> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://getsoda.app/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Permissions
> The four Mac permissions Soda needs, and why.
Soda needs four Mac permissions so it can hear your calls, know who's speaking, and respond to your searches. Each one has a single, narrow job. Setup asks for them one at a time, in the order below, and moves on as soon as each one is on. You'll need all four for Soda to work.
> We know these are a lot to ask. An app that wants your microphone, plus a permission with "screen" in its name, should make you stop and think. We'd rather you knew exactly what each one does before you turn it on. Your calls are transcribed on your Mac, and the audio is discarded straight after (no audio leaves your device). No video is recorded, and no screenshots are saved.
>
> If you have any questions about how Soda handles your data, [message Lloyd, our founder, directly on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/lloyd-rayner/). You can also read more about [how Soda handles your privacy](/docs/privacy/what-soda-captures).
## Input Monitoring
Input Monitoring lets you ask Soda a question from anywhere by tapping ⌘ twice. Soda only watches for the ⌘ key. It doesn't log or store anything you type.
System Settings opens at **Privacy & Security** > **Input Monitoring**. A small panel appears with Soda's icon and the words **Click and drag the Soda icon into the Input Monitoring list**.
Your Mac may ask for your password or Touch ID.
Go ahead. Soda picks up where you left off.
If you're asked to 'quit and reopen' you will see Soda close for a few moments before opening back up. It usually reopens within 10 seconds. It will reopen automatically on the next step in the onboarding journey.
## Accessibility
Accessibility is how Soda knows you're on a call and who's in it. It reads the names of the people in your meeting window, and the window's title, so action items and details land on the right person. Soda doesn't read your messages, your documents, or anything else on your screen, and no screenshots are saved.
System Settings opens at **Privacy & Security** > **Accessibility**. A small panel appears with the words **Click and drag the Soda icon into the Accessibility list**.
Your Mac may ask for your password or Touch ID.
Soda picks up where you left off.
## Microphone
The microphone is how Soda hears your side of the call. Soda only uses the microphone while you're on a call, and the audio is discarded once it's transcribed.
Your Mac shows a pop-up asking if Soda can use the microphone.
Soda moves on to the last permission.
Your call audio is processed on your Mac, not in the cloud. It never leaves your device and is discarded once it's transcribed. Only you ever have it. So it stays private to you.
If you've clicked **Don't Allow** before, clicking **Grant Access** opens System Settings at **Privacy & Security** > **Microphone** instead. Turn on Soda there.
## Screen and System Audio Recording
This is how Soda hears the other people on your call. Macs file the sound coming out of your speakers under the same setting as screen recording, which is why the name sounds bigger than what Soda uses it for. Soda uses it for sound only. No video is recorded, and no screenshots are saved.
System Settings opens at **Privacy & Security** > **Screen & System Audio Recording**. A small panel appears with the words **Click and drag the Soda icon into the Screen and System Audio Recording list**.
Your Mac may ask for your password or Touch ID.
Your Mac will very likely ask this time. Soda picks up where you left off.
On some Mac versions it's called **Screen Recording**. Same setting.
On macOS Sequoia and later, your Mac may now and then ask you to confirm Soda can keep accessing your screen and audio. This is a normal Mac reminder. Allow it, or Soda will stop hearing the other people on your calls.
## Later: browser access
You won't see this during setup. Shortly after you first open a supported browser with Soda running, your Mac asks once whether Soda can access that browser.
This is one of the signals Soda uses to notice when you join a meeting, like Google Meet, Zoom, or Teams on the web. Soda only reads the address of the tab, to spot a meeting link. It doesn't read the pages you visit, and it doesn't store your browsing. Your Mac's prompt says Soda "wants access to control" the browser, which sounds much broader than what Soda does with it.
Safari, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Brave, Arc, and Vivaldi each ask once. Firefox and Opera don't use this permission.
When your Mac asks, allow it. Without it, Soda won't notice meetings in that browser. If you said no, here's how to turn it on.
The next time Soda checks that browser, it shows **Enable Browser Access**. Click **Grant Access**.
System Settings opens at **Privacy & Security** > **Automation**. Find Soda and turn on the browser.
Using Safari for meetings? There's one more step, turning on Soda's Safari extension. See [Set up Safari](/docs/getting-started/safari).
## If you said no to a permission
Nothing's broken. You can turn any permission on later.
The easiest way is to quit and reopen Soda. It takes you back to that permission's screen, so you can click **Grant Access** and follow the steps above. For browser access, Soda asks again the next time it checks that browser.
You can also turn it on yourself in System Settings.
Choose Apple menu > **System Settings**, then click **Privacy & Security**.
For example, **Microphone**, **Accessibility**, or **Automation** for browser access.
For **Automation**, find Soda and turn on the browser instead. If your Mac asks, quit and reopen Soda.
## If Soda stops working after a macOS update
Big macOS updates sometimes switch permissions off. The next time you open Soda, it takes you back to the permission screen for anything that's off. Click **Grant Access** and follow the steps for that permission above.
If your calls stop working and Soda hasn't asked, quit and reopen Soda so it can check. If Soda heard you but not the people you were talking to, see [Soda only heard me, not the other person](/docs/troubleshooting/only-heard-me).
## If a switch is on but Soda still asks for it
Try these in order, and stop when it works.
Some permissions, Input Monitoring especially, only take effect after Soda restarts.
In **System Settings** > **Privacy & Security**, open the permission and turn Soda off, then on again.
If Soda appears twice in the list, or it still doesn't work, select Soda and click the minus button. Then reopen Soda and grant the permission again from setup. For browser access, Soda asks again later.
## Questions
No. Screen & System Audio Recording is how Macs let an app hear the sound your computer plays. Soda uses it for sound only. It records no video and saves no screenshots. For the full picture, see [What Soda captures, and what it never does](/docs/privacy/what-soda-captures).
No. It only checks the address of the tab you're on, to spot a meeting link. Nothing about your browsing is stored.
No. Soda only uses the microphone while you're on a call.
Yes. IT teams can manage Mac app permissions for Soda the same way they do for any other app. If a switch is greyed out or you can't change it, your company manages it, so ask your IT team to allow Soda.
## Next steps
What happens when you join a call with Soda running.
Everything Soda keeps, and where the line is.
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