Tutorial: Desktop App Private Mode Configuration

Private mode in the Aissence desktop app keeps your practice sessions contained on your machine with minimal data leaving it — and setting it up takes about five minutes. This walkthrough covers installation, enabling private mode, verifying it's active, and the settings worth checking on day one. Screens vary slightly between Windows and macOS; the flow is the same.

What private mode means: your session content is handled with the tightest data posture the app offers — designed for people practising with real work stories who want rehearsal without a cloud trail. It's a privacy setting, not an invisibility cloak, and it's meant for your own practice sessions.

Step 1 — Install and first launch

1. Download the installer from the desktop app page and run it. On macOS, drag to Applications; on Windows, follow the installer prompts.
2. Launch and sign in. The app checks for updates on first run — let it finish.
3. Grant the permissions it asks for: microphone on both platforms; on macOS also screen/system-audio recording in System Settings → Privacy & Security. Miss these and transcription stays silent, which is the number-one setup issue.

Step 2 — Enable private mode

1. Open Settings (the gear, top right of the main window).
2. Find the Privacy section and toggle Private mode on.
3. Read the summary panel it shows — it tells you plainly what is and isn't stored in this mode. We put it in the app rather than a help article because it should be impossible to miss. The private mode page describes the model in full.

Step 3 — Verify it's working

1. Start a test session and say a sentence or two out loud — confirm live transcription appears.
2. Play any spoken-word video; confirm the other side of a conversation is captured too.
3. End the session and check your session list: in private mode, you'll see the difference in what's retained. That visible difference is your confirmation.

Settings worth five extra seconds

• Hotkeys. Set a show/hide shortcut before your first real practice session; fumbling for a window mid-call breaks your rhythm.
• Audio device. If you use a headset, select it explicitly rather than leaving "system default" — defaults love to change at the worst moment.
• Auto-launch. Off, unless you truly practise daily. Deliberate starts make deliberate practice.

If something misbehaves, work the checklist in order: no transcription at all means permissions; transcription of only your voice means system-audio capture; garbled transcription means a doubled audio route — headphones fix most of it. Restart the app after changing any OS-level permission; both Windows and macOS apply some grants only on relaunch. And if you're stuck, the in-app summary panel plus a quick test session will localise the fault faster than an hour of forum reading.

Once it's running, build a tiny ritual: sixty-second audio check before every practice session. It feels fussy the first three times and invisible thereafter, and it guarantees a broken microphone never eats a session you actually needed.

Common setup mistakes

• Skipping the macOS privacy grants, then troubleshooting "no transcription" for an hour.
• Testing only your own mic, never the system-audio side — you need both for a real conversation.
• Assuming private mode changes what's appropriate in a live assessed interview. It doesn't — it's for your practice, and the ethics guide explains the boundary.

FAQ

Does private mode work offline? Core practice features need connectivity for the AI itself; private mode governs data handling, not connectivity. Check the in-app summary for the current specifics.

Can I switch private mode on and off per session? Yes — it's a toggle, not a commitment. Turn it on for sessions with sensitive work stories; whatever you're comfortable with otherwise.