Last updated: April 5, 2026
Overview
PhotoBook makes zero network calls. No data ever leaves your device.
PhotoBook is a fully offline photo search application. Your privacy is not just a feature — it is the foundation of the entire app.
Data Collection
PhotoBook does not collect, transmit, store, or share any personal data whatsoever.
Specifically, PhotoBook:
- Does not connect to the internet
- Does not use analytics, crash reporting, or telemetry services
- Does not contain advertisements or ad trackers
- Does not use cloud storage, cloud APIs, or remote servers
- Does not transmit photos, metadata, search queries, or any other information off your device
- Does not use third-party SDKs that collect data
Data Processed On-Device Only
PhotoBook processes the following data entirely on your device to provide its search functionality. None of this data is transmitted anywhere.
- Photo metadata: File names, dates, folder locations, dimensions, and file sizes — read from Android's MediaStore.
- EXIF data: GPS coordinates (if present in your photos), camera model — extracted locally for location-based search.
- On-device ML analysis: Google ML Kit (Vision API) runs locally on your device to generate image labels, detect faces, and extract text from images (OCR). All ML processing happens on-device with no cloud component.
- Offline geocoding: GPS coordinates are matched to city names using a local geographic database bundled within the app. No network-based geocoding is used.
- Search queries: Your search queries are processed locally and are never transmitted.
Data Storage
All data generated by PhotoBook is stored locally on your device in a private app database. This data is:
- Accessible only to PhotoBook
- Not shared with any other app
- Automatically deleted when you uninstall PhotoBook
Permissions
PhotoBook requests the following Android permissions:
- READ_MEDIA_IMAGES (Android 13+) / READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE (Android 12 and below): Required to access your photos for indexing and search.
- ACCESS_MEDIA_LOCATION: Required to read GPS coordinates from photo EXIF data for location-based search.
PhotoBook does not request internet, network, or any communication-related permissions.
Third-Party Services
PhotoBook uses Google ML Kit for on-device image analysis. ML Kit's on-device APIs process data locally and do not send data to Google servers. For more information, see Google ML Kit's documentation.
Children's Privacy
PhotoBook does not collect any data from any user, including children under 13. Since no data is collected or transmitted, PhotoBook complies with COPPA and similar regulations by design.
Changes to This Policy
If this privacy policy is updated, the revised version will be posted on this page with an updated date. Since PhotoBook collects no data, substantive changes are unlikely.
Contact
If you have questions about this privacy policy, please contact:
Email: rtndevlabs@gmail.com
GitHub: photobook-privacy