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Is Photo Guru Safe?

Photo Guru privacy label · by Guangzhou Joyin Technology Co., Ltd · checked November 2026

  • Tracks you
  • Collects location
  • Not updated in 2+ years
App Privacy label Developer-reported · checked November 1, 2026
Used to track you
4types
Linked to you
6types
Not linked to you
2types
Short answer

It depends on how you feel about tracking: Photo Guru declares data used to track you. The sensitive items are location and user content. In total the label lists 8 data types; 53% of photo managers we checked declare tracking.

At a glance

Photo Guru privacy in one look

Data exposure on the label
Used to track you
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4

Built only from the developer's App Store label. It describes disclosure, not tested behaviour.

Verdict from the label
Tracks you

Photo Guru's developer reports using purchases, location, identifiers, other data to track you across other companies' apps and websites.

Try it

Did Photo Guru ask for something?

Pick the permission prompt you saw. We compare it with what Photo Guru's developer declared.

It asked me for access to…
Tap a prompt to compare it with the label.
Matches the label

Photo Guru lists Location on its label, including for tracking. Choose While Using and turn off Precise Location if the feature works without it.

Matches the label

Photo Guru lists User Content on its label. Choose Limited Access and pick only the photos you want to share.

Not on the label

Contacts is not on Photo Guru's label. That can be fine: data used only on your iPhone does not have to be declared. If the data would need to leave the phone for the feature to work, ask why it is missing.

Expected — and you can decline

Photo Guru declares data used to track you, so expect the “Allow to track?” prompt. Tap Ask App Not to Track; the app must keep working without it.

Not on the label

Health & Fitness is not on Photo Guru's label. That can be fine: data used only on your iPhone does not have to be declared. If the data would need to leave the phone for the feature to work, ask why it is missing.

A permission is what the app can reach on your iPhone; the label is what the developer says leaves it. They answer different questions.

Line by line

What Photo Guru collects, explained

Data typeWhat it coversWhere to limit it
LocationSensitiveUsed to track youLinked to you Where your phone is, either precisely (street level) or approximately (city or area). Settings › Privacy & Security › Location Services: choose Never or While Using, and turn off Precise Location if the app does not need it.
User ContentSensitiveNot linked to you Messages, photos, videos, audio recordings, documents and support chats you create or upload. Settings › Privacy & Security › Photos: choose Limited Access or None; review Microphone and Files access too.
Contact InfoNot linked to you Your name, email address, phone number or postal address. Use Sign in with Apple with Hide My Email where offered, and check the app's account and marketing preferences.
PurchasesUsed to track youLinked to you What you have bought or tend to buy. Review in-app marketing settings; subscriptions are listed in Settings › [your name] › Subscriptions.
IdentifiersUsed to track youLinked to you An account ID, screen name, customer number or a device-level ID such as the advertising identifier. Settings › Privacy & Security › Tracking: turn off Allow Apps to Request to Track, or tap Ask App Not to Track when prompted.
Usage DataLinked to you What you tap, open and view inside the app, plus which ads you have seen. There is no single iOS switch. Look for an analytics or personalised-ads toggle in the app's own settings.
Other DataUsed to track youLinked to you Any data the developer did not fit into Apple's named categories. Read the app's privacy policy, linked from its App Store page.
DiagnosticsLinked to you Crash logs, launch times, hang rates and energy use. Settings › Privacy & Security › Analytics & Improvements › Share With App Developers controls what Apple passes on; the app's own crash reporting is separate.
Reading the label

What Photo Guru's label means for you

Photo Guru's label has 4 types under “Data Used to Track You”, 6 types under “Data Linked to You”, 2 types under “Data Not Linked to You”. A data type can appear in more than one section when it is used for different purposes — for example, identifiers used for both analytics and advertising.

Tracking is the declaration that most separates apps. It means purchases, location, identifiers, other data from Photo Guru can be combined with data from other companies to target or measure ads, or shared with data brokers. On iOS 14.5 and later, the app must ask your permission before tracking you through the advertising identifier; answering “Ask App Not to Track” blocks that identifier and tells the developer you have declined.

The items that deserve the most attention are location and user content. Location history reveals home, work and routines. Precise location deserves the most scrutiny.

Photo managers usually ask for full library access. That gives them every picture, along with its location and date metadata. Grant Limited Access first and widen it only if the feature you want genuinely needs the whole library.

Among the 136 photo managers in our snapshot with a label, 53% declare tracking, 61% collect data linked to you and 27% say they collect nothing. Photo Guru lists 8 data types, more than the average of 2.6 for this group.

Photo and video apps usually request access to your photo library. iOS lets you share only selected photos, which keeps the rest of the library — and its location metadata — away from the app.

On your iPhone

Settings to check for Photo Guru

  1. 1

    Tracking

    Settings › Privacy & Security › Tracking. If “Allow Apps to Request to Track” is off, apps cannot ask, and they are told to treat you as having declined. You can also turn it off for this app alone.

  2. 2

    Location

    Settings › Privacy & Security › Location Services › Photo Guru. Choose While Using or Never, and switch off Precise Location if a city-level answer is enough.

  3. 3

    Photos

    Settings › Privacy & Security › Photos. Limited Access lets you pick exactly which pictures the app can see; Add Photos Only lets it save without reading your library.

  4. 4

    Sign-in

    When creating an account, Sign in with Apple can give the app a relay address from Hide My Email instead of your real one.

  5. 5

    Lock the app

    On iOS 18 and later, touch and hold the icon and choose Require Face ID. Anyone who picks up your unlocked phone then needs your face, fingerprint or passcode to open it.

  6. 6

    Notifications

    Settings › Notifications › Photo Guru › Show Previews: When Unlocked keeps message and account details off the Lock Screen.

Cross-app tracking

Does Photo Guru track you?

Yes — 4 data types

Purchases, location, identifiers and other data. Apple defines tracking as linking data from this app with data from other companies' apps, websites or offline sources for targeted advertising or ad measurement, or sharing it with a data broker.

Does Photo Guru track you? Full answer and how to stop it →

iOS 18 and later

Lock Photo Guru behind Face ID

  1. Find Photo Guru on your Home Screen or in App Library.
  2. Touch and hold the icon until the quick-actions menu opens.
  3. Tap Require Face ID (or Require Touch ID / Require Passcode, depending on your iPhone).
  4. Tap Require Face ID again to confirm. Photo Guru now asks for authentication every time it opens.

The lock is an iPhone feature, so it works whether or not Photo Guru has a passcode of its own. It does not change what the app sends to its developer.

Lock or hide Photo Guru: step-by-step guide →

From the App Store record

About Photo Guru

DeveloperGuangzhou Joyin Technology Co., Ltd
App Store categoryPhoto & Video (also Utilities)
Latest version1.0.0, released January 2024
First releasedJanuary 2024
RequiresiOS 12.0 or later
Size33 MB
Age rating4+
Languages2 (AR, EN)
Bundle IDcom.gaoshi.albumproject

The current version shipped in January 2024, 2 years before our snapshot. Apps that are not updated may not support newer iOS privacy controls, and an abandoned app will not get security fixes.

Read with care

What the label cannot tell you

  • A label is self-reported. Apple publishes the developer's answers and can reject apps that misrepresent them, but it does not independently verify what Photo Guru sends.
  • It does not say where data is stored, how long it is kept, whether it is encrypted, or which companies receive it. The privacy policy covers those points.
  • Optional data counts: if a feature lets you add something (a profile photo, a phone number), the type is listed even if you never use the feature.
  • Data handled only on your iPhone is not 'collected', so a no-collection label is compatible with an app that reads your files locally.
  • Third-party sign-in, payment processors and SDKs are supposed to be included, but a label can lag behind a new version.

The question to ask Photo Guru's developer: Does it upload photos for AI features, or analyse them on the phone?

How it compares

Photo Guru vs similar photo managers

Data types listed on each App Store privacy label
Tracks youLinked to youNot linkedCollects nothing

Fewer types is not automatically safer: a cloud backup app has to collect your files to work. Compare like with like.

Checking another app?

Look up any of our apps in seconds, or put two labels side by side.

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All photo managers → Who tracks you? A–Z → Apps that collect location → Privacy label decoder →

Do it now

Your Photo Guru privacy checklist

Tick what you have done
Tick each step as you do it on your iPhone.

Done. You have applied every control the label points to.

Quick quiz

True or false?

  1. Q1Photo Guru's privacy label says it uses data to track you.
    Right.
    Not quite.

    True: it lists purchases, location, identifiers and other data under Data Used to Track You.

  2. Q2Apple tests every app to confirm its privacy label is accurate.
    Right.
    Not quite.

    Labels are self-reported by developers. Apple can reject or remove apps that misrepresent practices, but it does not audit each label.

  3. Q3Photo Guru collects Location.
    Right.
    Not quite.

    True: Location appears on its label.

  4. Q4Data “Not Linked to You” is never sent off your iPhone.
    Right.
    Not quite.

    It is collected and sent; the developer says it is de-identified rather than tied to your account or device.

  5. Q5Tapping “Ask App Not to Track” can stop an app from working.
    Right.
    Not quite.

    Apple's rules require apps to work the same whether or not you allow tracking.

Questions people ask

Photo Guru privacy FAQ

Is Photo Guru safe to use?
Based on its App Store privacy label, photo Guru's developer reports using purchases, location, identifiers, other data to track you across other companies' apps and websites. Whether that is acceptable depends on what you will store in it. The label is developer-reported, not an independent security test.
Does Photo Guru track you?
Yes. Its label lists purchases, location, identifiers and other data under Data Used to Track You. You can decline at the iOS tracking prompt.
What data does Photo Guru collect?
Location, user content, contact info, purchases, identifiers, usage data, other data and diagnostics. Of these, location, purchases, identifiers, usage data, other data and diagnostics are linked to your identity.
Who makes Photo Guru?
Guangzhou Joyin Technology Co., Ltd, according to the App Store. It was first released in January 2024 and the current version is 1.0.0.
Can I lock Photo Guru with Face ID?
On iOS 18 or later, touch and hold Photo Guru's icon and choose Require Face ID (or Touch ID / Passcode). This is an iPhone feature and works for most downloaded apps, whether or not the app has its own lock.
How does Photo Guru compare with other photo managers?
Across 136 photo managers with labels in our snapshot, 53% declare tracking and 27% say they collect no data. Photo Guru lists 8 data types against an average of 2.6.
Does it upload photos for AI features, or analyse them on the phone?
The privacy label cannot answer that. Look for it in Photo Guru's privacy policy or support pages, linked from the App Store listing. Grant Limited Access first and widen it only if the feature you want genuinely needs the whole library.
How do I delete my data from Photo Guru?
Apps that let you create an account must also let you start account deletion from inside the app (an App Store rule since June 2022). Deleting the app from your iPhone alone does not delete data already sent to the developer.

For photos and documents you choose to keep apart from your main library, see VaultForYou.

Facts on this page come from Photo Guru on the App Store, as reported by the developer. Checked 2026-11-01. How we collect data · Report a correction