Privacy policy
Last updated: 21 October 2026
In short
- Your photos are processed on your phone and go only to your own Google Photos. They never pass through our servers.
- The app can only add photos to your Google Photos and see the albums it created. It cannot see the rest of your library.
- We use Google sign-in, anonymous usage statistics and crash reports, and Google AdMob ads. In the EU, UK and Switzerland we ask for your consent before ads or statistics use your data. In the US, you can opt out of personalised ads in the app (section 11).
- You can delete your account at any time, in the app or through this website.
1. Who we are
Photo Scanner is an Android app made by Journey Builders B.V. (Chamber of Commerce number 28113352, Waldeck Pyrmontlaan 5, 2341 VA Oegstgeest, the Netherlands). Journey Builders B.V. is the controller for the personal data described here.
Questions about privacy: [email protected].
2. Your photos
- When you photograph an album page or import a picture, the app stores it in its private storage on your phone. Finding, cropping, rotating and enhancing the photos all happens on your phone.
- Photos leave your phone only when you choose to upload them. They then go directly from your phone to your Google Photos account. We do not receive, store or view them.
- Scans you discard are deleted from your phone. Uninstalling the app deletes all its local data. The app's data is excluded from Android backups.
- Photos you upload are stored in your Google account under Google's terms and count toward your Google storage. Deleting them is done in Google Photos.
3. Your Google account and Google user data
Sign-in
You sign in with your Google account. Through Firebase Authentication (a Google service) we receive your name, email address and a user ID. We use these only to run your account and to answer support questions.
Google Photos access
When you first upload, Google asks you to allow two permissions:
- Add photos to your Google Photos library (
photoslibrary.appendonly): to upload the photos you selected and to create an album for them. - See the albums and photos this app created (
photoslibrary.readonly.appcreateddata): to show the albums the app made, so you can add more photos to them, and to check that such an album still exists.
The app cannot see, change or delete anything else in your Google Photos. The access tokens stay on your phone and are not sent to our servers. We do not use Google user data for advertising, we do not sell it, and no person at JourneyBuilders reads it.
Photo Scanner's use and transfer to any other app of information received from Google APIs will adhere to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.
You can withdraw Google Photos access at any time in the app (Settings → Disconnect Google Photos) or in your Google account settings.
4. Usage statistics and crash reports
- Firebase Analytics records a small number of events, such as "a page was scanned", "photos were found" and "an upload finished", with counts only. It never records images, file names, album names or the content of your photos. It uses an app installation ID and general device information.
- Firebase Crashlytics sends a crash report when the app crashes: the error, the app version and device information such as model and Android version. We use this to fix bugs.
5. Ads
The app is free and shows ads from Google AdMob. Ads never appear while you scan or edit photos. The AdMob SDK collects your device's advertising ID, an approximate location derived from your IP address, information about how you interact with ads, and diagnostic data. It does not get access to your photos.
In the EU, EEA, UK and Switzerland, the app asks for your consent with Google's consent form before ads are loaded. If you do not consent to personalised ads, you see non-personalised or limited ads instead. You can change your choice at any time in the app (Settings → Privacy choices). You can also reset or delete your advertising ID in Android settings. For the US, see section 11.
Google uses this data for its own purposes as well, as described in How Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services.
6. Purposes and legal bases
| Purpose | Data | Legal basis (GDPR and UK GDPR) |
|---|---|---|
| Your account and uploading to your Google Photos | Name, email address, user ID, Google Photos access | Performance of our agreement with you (art. 6(1)(b)) |
| Fixing crashes | Crash reports, device information | Legitimate interest in a working app (art. 6(1)(f)) |
| Usage statistics | App events, installation ID, device information | Consent (art. 6(1)(a)); in other regions, legitimate interest in improving the app |
| Ads | Advertising ID, approximate location, ad interactions, diagnostics | Consent (art. 6(1)(a)) for personalised ads; legitimate interest for limited ads, with consent where the law requires it for storing or reading data on your device |
| Support | Your email and messages | Legitimate interest in helping you (art. 6(1)(f)) |
7. Who receives your data
We use Google services to run the app: Firebase Authentication, Analytics and Crashlytics (Google acts as our processor), Google Photos (at your request) and Google AdMob. Our website photoscanner.nl is hosted by Cloudflare, which also forwards email sent to our photoscanner.nl addresses; Cloudflare processes the related technical data (such as IP addresses) as our processor. We do not sell personal data for money and do not share it with anyone else, unless the law requires us to. US state laws define selling and sharing more broadly; see section 11.
Google may process data outside the European Economic Area, including in the United States. Google LLC is certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and its UK Extension, and also uses standard contractual clauses. [legal review: confirm the UK Extension certification]
8. How long we keep data
- Account (name, email, user ID): until you delete your account.
- Usage statistics: [2 months].
- Crash reports: 90 days.
- Scans on your phone: until you discard them, upload and clean them up, or uninstall the app.
- Support emails: up to [2 years] after the conversation ends.
9. Deleting your account
You can delete your account in the app (Settings → Delete account) or request deletion through this website. See that page for what is deleted and what is kept.
10. Your rights
You have the right to access, correct and delete your personal data, to restrict or object to its use, and to data portability. Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time. Email [email protected] and we will respond within one month.
You can also complain to the Dutch Data Protection Authority, the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens, or the authority in your own country.
In the UK, the UK GDPR gives you the same rights. You can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). [legal review: whether we need a UK representative under article 27 UK GDPR, and if so, their name and address]
11. If you live in the United States
Several US states, such as California, give residents rights over their personal information. This section explains how they apply to Photo Scanner. [legal review: which state laws apply to JourneyBuilders, given their thresholds]
What we collect
In the 12 months before the date at the top, the app collected these categories of personal information:
- Identifiers: name, email address, user ID, app installation ID, advertising ID and IP address.
- Internet or other electronic network activity: app events, crash reports, diagnostics and how you interact with ads.
- Approximate location: derived from your IP address by AdMob. The app does not collect your precise location.
We get this information from you, from your device and from Google. Sections 3 to 6 explain what we use it for, and section 8 how long we keep it. Your photos go only to your own Google Photos; we never receive them. We do not collect sensitive personal information to infer anything about you.
Selling and sharing
We do not sell your personal information for money. The app shows ads from Google AdMob, which receives your advertising ID, approximate location and ad interactions. Google can use them to show you ads based on your activity in other apps and sites. Under some state laws, this counts as "sharing" for cross-context behavioural advertising, as "targeted advertising" or even as a "sale". [legal review: how to describe AdMob under each state law. Does the app use Google's restricted data processing after an opt-out?]
We do not knowingly sell or share the personal information of anyone under 16.
How to opt out
- In the app, go to Settings → Privacy choices and opt out of personalised ads. You then see only non-personalised or limited ads.
- You can also delete or reset your advertising ID in your Android settings. Ads based on your activity elsewhere then stop working.
This website sets no cookies and shows no ads.
Your rights
Depending on your state, you can ask us:
- which personal information we have about you, and to get a copy;
- to correct it or to delete it;
- not to sell or share it, or use it for targeted advertising.
Email [email protected], preferably from the email address of your account. We may ask for details to check that the request comes from you. Someone you have authorised in writing can also make a request for you. We respond within 45 days. If we turn down your request, reply to our answer to appeal, and we will look at it again. [legal review: response and appeal periods per state]
Using these rights never changes the price or the features of the app for you.
12. Security
All connections use HTTPS. Scans are kept in the app's private storage, which other apps cannot read, and are not included in backups. We never store passwords; sign-in goes through Google.
13. Children
The app is not intended for children under 16, and we do not knowingly collect their data.
14. Changes
We update this policy when the app changes, for example before we add paid features. The date at the top shows the latest version. For important changes we will also let you know in the app.