Privacy policy

Who is responsible

PhotoCull is provided by 良则 牛 (Liangze Niu), the application developer. These PhotoCull policy and support pages are hosted on the NoteDock website. Contact: [email protected].

Photos and information stored on your device

With your permission, PhotoCull reads available photos from your photo library or folders you select. Image analysis and AI inference run locally using Apple frameworks and downloaded models. PhotoCull does not send this content to a cloud AI service.

Local records can include photo identifiers, filenames or selected folder paths, dates and dimensions, visual features used to compare photos, groups and rankings, AI reviews, your keep/delete choices, ignored photos, scan progress and app preferences. These records support scanning and resuming your work; the developer cannot access them remotely.

PhotoCull does not require a PhotoCull account. The app does not include advertising or remote usage analytics in its current version. Diagnostic and paywall events are written to local system logs; they are not automatically sent to the developer. Apple may separately handle system diagnostics according to your device settings.

Permissions and your control

• You choose whether to allow photo access and, where supported, which photos PhotoCull may read. You can change access in system settings. Limited access means PhotoCull can only work with permitted photos.
• On Mac, folder access is limited to folders you choose. Saved folder permissions let the app reopen them; removing a folder from the app stops using that saved access.
• Keep/delete suggestions are advisory. PhotoCull only attempts deletion after you confirm in the app; Photos may require additional system confirmation. Changing permissions does not automatically erase previous local scan records.

Model downloads and other network requests

Model packages are downloaded over HTTPS from Hugging Face and its delivery infrastructure after you choose to download or switch a model. Those providers receive ordinary download request information, such as your IP address, request time and requested model files. Your photo content, local rankings and AI reviews are not included in model download requests. See Hugging Face’s privacy policy.

Downloaded model packages are stored locally and excluded from device backup by the app. Other app data and your original photos may be included in operating-system backups or iCloud Photos according to your settings. PhotoCull does not control those Apple services. Opening a policy, help or Apple support link creates a normal browser request to that website.

Purchases through Apple

Apple handles App Store purchases, billing and refunds. PhotoCull reads StoreKit product and verified transaction information to determine purchased features, subscription status, expiration and trial eligibility. The developer does not receive your payment card details. Purchase and transaction records can remain with Apple under Apple’s privacy policy.

Information you choose to email

Support is available at [email protected]. Email opens in your mail app and is sent only when you send it. It is separate from the app’s local photo processing. We receive the sender address, message content and any attachments you choose to provide, and use them to answer your request and investigate the issue.

Please include the app version, device model, OS version and steps to reproduce the problem. Photos, photo libraries, passwords, payment details and full device logs are not required. Remove personal content from any optional screenshot or diagnostic extract. Your mail provider and the receiving mail service process email under their own terms.

Website hosting and analytics

These pages are served by Cloudflare. Network delivery and security can involve IP addresses, request times, requested URLs and browser information. The NoteDock site also uses Cloudflare Web Analytics for page-view and performance statistics. These website requests are separate from PhotoCull’s local photo analysis and contain no photos from the app.

The PhotoCull pages have no photo upload or account registration form and no advertising pixels. For the hosting and analytics provider’s practices, see Cloudflare’s privacy policy and Cloudflare Web Analytics.

Retention, deletion and privacy requests

Local scan records remain on your device until you clear them. Settings → Reset App Experience clears saved scan results, keep/delete choices, ignored-photo records and onboarding progress. It does not delete your original photos, purchased rights, app preferences or downloaded models. Manage app storage and backups through your operating system as needed.

Support correspondence is retained only as needed to answer and follow up on your request, maintain necessary support records, and meet applicable legal obligations. You may request access, correction or deletion of support information at [email protected]. Information required for an unresolved issue or legal obligation may need to be retained; we will explain the reason. We do not sell support information or use it to train AI models.

We have no server-side copy of your local photo library or scan database and cannot retrieve or erase it remotely. Withdrawing photo permission or deleting local records does not cancel an Apple subscription; manage subscriptions through Apple’s subscription settings.

Changes and contact

This policy describes the current PhotoCull implementation. We will update this page and its revision date if data handling changes. Questions or concerns: [email protected].