Hedy EU Data Residency in 2026 (European Storage for Your AI Meeting Coach)

Hedy is now a GDPR-compliant AI meeting assistant with full EU data residency. Starting with version 2.15, new users choose where their conversation data lives: the European Union or the United States. If you pick Europe, your conversations are stored on servers physically located in the EU.

Why EU Data Residency Matters for AI Meeting Tools

Hedy processes real conversations. Business strategy sessions, coaching calls, job interviews, legal consultations, client negotiations. The content of those conversations is sensitive, and where that data physically resides is not a trivial detail.

Consider a consultant in Vienna discussing proprietary business strategy with a client. Or a coach in Berlin running a leadership development session. Or a journalist in Amsterdam conducting a sensitive source interview. These are conversations where data residency is not an abstract policy question. It directly affects whether these professionals can use the tool at all.

For European professionals, data sovereignty has become a practical requirement. Many organizations can only adopt AI tools that store personal data within EU borders. GDPR sets the regulatory framework, but beyond compliance, people simply want to know their conversations are not sitting on a server in another continent.

We built EU data residency because our European users asked for it and because it was the right thing to do.

How EU Data Residency Works in Hedy

When new users sign up for Hedy, they see a simple choice during onboarding: European Union or United States. Hedy suggests a region based on the user’s location, but the choice is theirs. Once selected, that region is permanent.

For users who choose the EU, all conversation data is processed and stored on European servers. This includes session recordings, transcripts, summaries, highlights, topics, chat history, custom contexts, and user preferences.

Cloud storage of conversations only applies to users who have cloud sync enabled. Users without cloud sync have their conversations stored exclusively on their own device. The data residency choice determines where your data goes if and when you use cloud sync.

Some operational services remain US-based for all users: account authentication, subscription billing, and error monitoring. Our email service providers are also US-based, which means auto-recap emails that include session summaries and notes are sent through US infrastructure. If this is a concern, you can disable auto-recap emails in your settings and review session content directly within the app, where it stays in your chosen region. This separation between conversation storage and operational services is disclosed in our privacy policy.

A Bot-Free, On-Device Approach to Conversation Privacy

Most AI meeting assistants work by joining your call as a visible bot participant, recording everything, and sending it to their servers for processing. Hedy works differently.

Hedy’s speech recognition runs locally on your device. Your audio is transcribed on your phone, tablet, or computer without being sent anywhere. There is no bot joining your meeting. No third-party participant appearing in your call. Nobody on the other end of the conversation needs to know you are using Hedy at all.

This on-device approach means that for many users, the most sensitive part of the process, converting speech to text, never touches a server. It happens entirely on hardware you control.

When Hedy generates summaries, automatic suggestions, or insights, your conversation data is sent to our AI processing partners for analysis. It is processed in memory, not stored on their servers, and never used to train AI models. We have binding agreements with all AI providers that prohibit any use of your data for model training.

For users who select the EU region, this AI processing also happens through European infrastructure. So your conversations are not only stored in Europe, they are analyzed there too.

EU Data Residency for New Users and Existing Users

New users see a region choice during onboarding. If they select the EU, both their stored conversation data and their AI processing happen in Europe automatically.

Existing users who signed up before EU residency was available are not forced to change anything. Their stored data remains on US servers, which is where it has always been. However, existing users can opt into EU AI processing by updating their region preference in Privacy Preferences within Account Settings. This routes future AI analysis through European infrastructure. It does not migrate previously stored conversations to EU servers.

We do not currently have a tool to move stored data between regions. If an existing user needs full EU data residency for both storage and processing, the current path is to create a new account and select the EU region during onboarding. Our support team can help migrate your Pro license to the new account. We are also evaluating options for exporting and importing session data between accounts to make this transition smoother.

Part of a Broader GDPR Compliance Effort

EU data residency is one piece of our ongoing work to make Hedy a viable GDPR-compliant AI meeting coach for organizations with strict data governance requirements. For the full picture of Hedy’s GDPR compliance — DPA, SCCs, Transfer Impact Assessment, and Technical/Organizational Measures — see the dedicated post. Our SOC 2 Type I and HIPAA certifications are currently in their observation periods, with completion expected in Q2 2026. Full GDPR compliance documentation is available through our Trust Center at trust.hedy.ai.

We provide the framework and infrastructure for GDPR-compliant use of Hedy. As outlined in GDPR, organizations using Hedy remain responsible for their own obligations as data controllers, including establishing their legal basis for processing and handling data subject rights. Our GDPR checklist for AI meeting tools walks through these controller responsibilities step by step. For a comparative evaluation of how Hedy stacks up against other meeting tools on GDPR, see the best GDPR-compliant AI meeting tool deep-dive.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is my Hedy data stored if I choose the EU region?

All conversation data — session recordings, transcripts, summaries, highlights, topics, chat history, custom contexts, and user preferences — is stored on servers physically located in the European Union. AI processing also runs through European infrastructure, so your conversations are not only stored in Europe, they are analyzed there too.

Can I switch from US to EU data residency in Hedy?

Existing users can opt into EU AI processing via Privacy Preferences in Account Settings — this routes future AI analysis through European infrastructure. Migrating already-stored conversations between regions is not yet supported. For full EU residency for both storage and processing, the current path is to create a new account, select the EU region, and ask support to migrate your Pro license.

What still runs through US infrastructure when I choose EU residency?

Account authentication, subscription billing, and error monitoring remain US-based for all users, as do the email service providers that send auto-recap emails. If you don’t want session content to leave your region in any form, you can disable auto-recap emails in settings and review session content directly in the app, where it stays in your chosen region.

Does EU data residency on its own mean GDPR compliance?

No. EU residency is a strong supporting measure, but full compliance also requires an Article 28 DPA, EU Standard Contractual Clauses for any cross-border transfers, a Transfer Impact Assessment, documented Technical/Organizational Measures, sub-processor transparency, and your own controller-side obligations (lawful basis, transparency, DPIA where required, data subject rights).

What does on-device speech recognition mean for EU users?

Hedy’s speech recognition runs locally on your phone, tablet, or computer. Your audio is converted to text on hardware you control and never sent to a server for transcription. For EU users, this means the most sensitive part of the pipeline — the raw audio — never leaves your device, on top of EU residency for the data that does go to the cloud.

The Bottom Line

Your conversations are yours. Where they are stored should be your choice. With EU data residency, on-device speech recognition, and no bot joining your calls, Hedy gives European professionals a level of conversation privacy that most AI meeting tools simply cannot match.

Update to the latest version of Hedy and choose your region during onboarding. Already a user? Check your Privacy Preferences in Account Settings.