Privacy

ImageDB Privacy Policy

What the app does with your data, and every case where something leaves your device.

Last updated: · applies to ImageDB 2.1 and later

1. Summary

ImageDB is developed by Haoxian Yan. It has no account system, no ads, no analytics of its own, and no cloud service operated by me. Your images, thumbnails, captions, albums, tags and other metadata are stored in the app's private storage on your own device. I cannot see your library and have no mechanism to retrieve it.

Some data does leave your device in specific, documented cases: the on-device recognition features (text recognition, Auto-organize and the image tools) use Google ML Kit, whose SDK sends diagnostic data to Google; purchases go through Google Play; linked images are fetched from their websites; and copies you choose to share, export or back up leave the app. Each case is described below.

2. Data I collect

I, the developer, do not receive any of your data. There is no ImageDB server. I do not collect your images, metadata, recognized text, usage analytics, crash reports, advertising ID or contact details. If you email me, I receive only what you choose to send.

3. Data stored on your device

  • Your library. Imported images, generated thumbnails, and the database of captions, albums, tags, favorites, dates, settings and recognized text live in ImageDB's app-private storage. Other apps, including your gallery, cannot read them.
  • Safe items. Images and thumbnails you move into Safe are additionally encrypted with AES-256-GCM. The encryption key is stored with the app's data, so Safe items survive Android backup and phone transfer. This protects the image files themselves; it does not protect against someone who has a complete copy of the app's data, key included. Captions, tags, recognized text and other metadata of Safe items are not encrypted.
  • Auto-organize results. Auto-organize (on by default; you can turn it off) stores, for each image, object and scene labels with confidence scores, the number of faces and the size of the largest face, and an image embedding used to find similar images. It never identifies who a person is and creates no face templates. These results are stored unencrypted, are not included in exported backups, and can be cleared in Auto-organize.
  • Safe and App lock. These use Android's own fingerprint, face or screen-lock prompt. ImageDB never sees or stores your biometric data or PIN.

4. Device permissions

  • Photos (READ_MEDIA_IMAGES, selected-photos access, and storage access on Android 10 and older): to import images you pick, and to move an original you choose into the system Trash after importing it.
  • Biometric: to show Android's authentication prompt for Safe and App lock.
  • Internet and network state: for linked images, downloads of on-device recognition models and translation language packs, and Google Play purchases.

ImageDB does not request camera, location, contacts, microphone or phone permissions. Taking a photo opens your device's camera app.

5. When data leaves your device

5.1 On-device recognition — Google ML Kit

These features analyze your images on your device; your images are never uploaded for analysis:

  • Text recognition (OCR), which makes text inside images searchable. Recognized text is stored with your library.
  • Auto-organize: image labeling, face detection (counting faces, not recognizing people) and an image-embedding model run by Google Play services, as described in section 3.
  • Image tools: barcode and QR code reading, Remove background (subject segmentation), Privacy blur and Scan document (face and text detection), and translation. ImageDB stores only whether an image contains a code, never the code's content. Translated text is not sent anywhere and is not stored. A tool's result is saved only when you choose to save it, as a new image.
  • Scan documents opens Google's document scanner from Google Play services; ImageDB receives only the pages you keep.

Google Play services downloads and updates the recognition models, and translation language packs are downloaded from Google once per language. As documented by Google, the ML Kit SDK sends Google the following, over HTTPS, for diagnostics and usage analytics: device and app information (such as device model, OS and app version), a per-installation identifier that is not unique to you across apps, performance metrics, API configuration, feature input/output size, feature version, event type and error codes. Google states it does not transfer this data to third parties. It is handled under Google's Privacy Policy.

5.2 Purchases — Google Play

ImageDB shows no ads. Optional Advanced Tools are unlocked by a single one-time purchase (“buy me a coffee”) processed by Google Play. Google handles payment and receives the purchase, account and device details it needs under its own privacy policy. The app only asks Google Play whether the purchase is owned. I never receive your payment information.

5.3 Linked images

If you save an entry as a web address rather than importing the file, ImageDB requests that image from its source website each time it is displayed. That website sees an ordinary request, including your IP address, just as it would in a browser. You can convert linked entries to offline copies from Backup & Data.

5.4 Android system backup and device transfer

The app allows Android backup. If you enable Android backup or device transfer, Android may copy ImageDB's app-private data, including the Safe encryption key, to your Google account or new device. I do not turn this on and do not operate the destination. You can turn it off in your device settings.

5.5 Actions you take

Data leaves the app whenever you deliberately share, save to your gallery, copy to the clipboard or export a backup. Every exported backup is encrypted (AES-256-GCM) with a password you choose; ImageDB does not keep the password. A backup contains any Safe images you include, so anyone who has the backup file and its password can open them; ImageDB warns you before such an export. Backups made by versions before 2.1 were unencrypted ZIP files and can still be restored. When you share an image, ImageDB may offer to blur faces or text first. Where shared or exported data goes next is decided by you and the app or destination you choose.

6. Retention and deletion

Your library stays on your device until you delete it. Deleted items go to the in-app Trash and are permanently removed after 30 days or when you empty it. Auto-organize results can be cleared at any time, and turning Auto-organize off stops further analysis. Uninstalling ImageDB, or clearing its storage in Android settings, deletes everything stored by the app. Copies you exported, shared, saved or backed up are outside the app and are not deleted with it. Deletion removes files through the operating system; it is not a guaranteed secure physical erasure of the storage. Diagnostic data collected by ML Kit is retained and deleted by Google under its own policies; I do not hold it and cannot access or delete it.

7. Children

ImageDB is not directed at children under 13 and does not knowingly collect personal information from children.

8. Changes to this policy

If the app's handling of your data changes, this policy will be updated along with it and the date at the top will change.

9. Contact

Haoxian Yan — laplacengan@gmail.com