Privacy Policy

1. Purposes and permissions

• Photo and video access: We read capture times, media types and locations for the media you allow to provide the map, timeline, date and region filters, and detail viewer. We do not edit or delete your original photos.
• Photo location metadata: On Android, the app may use a separate permission to access location metadata in media. This is different from permission to access the device's current location.
• Current location: When you use the current-location control, the app requests permission and retrieves your location to move the map. It does not continuously track your location in the background or record your movements.
• Network access: Used for maps, region-name lookup, advertising, store purchases and restoration, and service protection.

You can change permissions in your device settings. Allowing only selected photos or declining location permission may limit features that need that information.

2. Information we process

Media information processed on your device

Media identifiers, capture times, photo or video types, accessibility, GPS metadata, scan status, region names and filter indexes are processed on your device. Thumbnails may be cached on the device for display and loading.

We do not store original photos or videos, filenames, thumbnails, full EXIF data, personal timelines, per-user media lists or region-filter indexes on PicRoute servers.

Region-name lookup and server protection

Instead of a photo's original GPS coordinates, the app may send a coordinate bucket and its center on a reduced-precision 0.01-degree grid, together with language and region settings. The server uses Google Geocoding to look up city or administrative-area names and caches results. This is still location information; we do not describe it as completely anonymous.

For request validation, replay prevention and usage limits, the server processes a randomly generated installation ID, app version, platform, environment, request time and authentication information. Network communication also conveys an IP address. Server stores used for installation- and IP-based limits use hashed values instead of those raw identifiers. Troubleshooting uses minimal operational information, such as request IDs, error categories and aggregate information.

Coordinates obtained through the current-location control are used temporarily to move the map. They are not sent to PicRoute's region-lookup server or stored as a personal movement history.

Background maps in timeline videos

When you start creating a video, the app sends the required map centers and zoom levels to PicRoute's server to authenticate map requests. Map centers are calculated from photo locations or the route and may be more precise than the 0.01-degree grid used for region-name lookup. The server does not store or log these coordinates or map request URLs. Request validation and usage limits use the installation ID and authentication information described above.

The app downloads map images directly from Google using authenticated requests, so Google receives the map centers, zoom levels and connection information such as your IP address. Original map images are held only in memory during video creation and released when the operation ends. The video is composed on your device. Videos you save or share include the maps and your selected photos.

Support information

If you contact us by email, we process your email address, message and any information you choose to attach. If you send diagnostics, include only necessary details, such as app and OS versions, permission and scan status, and error codes. Please avoid sending unnecessary sensitive information, such as original photos or exact locations.

3. External services and transfers

PicRoute uses the external services below. Map and advertising SDKs and app stores may process device and app information, IP addresses, service activity or transaction information under their own policies to deliver their services, maintain security, diagnose problems and handle transactions.

• Google Maps Platform: Maps and region-name lookup. Google Privacy Policy · Google Maps Platform Terms
• Google AdMob: Advertising, measurement and fraud prevention. Google's use of data from partner services · AdMob data disclosures
• Apple App Store / Google Play: Purchases, entitlement checks, restoration and refunds. App Store & Privacy · Google Privacy Policy
• Email services: Receiving and responding to messages you send us.

Depending on a provider's infrastructure, information may be processed outside your country of residence. See the linked policies for each provider's processing locations, retention and rights information. PicRoute does not provide your media list or personal timeline for advertising targeting.

4. Advertising and purchases

The free version may display banners, limited interstitial ads and app-open ads. When advertising is enabled, AdMob may process device and app information, IP addresses, advertising interactions and diagnostics. PicRoute does not include photos, photo location metadata, region names, capture dates, search terms or personal timelines in ad requests.

The current Android app removes advertising-ID access permissions, and the iOS app does not request tracking authorization to access IDFA. This does not mean that all processing by the advertising SDK stops. Where consent or privacy choices are required, follow the notices shown in the app. When advertising privacy options are available, you can change your choices in settings.

PicRoute Premium is a one-time purchase to remove ads. Once your entitlement is confirmed, ad requests and display stop. Purchases and restoration are handled by Apple's or Google's payment system. PicRoute does not directly collect card numbers or full payment details. Deleting the app does not delete store purchase records or issue a refund.

5. Analytics and error information

As of this policy's update, the app is not connected to Firebase Analytics or Firebase Crashlytics for analytics or error reporting. If these services are introduced, we will update this policy to reflect the actual data collected and available user controls.

PicRoute server security and error logs, and diagnostic processing by map, advertising and store providers, are separate. PicRoute restricts its operational logs to exclude original photos and videos, filenames, original coordinates, raw coordinate-bucket identifiers, actual region names and personal timelines.

6. Retention and deletion

• On-device indexes and caches: Retained as needed for app features. When permissions are reduced, sensitive derived information for inaccessible media is cleaned up. You can remove local data by clearing app data or deleting the app. Some app data may be restored depending on your device's backup and restore settings. Original photos and videos remain in your photo library.
• Region-name caches: Expiration is applied according to provider policy. Expired results are not served and are cleaned up by periodic deletion jobs. These caches are not used to restore a user's personal media list.
• Request-validation and usage-limit data: Expired records are cleaned up after their replay-prevention or usage-limit windows end.
• Operational and support records: Kept as necessary for troubleshooting, service protection and handling inquiries, and deleted when their purpose has been fulfilled and retention is no longer necessary. If retention is required by law, we follow that requirement.
• External service records: Google, Apple and email providers apply their own retention and deletion policies. Deleting the app does not immediately delete all information already transmitted.

Electronic information is removed using the relevant storage system's deletion functions. Contact us below with personal-information deletion requests.

7. Your choices and rights

Subject to applicable law, you may request access, correction, deletion or restriction of processing, or withdraw consent. Send your request to the email address below. We may ask for the minimum information needed to verify the requester, and will explain any applicable legal limits.

You can change photo and location permissions in your device settings. You can stop using the app to stop further app transmissions, including region-name lookup. PicRoute has no member accounts or server-side personal media lists, so we cannot retrieve or change information that exists only on your device. Records stored as hashes may be difficult to associate with a person contacting us.

For information held by an external service, you can also use that provider's privacy controls or support channels.

8. Information safeguards

PicRoute limits processing through on-device media analysis, reduced location precision for region-name lookup, hashed installation- and IP-based stored identifiers, request validation, replay prevention, usage limits and restrictions on sensitive logs. Credentials for Google's region-name lookup service and signing secrets for video map requests are managed on the server.

9. Using this webpage

This privacy policy page uses no advertising, analytics scripts or tracking cookies. It selects Korean or English using the language preference sent by your browser. You can switch languages using the links above. The language selection is not saved in cookies or browser storage.

When delivering this page, web servers and network providers may process basic connection information, such as IP addresses and request times.

11. Policy changes

When app features, external services or data practices change, we will revise this page and its update date. We will give appropriate notice of material changes affecting your rights before they take effect, through this page or an in-app notice, and obtain consent where required.