Analytics — Google Analytics cookies that record an anonymised client identifier and basic session information.
• Advertising — Google AdSense cookies that support ad delivery, frequency capping, and (where you have not opted out) ad personalisation.

Google AdSense and advertising

This site uses Google AdSense to display advertisements. Google, as a third-party vendor, uses cookies to serve ads on the site. Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to users based on their visit to this site and/or other sites on the Internet.

Users may opt out of personalised advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings. They may also opt out of some third-party vendors' use of cookies for personalised advertising at aboutads.info or, for visitors in Europe, at youronlinechoices.com.

Google's own advertising and privacy practices are described in the Google advertising policies.

Third-party services

The pages on this site load resources from, or are measured by, the following third parties:

• Google Analytics — anonymous traffic measurement. See the Google privacy policy.
• Google AdSense — advertising delivery and measurement. Covered by the Google policies linked above.
• Google Fonts — serves the page typefaces. Font requests may include your IP address and user-agent string.

Each of these services has its own privacy policy, which we encourage you to read.

Legal basis (visitors in the EU/EEA and UK)

Under the GDPR, the legal bases for the processing described above are:

• Consent — for analytics and advertising cookies, where required by your jurisdiction.
• Legitimate interests — for keeping the site running, defending against abuse, and maintaining basic aggregated traffic stats.
• Contract / pre-contract steps — for replying to a message you send us.

Your rights

Depending on where you live, you have some or all of the following rights:

• Access — ask what personal data we hold about you.
• Rectification — ask us to correct inaccurate data.
• Erasure — ask us to delete data we hold about you, where there is no overriding obligation to retain it.
• Restriction and objection — ask us to limit or stop certain processing.
• Portability — receive a copy of data you've provided in a portable format.
• Withdraw consent — for processing that relies on consent, at any time.
• Complain — to your local data-protection authority.

California residents have equivalent rights under the CCPA/CPRA, including the right to know, the right to delete, and the right to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information. We do not sell personal information for money. Advertising cookies as described above may, depending on interpretation, qualify as "sharing" under the CCPA; you can opt out via the links in the AdSense section above.

To exercise any of these rights, email [email protected].

Retention

• Microphone audio — not retained at all. Processed only in your browser.
• Analytics data — retained at the analytics provider in aggregated form for up to 14 months by default; reach out and we'll reduce it on request.
• Email correspondence — retained for as long as needed to resolve the matter and for a reasonable follow-up period, then deleted.

Data security

We use industry-standard transport encryption (HTTPS) and rely on reputable third parties for the small amount of data that does leave your browser. No method of transmission over the Internet is completely secure, but the absence of accounts, payments, and stored audio keeps the surface small.

Children's privacy

The site is not directed at children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided personal information, please email us and we will delete it.

International transfers

The third-party services listed above are operated globally, and your data may be processed outside your country of residence, including in the United States. These providers offer their own safeguards (standard contractual clauses or equivalent mechanisms) under their respective policies.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, the "Last updated" date at the top of the page will change. Material changes will be flagged on the homepage for a reasonable period.

Contact

For privacy questions, write to [email protected]. For everything else, see the contact page.

Last reviewed on 2026-05-12.