Privacy Policy
Last Updated: October 8, 2026🔒 Your Privacy in Brief
PicPurge operates 100% locally on your device. We do NOT collect, upload, transmit, view, or sell your photos, personal pictures, or file contents. Your photos never leave your device.
1. Introduction
PicPurge ("we", "our", or "the App") is committed to protecting your personal privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how information is handled when you use the PicPurge mobile application on Android devices.
By using PicPurge, you acknowledge and agree to the practices outlined in this Privacy Policy.
2. Photos and Personal Media Files (100% On-Device)
PicPurge is designed as a standalone, on-device gallery utility:
- No Media Uploads: Photos, images, and videos stored on your device are reviewed locally. The app never uploads your media files to any external server or cloud service.
- Direct File Operations: When you delete or trash a photo, the operation is executed locally on your device's filesystem and MediaStore.
- No Machine Learning on External Servers: Any thumbnail rendering, sizing, or caching takes place strictly on the client device.
3. Android Permissions Required & Why We Need Them
| Permission | Purpose | Data Handling |
|---|---|---|
| READ_MEDIA_IMAGES (Android 13+) / READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE | Allows the app to display your gallery albums and load photo thumbnails for review. | Processed purely in-memory on your device. Never shared or uploaded. |
| MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE (All Files Access) | Enables instantaneous, silent deletion of photos to your local hidden trash folder (.pic_purge_trash) with instant Undo, avoiding persistent OS popups on every single swipe. |
Used exclusively to rename/move user-selected photos to the local trash folder on the same storage volume. |
| VIBRATE | Provides tactile haptic feedback during swipe decisions. | Hardware-only trigger. No data collected. |
4. Google Sign-In and Authentication
PicPurge provides an optional Google Sign-In feature:
- Account Linking: If you choose to sign in with Google, we access basic public profile information provided by Google OAuth (specifically: your Display Name, Email address, and Profile avatar URL).
- Local Storage: This information is cached locally on your device in secure local application storage (Hive) to maintain your login session.
- No Cloud Sync of Photos: Linking a Google Account does NOT upload, sync, or backup your photos or your local cleaning progress to Google Cloud or any third-party server.
- Log Out: You can disconnect and log out of your Google Account at any time directly from the app's Settings screen.
5. Advertising and Analytics (Third-Party Services)
PicPurge may display advertisements to support app development using Google AdMob. These third-party advertising partners may collect device-level identifiers and usage information in accordance with their own privacy policies.
Information that may be collected by Google Mobile Ads includes:
- Advertising ID (GAID - Google Advertising ID)
- Device model, manufacturer, and operating system version
- IP address and general geographic location (country/city level)
- Interaction with ads (impressions, clicks)
You can review Google's Privacy Policy at: https://policies.google.com/privacy
6. Local Storage of App Progress
To ensure you don't have to re-evaluate photos you've already kept or deleted, PicPurge stores anonymous metadata locally on your device:
- Local media identifier strings (MediaStore IDs)
- Your swipe decision (Keep or Delete)
- Folder-specific progress counters (reviewed count, space recovered)
You can completely clear this data at any time in the app by going to Settings → Reset all cleaning progress.
7. Children's Privacy
PicPurge does not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from children under the age of 13. The app is a general-audience gallery cleanup tool.
8. Data Retention and Deletion
Because PicPurge does not operate external user account databases or host photo servers, uninstalling the application or using the in-app "Reset All Progress" button permanently purges all locally stored app data from your device.
9. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last Updated" date.
10. Contact Us
If you have any questions, feedback, or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy, please reach out to us at:
Email: support@picpurge.app (or your developer contact email)