backchannel
Windows x64
For Windows 10 or later on 64-bit Intel or AMD processors.
- Download
Backchannel-windows-x64-v0.6.0.zip. - Unzip it and run
Backchannel.exe. - If SmartScreen appears, choose More info, then Run anyway.
Release v0.6.0
No model reads a name it does not need.
The PII Shield replaces people's names, company names, email addresses, phone numbers, card and national-id numbers, IP and street addresses with tokens such as [PERSON_1] the moment they are written, so every agent, the briefing, chat and Ask work from tokenized text whether the model is on your machine or in the cloud, and the database itself holds only tokens. Detection is entirely on-device; the real values sit in an encrypted vault and are put back only on the screen in front of you. Setting up a session is shorter, with the action button at the top, and the sidebar search understands dates.
Download Backchannel v0.6.0
These unsigned open-source builds are delivered through the Backchannel download portal. Downloads are open to everyone; no account or GitHub sign-in is required.
The Windows and Linux bundles include ffmpeg. On macOS, voice calibration and compressed audio imports still need ffmpeg on PATH.
macOS Apple Silicon
For Apple Silicon Macs. Intel macOS builds are not included in this release.
- Download
Backchannel-macos-arm64-v0.6.0.zip. - Unzip it and move
Backchannel.appwherever you keep apps. - Right-click
Backchannel.appand choose Open the first time.
Linux x64
A portable bundle for 64-bit Intel or AMD Linux systems.
- Download
Backchannel-linux-x64-v0.6.0.tar.gz. - Extract it with
tar -xzf Backchannel-linux-x64-v0.6.0.tar.gz. - Run
Backchannel/Backchannel.
What changed
v0.6.0 adds a privacy layer that keeps personal data out of every model prompt and out of the database itself, and makes a new session faster to set up.
A PII Shield, in Admin -> Privacy
With it on, people's names, company names, email addresses, phone numbers, card and national-id numbers, IP addresses and street addresses are replaced with tokens such as [PERSON_1] the moment a transcript line, directive, document excerpt, session name or speaker name is written. Every agent, the briefing, chat and Ask then work from tokenized text, whether the model is on this machine or in the cloud, and the database holds only tokens. The real values live in a vault encrypted under the same master key that protects your provider keys, and are put back only on the screen in front of you. Tokens stay consistent within a session so the models can follow who said what; nothing links a person across sessions.
Detection runs entirely on this machine
Pattern checks for structured identifiers, the session's own speaker roster and a protected-terms list you maintain (client companies, code names), and a small on-device name-recognition model that downloads once. No detection ever involves a cloud call. The Privacy tab has a scratch box to see exactly what a model would receive for any sentence.
Audio never leaves while the shield is on
Audio cannot be tokenized, so the shield holds transcription to a local model and switches off cloud live captions, the way Privacy First does but for audio alone; cloud text models stay available because they receive tokens only. The Privacy tab shows each path, including a cloud caption gateway that is configured but paused, and the live call says "Live captions off: PII Shield" rather than going quiet. Uploaded documents are read on this machine and never sent as files.
A Transcript Refiner agent
Off by default, it closes the quality gap of local-only transcription: the tokenized transcript goes to any text model, local or cloud, to fix punctuation, casing, sentence boundaries and obvious mishearings, live every 45 seconds, at call end, and before post-import analysis. A rewrite is kept only if it carries exactly the original tokens, and the transcriber's own wording is kept alongside.
Exports and the audit trail
Exports carry tokens unless you tick "Include personal data" in the Export menu; every reveal, on screen or in a file, is counted in an audit trail the Privacy tab summarizes. A completed session shows how many values it holds shielded. Sessions recorded before the shield was on keep what they hold until you protect them.
Setting up a session is shorter
The Start Call and Process Transcript buttons now sit at the top of the pre-call screen and stay there while you scroll. Context is open; documents, imports, directives, participants and agent choices are collapsed cards whose headers say what they hold, and the recording notice is one line with the detail behind it.
Gemini 3.8 Flash
Released the day of this build, it is in the model list and is now the recommended Google model for every text agent and Live Ask, at the same price as 3.7 Flash. Gemini 3.7 Flash stays selectable; an agent already set to it keeps running on it.
The sidebar's find box understands dates
Typing October, oct 8, 8, 08, 8-, 8/, 10/8, 10-08 or 2026-10-08 finds the sessions created or started on that day, with nothing to add to the session name.
First-run notes
| Need | What to do |
|---|---|
| Release access | Nothing - downloads are open to everyone; no account or sign-in is required. |
| Provider key | Follow the guided setup on first launch, or add a key later in Admin -> Connections. Calls will not start until the transcription model has a usable credential; local ONNX transcription needs none. |
| Voice calibration | Works out of the box on Windows and Linux. On macOS, install ffmpeg and make sure it is on PATH before enrolling your voice. |
| Upgrading | An install on v0.5.3 or later updates itself in place: it verifies the new build's signature first and waits for recording and post-processing to finish before restarting. An install on v0.5.2 or earlier will not see this release from inside the app: download the bundle above, quit the old version from the tray, and run the new one. Session data is stored per-user and shared by every version; the database gains two PII Shield tables automatically at startup, and the shield stays off until you turn it on in Admin -> Privacy. On Windows the app wraps its existing key file with your Windows account on first launch; an administrator-forced password reset means re-entering provider keys once. The Admin About tab shows a what's-new notice after upgrading. |
| Desktop launch | Backchannel opens a dedicated local app window in your default browser when it supports app windows, otherwise it uses a standard browser tab. It remains available from the system tray or menu bar. |
| Docker | Check out the v0.6.0 source tag and rebuild Compose to run the same release through containers. If you reach the stack by a DNS hostname rather than an IP address or localhost, set BACKCHANNEL_ALLOWED_HOSTS to that name in .env first. |
Start with the desktop app or self-host the stack
Both paths run Backchannel on your machine. Choose the desktop bundle for the fastest start, or Compose for maximum control.