Zero data retention for AI voice agents: what happens to call data

Yes. An AI phone agent typically stores calls as a call record — with the transcript and, if present, the recording. At Famulor the default period is 24 months. Under Profile → Data Retention you set 1 to 24 months; after that the platform deletes the data automatically (soft delete). Zero Retention Mode is not the default. It is an offer for highly sensitive environments: process in RAM, delete after the interaction. This article walks through the five layers — the practical meaning of zero data retention voice AI.

Five layers: what a call can become

A call is not one blob. For access requests, deletion and purpose limitation you need to know which layer you actually create. The data retention docs treat calls as call records, transcripts and recordings. Under that sit five questions that a DPO, ops lead or founder should answer separately — as an inventory, not a slogan.

Audio

The recording is the heaviest layer: voice, background, often a third person in the room. It belongs to the call record and follows the period you set. The default is 24 months, configurable from 1 to 24 months. A scheduled process then removes the data by soft delete — marked deleted first, not destroyed in the same second.

Recording is an opt-out: you can disable it. That is a decision on your assistant, not a hidden “only if someone switched it on”. Off stays off. On stays on until you disable it or the call moves to a path without recording.

Zero Retention Mode changes this layer for highly sensitive environments: process in memory, delete after the interaction. That is in the Trust Center; the German sibling is docs.famulor.io/de/support/trust-center. It is an offer, not the account default. Reading “we store nothing” or “everything is gone immediately after every call” as the default misreads the page.

Transcript

The transcript is the text of the conversation. It is part of the same call record as the recording. Same period, same soft delete. Transcription is also opt-out. A transcript without audio is still personal data once a name, number, voice or request is identifiable. It is not a harmless tech log and not a reason to keep it longer.

Turning transcription off and recording on — or the reverse — does not change the call period for whatever remains. The period is tied to Calls, not to a single file.

Summary

A summary is not its own type in the retention table. If it sits on the call record — as a short text or as fields you keep after the call — the call period applies. There is no extra rule and no second archive. If you do not create a summary, you do not need one just to look complete.

For zero data retention voice AI that means: treat the summary like the call, not like an independent document. What you copy into a CRM or ticket falls under your systems, not under Famulor’s call-deletion deadline.

Named variables

On the platform this layer is named variables: you give the field a name (name it Variable) and keep only what you attach to it — a case number, a customer type, a status. No named variable means no extra field. What you create belongs to the call record, not the knowledge base. The optional extra deletion automation can remove date, time and duration with the call — extra cleanup, not a second account default.

A named variable looks small, so teams forget it. A minute of connection data plus a phone number is still a personal record, even when audio and transcript are off.

Training

Training is the layer teams confuse with storage. Stored is not trained. Famulor contractually ensures that AI providers must not use audio, transcripts or prompts to train or improve their foundation models. The pricing page says the same: we and our partners do not use your data to train AI models. Famulor uses conversations to run the service, not to train its own models.

That holds whether the call sits for one month or 24. A short period does not replace the no-training commitment, and the commitment does not replace your deletion period. You need both.

The same rules for Famulor Orchestrator, Multi-Agent and Workflow

The same data rules apply whether one assistant, Famulor Multi-Agent or a Famulor Workflow runs the call. Famulor Orchestrator does not double the storage trail or invent a second period. Recording, transcription, region and deletion follow the call — not each building block on its own.

A Famulor Workflow does not change that just because the journey has several steps. If someone declines recording, you can continue without a recording, hang up, or hand off to an assistant without recording or to a human. The call row, transcript and events still remain — decline does not mean nothing is stored. The forwarding-on-rejection guide describes that path. You design conversation logic in the Flow Builder. None of these surfaces creates a silent recording that the call period does not know about.

Roles, region, encryption

You are the controller. Famulor is the processor. You conclude the DPA separately. The Trust Center is the living annex. The privacy policy is the canonical privacy URL; this article does not quote it and does not replace the DPA or your own documentation.

The platform is hosted in Frankfurt. EEA-First means core speech and text processing runs in the European Economic Area. That is not “Germany only” and not “every conversation trace always stays in the EU”. You set the AI inference region under Workspace settings: Global, EU or US. It controls where provider inference runs for workspace AI. Setting: https://app.famulor.io/settings?panel=workspace Famulor 2.0 shows an EU-hosting badge.

On Famulor 2.0, zero data retention is included for every user — pay-as-you-go and plans, no add-on. Vapi lists Zero Data Retention as a public add-on at $1,000 per month (as of August 2026). Retell and Synthflow do not sell a public ZDR add-on; custom data retention sits on Retell’s Enterprise plan, and on Synthflow behind agent toggles and Enterprise.

Data in transit uses TLS 1.2+ / TLS 1.3. Data at rest uses AES-256. That is transport and storage encryption, not a promise that only you can read the payload. “TLS 1.3 only” would be narrower than the documented position.

Set the period, add extra cleanup, delete by hand

The account period lives in Profile, next to timezone settings. Four resource types, each independently 1 to 24 months: calls, leads, chat history, SMS. Calls — records, transcripts, recordings — start at 24 months. After expiry a scheduled process soft-deletes them.

There is also an optional 1.0 “automatic deletion” automation with a 180-day default. That is extra cleanup, not the account default. The automatic call-data deletion page makes that distinction. You can also delete calls manually.

Knowledge bases are workspace material. Uploads and embeddings are not in the same deletion job as calls. They stay until someone removes them manually.

• Profile → Data Retention: check 1–24 months per resource.
• Recording and transcription: set the opt-out if you do not need them.
• Sign the DPA; read the Trust Center as the living annex.
• Set the AI inference region in Workspace (Global, EU or US).
• On recording rejection: continue without recording, hang up, or hand off. Call row, transcript and events remain.
• Delete manually when needed; use the 180-day automation only as extra cleanup.

What this article does not do

Whether you may record depends on consent and purpose, not on the retention period. The neighbour page is the DACH recording guide. Why a GDPR-ready assistant matters in the market is in five reasons it can be a competitive advantage. We link the older Privacy by Design post as a related article. We do not repeat its earlier wording that immediate deletion is the standard.

If you want to see the flow on your own assistant, book a demo. The rest is configuration and documentation — not a promise that “nothing is stored”.

FAQ

Are calls stored by default at Famulor?

Yes. Calls are stored as a record, including the transcript and the recording. The default period is 24 months. You set 1 to 24 months under Profile → Data Retention. A scheduled process then soft-deletes the data. Zero Retention Mode is separate: it is an offer, not this default period.

Is Zero Retention Mode the default?

No. Zero Retention Mode is an offer for highly sensitive environments, not the account default. On Famulor 2.0 this mode is included for every user, pay-as-you-go and plans — it is still a mode you choose, not the 24-month period. In that mode, data is processed in memory and deleted after the interaction. The normal path remains a call record with a configurable period. The Trust Center describes the offer. It is not a hidden default behind the assistant.

Are audio, transcripts or prompts used to train AI models?

No. Famulor contractually ensures that AI providers must not use audio, transcripts or prompts to train or improve their foundation models. Pricing says the same: we and our partners do not use your data to train AI models. That is independent of the retention period and does not replace it.

Can I disable recording and transcription?

Yes. Recording and transcription are opt-out: you can disable them. You decide that on the assistant, not the platform alone. Disabling them does not mean no call record remains; named variables can still appear. How you collect consent is your process. This is not legal advice.

What happens if someone declines recording?

The call does not have to end. You can continue without a recording, hang up, or use a Famulor Workflow to hand off to an assistant without recording or to a human. The call row, transcript and events remain; decline does not mean nothing is stored.

Who is the controller and who is the processor?

You are the controller. Famulor is the processor. You conclude the DPA on the DPA page. The Trust Center is the living annex. We link the privacy policy as the canonical URL; it replaces neither the DPA nor your own documentation. Speaking through an assistant does not swap those roles.

Does all conversation data always stay in the EU?

No. That would be too broad. The platform is hosted in Frankfurt. EEA-First means core speech and text processing runs in the EEA. You set the AI inference region in Workspace to Global, EU or US. That is not “Germany only” and not “every trace always stays in the EU”.

How long do call records stay in the account?

The default is 24 months, configurable from 1 to 24 months, then automatic soft delete. There is also an optional 1.0 automation with 180 days — extra cleanup, not the account default. You can also delete calls manually. Knowledge bases are not under this call deadline.

Do Multi-Agent and Workflow follow the same data rules?

Yes. The same data rules apply whether one assistant, Famulor Multi-Agent or a Famulor Workflow runs the call. Famulor Orchestrator does not change retention, no-training or the recording opt-out. There is no second, looser trail just because several assistants speak in sequence.

Are knowledge bases deleted with the calls?

No. Knowledge-base uploads and embeddings are not in the same deletion job as calls. They stay until someone removes them manually.

This article is orientation, not legal advice. Check retention, consent and your deletion concept with your counsel — including statutory retention duties that can last longer than 24 months.