The developer states that no data is collected from this app.
On the label, yes. privatePhotos' developer reports that it collects no data, which puts it among the 18% of private photo apps we checked with a "Data Not Collected" label. That is a self-declared statement, not an audit, and it does not cover data processed only on your device.
privatePhotos privacy in one look
- 1Collects nothing
- 2Not linked
- 3Linked
- 4Tracks you
Built only from the developer's App Store label. It describes disclosure, not tested behaviour.
privatePhotos' developer states that the app does not collect any data from this app.
Did privatePhotos ask for something?
Pick the permission prompt you saw. We compare it with what privatePhotos' developer declared.
Location is not on privatePhotos' 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.
User Content is not on privatePhotos' 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.
Contacts is not on privatePhotos' 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.
privatePhotos declares no tracking, so a tracking prompt would contradict its label. Decline it, and consider reporting the mismatch to Apple.
Health & Fitness is not on privatePhotos' 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.
What privatePhotos' label means for you
“Data Not Collected” is the cleanest result a label can show. It means the developer states that no data leaves your iPhone in a way the developer or its partners can access for longer than needed to handle a request. Data processed only on your device does not count as collected, so privatePhotos can still read files or photos you open in it.
The statement is the developer's own. Apple reviews apps but does not audit every label, and analytics or crash-reporting libraries added later can make a label out of date. If privatePhotos asks you to create an account, upload files or allow tracking, that would not match a no-collection label — and is worth noticing.
Private-photo apps promise to keep pictures out of your main library. The label shows what leaves the phone; it cannot show whether the hiding is a real lock or just a separate folder. Check whether the app needs full Photos access or works with selected photos, and whether hidden items still appear in iCloud Photos.
Among the 85 private photo apps in our snapshot with a label, 51% declare tracking, 61% collect data linked to you and 18% say they collect nothing. privatePhotos lists 0 data types, fewer than the average of 3.1 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.
Settings to check for privatePhotos
- 1
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.
- 2
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.
- 3
Notifications
Settings › Notifications › privatePhotos › Show Previews: When Unlocked keeps message and account details off the Lock Screen.
Does privatePhotos track you?
There is no “Data Used to Track You” section on privatePhotos' label.
Does privatePhotos track you? Full answer and how to stop it →
Lock privatePhotos behind Face ID
- Find privatePhotos on your Home Screen or in App Library.
- Touch and hold the icon until the quick-actions menu opens.
- Tap Require Face ID (or Require Touch ID / Require Passcode, depending on your iPhone).
- Tap Require Face ID again to confirm. privatePhotos now asks for authentication every time it opens.
The lock is an iPhone feature, so it works whether or not privatePhotos has a passcode of its own. It does not change what the app sends to its developer.
About privatePhotos
| Developer | MaximumSoft Corp. |
| App Store category | Photo & Video (also Productivity) |
| Latest version | 2.0, released August 2024 |
| First released | October 2021 |
| Requires | iOS 12.2 or later |
| Size | 34 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ |
| Languages | 1 (EN) |
| Bundle ID | com.maximumsoft.privatephotos |
The current version shipped in August 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.
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 privatePhotos 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 privatePhotos' developer: Are my pictures stored only on this phone, or uploaded?
privatePhotos vs similar private photo apps
- PhotoVault: Private Album
- Collage Maker
- Pic Safe
- privatePhotos (this app)
- Secret Photo+Folder
- Lock Private Photo Vault SPV
Fewer types is not automatically safer: a cloud backup app has to collect your files to work. Compare like with like.
Look up any of our apps in seconds, or put two labels side by side.
Apps similar to privatePhotos
All private photo apps → Who tracks you? A–Z → Privacy label decoder →
Your privatePhotos privacy checklist
Done. You have applied every control the label points to.
True or false?
- Right.Not quite.
False: there is no Data Used to Track You section on privatePhotos' label.
- 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.
- Right.Not quite.
It can read photos you give it access to. Processing on your device is not collection; only data sent off the phone counts.
- Right.Not quite.
It is collected and sent; the developer says it is de-identified rather than tied to your account or device.
- Right.Not quite.
Apple's rules require apps to work the same whether or not you allow tracking.
privatePhotos privacy FAQ
Is privatePhotos safe to use?
Does privatePhotos track you?
What data does privatePhotos collect?
Who makes privatePhotos?
Can I lock privatePhotos with Face ID?
How does privatePhotos compare with other private photo apps?
Are my pictures stored only on this phone, or uploaded?
How do I delete my data from privatePhotos?
For photos and documents you choose to keep apart from your main library, see VaultForYou.