Privacy Policy

Effective date: April 19, 2026

Detlev Voss ("we", "us", "our") operates the PhotoView mobile application (the "App"). This page informs you about our policies regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of personal data when you use the App.

PhotoView is a read-only viewer for the photos and videos in your iCloud Photo Library. It does not import, copy, upload or back up your media, and it does not run any server that receives your data. All photos, videos and metadata you see in the App live in Apple's Photos system — never on our infrastructure.

1. Access to Your Photos & Videos

1.1 Photo Library Permission

When you first open a view that needs access to your library, iOS asks you to grant the App permission to read from the Photos framework. The App can work with either Full Access or Limited Access; with Limited Access only the assets you selected are visible. You can change this at any time in iOS Settings → PhotoView → Photos.

Photo and video data is accessed on-device through Apple's PhotoKit framework only when the App is open and you are viewing an asset. Original files are downloaded from iCloud on demand by iOS itself; the App does not make its own network requests for your media.

1.2 Metadata Overlay

The App reads the technical metadata that is already embedded in your files (EXIF, IPTC, TIFF, GPS, maker notes) and that Apple's PhotoKit exposes (such as Live Photo identifiers or auxiliary-data flags for depth, HDR gain maps and portrait mattes). This metadata is displayed on screen only; it is neither transmitted off your device by the App nor stored outside of the original media file.

1.3 Map Display

If the photo contains GPS coordinates, you can open the location on a map. The App uses Apple's MapKit framework for this; the coordinates are handed to MapKit on-device and map tiles are fetched from Apple's servers under Apple's privacy policy. No location data is sent to us.

1.4 AirPlay

You can mirror the currently displayed photo or video to an AirPlay-compatible receiver on your local network. The transmission is handled by the operating system and goes directly from your device to the receiver; the App does not record, store or route this stream through any third-party service.

2. Data Stored by the App

2.1 User Preferences

The App stores a small number of personal preferences locally on your device using Apple's UserDefaults mechanism:

Thumbnail sort order (oldest or newest first).
Size and screen position of the metadata overlay.
Appearance choice (light, dark or follow system).
Which metadata fields are shown or hidden.
Status of the one-time PhotoView Pro unlock (cached locally for offline use).

By default these preferences stay on your device, leaving it only through Apple's standard device-backup mechanisms (iCloud Backup or encrypted iTunes / Finder backup), which are under your own control. If you turn on Sync settings via iCloud (see 2.2), they are additionally synced across your own devices.

2.2 Optional iCloud Settings Sync

PhotoView does not create or use a CloudKit container of its own, and it never uploads your photos, videos or their metadata. The only data the App itself can place in iCloud is your own app preferences, and only if you explicitly turn on Sync settings via iCloud in Settings. When enabled, the preferences listed above — sort order, overlay size and position, appearance, default playback mode, slideshow options and which metadata fields are shown — are stored in your private iCloud Key-Value Store (Apple's NSUbiquitousKeyValueStore) so they stay consistent across your devices. This data lives in your personal iCloud account under Apple's privacy policy and is never sent to us. Your one-time Pro unlock, the trial state and the app language are not synced. The synchronisation of your photos and videos themselves is performed separately by Apple's Photos system; PhotoView only reads what that system already holds on your device. You can turn this sync off again at any time in Settings.

2.3 No Account, No Server

The App does not require any registration or sign-in. We operate no server, database or logging infrastructure that receives data from the App.

3. Purchases (App Store)

The App offers a single one-time "PhotoView Pro" unlock that enables additional features (professional IPTC metadata, location maps, Apple computational-feature metadata and bulk organisation) and an optional tip jar with three consumable tiers. All purchases are processed by Apple through StoreKit; payment is handled by Apple under their terms and privacy policy. We receive only the anonymised purchase information necessary to verify the entitlement (for example, a transaction receipt); we do not receive your name, email address, billing address or payment method.

4. Data We Do Not Collect

We do not collect personal information such as your name, email address, or account credentials.
We do not upload, copy, back up or otherwise transmit your photos, videos or their metadata to us or to any third party.
We do not operate any server that receives data from the App.
We do not use analytics, crash reporting, or advertising frameworks.
We do not track you across other apps or websites.
We do not share any data with third parties beyond the Apple platform services described above.
We do not use cookies or similar tracking technologies.

5. Third-Party Services

The App relies solely on Apple platform services: PhotoKit / PhotosUI for reading your photo library, MapKit for the map view, AVKit for video playback, AirPlay for external-display mirroring, and StoreKit for in-app purchases. Each of these is provided by Apple and governed by Apple's privacy policy. The App is distributed exclusively through the Apple App Store.

6. Data Storage and Security

Your photos, videos and their metadata are stored by Apple's Photos system on your device and, if you have enabled it, in your iCloud Photo Library. The App's own preferences are stored by iOS in the App's private sandbox. Security of all of this data is provided by Apple's device encryption and iCloud security mechanisms. We never receive or access this data.

7. Children's Privacy

The App does not knowingly collect personal information from children. Because the App does not transmit any personal data to us, it is safe for users of all ages. The App does, however, read from your Photo Library: parents and guardians are encouraged to consider this before granting the Photos permission on a device used by a child.

8. Your Rights Under GDPR

Since all App data (preferences) stays within Apple's ecosystem — on your device and, if you enable settings sync, in your own private iCloud account — and we have no access to your preferences, photos, videos or metadata, the following applies:

Right of access: All App preferences are visible within the App at any time. Your photos, videos and their metadata are accessible to you through Apple's Photos app.
Right to erasure: You can remove all App-specific data by deleting the App from your device. Your photos and videos are unaffected — they remain in the Photos app.
Right to data portability: The App does not hold a separate copy of your media; your photos and videos can be exported from Apple's Photos app at any time.
Right to object: You can revoke or restrict the App's Photo Library permission at any time in iOS Settings → PhotoView → Photos, and manage other device-level permissions in the same place.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

10. Contact

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:
support@advoss.de