SIFT — Privacy Policy

Last updated 31 August 2026

SIFT is a photo-cleanup app for Android and iPhone. It shows you your own photos and videos so you can decide what to keep, favorite, or delete.

The short version

SIFT never uploads your photos or videos. Images, videos, filenames, albums, and anything SIFT derives from them are not sent to us. There is no SIFT account or login.

SIFT does make the limited network requests described below. None of SIFT's requests includes a photo, video, filename, album name, library count, visual signature, or decision about an item.

If you use iCloud Photos or another cloud gallery, that service may already sync your library independently of SIFT. On iPhone, Apple Photos may download a chosen iCloud-only original when you view or share it. That is traffic between your device and your photo service, not an upload by SIFT.

What SIFT reads

With your permission, SIFT reads the photos and videos that the operating system makes available to it, including their image or video data, filename, size, date, dimensions, and library metadata. You may grant the full library or a limited selection.

Background analysis skips full-resolution iCloud-only originals instead of silently downloading the whole library. An item can be retried once its original is available locally.

What SIFT stores, and where

SIFT stores the following only in the app's private storage on this device:

• your decision for each item — keep, favorite, or trash — together with its filename, size, date, and a stable library reference;
• a small visual signature used to find likely duplicates and document-like or soft images;
• your settings and local reminder schedule.

This app data is removed when you uninstall SIFT or clear its data through the device's settings. Uninstalling SIFT does not delete anything from Photos or your Android gallery.

What leaves this device

1. Adverts

SIFT is supported by Google AdMob unless you buy the one-time remove-ads unlock. Google says its Mobile Ads SDK may collect data such as IP address, crash and performance data, device or app identifiers, advertising data, and ad interactions. See Google's Mobile Ads data disclosure and Google's privacy policy.

Google never receives your photos or SIFT's photo metadata from us.

On iPhone, SIFT requests non-personalized ads, does not show Apple's App Tracking Transparency prompt, and cannot access the IDFA. Non-personalized ads may still use local or app-scoped identifiers for purposes such as frequency capping and aggregated reporting.

On Android, you can turn personalized ads off in SIFT Settings. Where consent is legally required, SIFT uses Google's consent form before requesting an ad, and keeps the privacy-options form available in Settings when required.

Buying the remove-ads unlock stops SIFT from making ad requests.

2. Anonymous usage counts

This is off unless you switch it on, under Settings › Privacy › Share anonymous usage counts. Nothing described in this section happens until you do.

If you switch it on, SIFT may send coarse counts to a server operated by us: for example, how long a sorting session lasted, roughly when sorting occurred, how many items were swiped, and whether an ad or reminder was opened.

These records contain no account, device ID, advertising ID, random user ID, or free-text field. They cannot contain a photo, filename, album, or other text from your device. The server uses the request IP address only for rate limiting and does not store it. Usage records are deleted after twelve months.

Turning the setting off means new events are not collected, and any events still waiting on this device are deleted instead of sent.

3. Purchases

The one-time unlock is handled by Google Play on Android and the Apple App Store on iPhone. The store processes payment and tells SIFT whether the product is owned. SIFT does not receive your card details and does not create an account for the purchase. Restore uses the store account you are signed into.

4. Sharing that you choose

If you press Share, SIFT prepares the selected item and opens the operating system's share sheet. The item goes only to the app or person you choose. On iPhone, preparing an iCloud-only item can download that one original first.

Offline use

Sorting and all work on media already stored locally work without a network connection. Ads and purchases need a connection. An iCloud-only original must be downloaded by Photos before file-size or visual analysis can finish, and viewing or sharing it may require a connection.

Deleting photos and videos

A delete swipe only places an item in SIFT Trash. It remains in your system library and can be restored in SIFT until you choose the final trash action.

• Android: the system normally asks for confirmation before SIFT removes a batch. The optional media-management permission can reduce those prompts. A separate cloud-gallery copy may remain in that service.
• iPhone: the confirmed action moves items to Photos' Recently Deleted collection. Apple keeps them recoverable there for 30 days unless you remove them permanently sooner. With iCloud Photos enabled, Apple's deletion is synchronized to other devices using the same Apple Account. See Apple's Recently Deleted guidance.

SIFT does not count an iPhone item as freed space merely because it moved to Recently Deleted.

Permissions and why they are used

• Photos and videos (Android and iPhone): Show and organize the library you allow SIFT to access.
• Limited photo selection (Android and iPhone): Let you use SIFT with only chosen items and add more later.
• Media location (Android): Allows access to unredacted media metadata when Android grants it. SIFT does not read photo GPS coordinates or EXIF data.
• Media management (Android, optional): Reduces system confirmation prompts for supported delete and favorite actions.
• Notifications (Android and iPhone, optional): Schedule local reminders. There is no push token or notification server.

You can change photo and notification access in the operating system's settings. Revoking photo access prevents SIFT from reading the library but does not itself erase SIFT's private decision history; uninstalling or clearing app data removes that history.

Children

SIFT is not directed at children and does not knowingly collect personal data from children.

Your choices

• No adverts: buy the one-time remove-ads unlock.
• No usage counts: nothing is collected unless you switch on Share anonymous usage counts in Settings. Switching it back off deletes anything already gathered.
• No personalized Android ads: turn off Personalized ads or decline the relevant consent choice. iPhone ad requests are non-personalized by default.
• No photo access: revoke SIFT's Photos/media permission or uninstall it.

Changes

If this policy changes, the date at the top changes with it.

Contact

support@siftappstudios.com