Privacy Policy

Last updated: 28 June 2026

Photo Cleaner is built local-first. Your photos and videos are scanned and sorted entirely on your device. Their contents, file names and locations never leave your phone and are never uploaded anywhere. The only information that can ever leave your device is anonymous, aggregated usage data, and only if you explicitly turn it on.

The short version

• All photo and video analysis happens on your device. We never see, upload or store your images.
• We do not collect your name, email, phone number, contacts, precise location or any photo content.
• Anonymous usage statistics and crash reports are off by default. They are only collected if you opt in, and you can turn them off again at any time in Settings.
• The app may show advertising. Any ads are non-personalized (contextual), which means they are not based on a profile of you.

Everything stays on your device

To do its job, Photo Cleaner needs permission to read your photo and video library. Once you grant it, the app looks at your images, videos and their basic details such as size, date and dimensions, and sorts them into categories for you.

All of this, including the optional smart sorting step that helps group similar photos, runs locally on your phone. None of it is sent to us or to anyone else. Your settings, scan results and progress are kept only in the app's own storage on your device, and are removed if you uninstall the app.

Anonymous usage data and crash reports opt-in

If, and only if, you turn on "Share anonymous usage data" (during the initial setup or later in Settings), the app sends anonymous, aggregated statistics and crash reports through Google Firebase. This is off by default. If you never turn it on, nothing is sent.

What is collected when you enable it

• Aggregate usage events, for example that a scan started or finished, how many items were sorted into each category, group sizes, how long a scan took, the app language, and whether setup was completed. These are plain numbers and fixed labels.
• Crash reports, meaning technical error details and basic device information (device model, operating-system version, available memory and storage, app version) recorded when the app crashes, so we can fix problems.
• Basic device information such as device brand, model and Android version, so we can understand which devices the app runs on and fix device-specific problems.
• Approximate location at country, region or city level, worked out by Google from your internet address. We do not collect GPS location.
• An anonymous identifier that is random, tied only to your app installation, and reset if you reinstall. It is not your advertising ID and not a hardware identifier.

What is never collected

No photo or video content, no file names, no name, email, phone number, contacts, messages, precise (GPS) location, and nothing you type. We do not link this data to your identity and we do not use your advertising ID for statistics.

Advertising contextual only

Photo Cleaner may show advertising in the free version of the app. Any advertising is contextual and non-personalized. Ads may be chosen based on general context such as your country or the content of the app, but not on a personal profile, your browsing history, or tracking across other apps.

To show ads, the advertising provider (Google AdMob) may handle limited technical information such as approximate (country-level) location, device type, and identifiers needed to deliver ads, prevent fraud and limit how often the same ad appears. Where the rules require it in the EU and EEA, the app shows a consent dialog before any ads are served, and your choice is respected. Upgrading to the paid version removes ads.

For details on how the advertising provider handles data, see Google's policy for partner sites.

Legal bases (GDPR)

• Processing your media on the device is necessary to provide the service you asked for (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR), and happens only after you grant the permission.
• Anonymous statistics and crash reports rely on your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR), given through the in-app toggle and withdrawable at any time.
• Contextual advertising relies on our legitimate interest in funding a free app (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR) and on your consent where required, given through the ad consent dialog.

Your rights

Under the GDPR you have the right to:

• access the personal data we hold about you;
• request correction or erasure of your data;
• restrict or object to processing;
• data portability;
• withdraw consent at any time. For statistics, just switch off the toggle in Settings. This does not affect processing already carried out;
• lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. The authority for our location is the State Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information of North Rhine-Westphalia (LDI NRW).

To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details below.

Children

Photo Cleaner is not directed at children. It is not intended for use by anyone under the age of 16, and we do not knowingly collect data from children under 16.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the app evolves. The current version is always available at this address, with the "last updated" date at the top. Significant changes affecting data collection will be reflected in the app.

Who is responsible

The person responsible for data processing in connection with the Photo Cleaner Android app is:

See also our Impressum.