Please note: this page is a translation provided for your convenience. Only the German version is legally binding. You will find it at geier-it.eu/fotocloud-datenschutz.html.
In short: FotoCloud uploads photos to a server that you specify yourself. There is no backend operated by the app provider. The provider receives neither your photos nor your access data nor any usage data. No advertising, no analytics tools, no third-party components for data collection.
1. Controller
The controller within the meaning of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is:
Anton Geier – Geier-IT
Untere Bergstraße 2, 55487 Sohren, Germany
E-mail: info@geier-it.eu · Phone: +49 (0) 152 042 02 892
Further information can be found in the legal notice. There is no legal obligation to appoint a data protection officer; for questions about data protection in this app please contact the address given above.
2. The essentials in one paragraph
FotoCloud takes photos and uploads them to a server that you specify yourself (Nextcloud, ownCloud or another WebDAV server). There is no backend operated by the app provider. The provider receives neither your photos nor your access data nor any usage data. No advertising, no analytics tools and no third-party components for data collection are included.
3. What data does the app process?
3.1 Stored on the device
| Data | Purpose | Storage location | Deletion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Server address, user name | Connection to the target server | App-internal storage | On logout or uninstallation |
| Password or app password | Login to the target server | App-internal storage, encrypted with AES-256/GCM; the key is kept in the Android Keystore and does not leave the device | On logout or uninstallation |
| Target folder, camera and upload settings | Function of the app | App-internal storage | On uninstallation |
| Photos taken (temporarily) | Cached until upload | App-internal, private folder – not in the gallery, not in the MediaStore, not readable by other apps | Immediately after a successful upload |
Automatic backups are switched off for the app (allowBackup="false"). Access data is therefore not included in a Google cloud backup.
3.2 Transferred to the server you choose
- the image files
- user name and password for logging in (HTTP Basic Authentication via HTTPS)
- the time the photo was taken, as the file date
The transfer takes place exclusively encrypted via HTTPS. Unencrypted HTTP is blocked in the app. The only recipient is the server you entered in the settings.
3.3 Burned into the photo
If the setting „Burn date, time and user into the photo“ is active (the default), the date and time the photo was taken and the user name entered are written permanently and irrevocably into the image. The user name is thus visible to everyone who receives the image. The setting can be switched off at any time.
3.4 Contained in the image data (EXIF)
The app writes the time the photo was taken into the EXIF data of the photo. The device's camera may add further technical details (device model, exposure). GPS coordinates are not added to the image file – not even when the location stamp is switched on (see 3.6).
3.5 What does not happen
- no transfer to the app provider
- no analytics, tracking or crash-reporting services
- no advertising, no advertising identifiers
- no disclosure to third parties
- no profiling, no automated decision-making
- no access to contacts, calls or messages
- no location access as long as the location stamp is switched off (the default)
- no reading of the gallery: the Android system photo picker is used for importing. The app sees exclusively the images you select there – a storage permission is not required for this and is not requested.
3.6 Location (only when the location stamp is switched on)
The setting „Burn location into the photo, top right“ is switched off by default. If it is switched on, the app requests the location permission and determines the current position when the shutter is released.
| What happens | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Determining the position | When the shutter is released, the current position is requested. From Android 12 onwards you can grant the approximate instead of the precise position; the app then continues to work but may name the neighbouring town. |
| Transmission to the geocoding service | The Android system function Geocoder is used to convert the coordinates into a place name. In doing so, the coordinates are transferred to the geocoding service of the device manufacturer – on devices with Google services therefore to Google. The app has no influence over this. |
| What ends up in the image | Exclusively the place name, e. g. „Location: Kastellaun“. |
| What does not happen | Coordinates are not stored, not written into the EXIF data and not transferred to the cloud server. |
| Cache | So that a series of photos does not repeatedly determine the location, the place name last determined is kept in the working memory for a maximum of five minutes – and only reused if the new photo is less than 500 metres away from the last one. If you move further, the location is determined again. The cache is lost when the app is closed. |
| Switching off | Switch the toggle off in the settings. In addition, the permission can be withdrawn in the Android settings. |
No location stamp is applied to images imported from the gallery – the current location would have nothing to do with where the photo was taken.
4. Permissions and what they are needed for
| Permission | What for |
|---|---|
CAMERA | Taking photos – the core function of the app |
ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION, ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION |
Optional. Only for the location stamp; only requested when you switch it on |
INTERNET | Upload to the server entered |
ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE | Detecting whether a connection exists, and the option „Wi-Fi only“ |
POST_NOTIFICATIONS | Display of the upload progress |
FOREGROUND_SERVICE, FOREGROUND_SERVICE_DATA_SYNC |
Completing uploads even when the screen is locked |
5. Legal bases (Art. 6 GDPR)
The processing on the device and the transfer to your server take place in order to perform the user relationship and at your instigation: Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR (performance of a contract or pre-contractual measures). Insofar as you use the app voluntarily and activate settings such as the stamp or the location stamp, this is additionally based on Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), which you can withdraw at any time with effect for the future by switching the setting off (Art. 7 (3) GDPR).
Important for business use
If a company uses the app and people are photographed or personal data is depicted in the process, the company is the controller within the meaning of the GDPR – not the app provider. The company must then independently ensure a legal basis, information for the data subjects, deletion periods and, where applicable, a record of processing activities. The burned-in user name – in combination with the location stamp also the whereabouts – may enable monitoring of performance or behaviour; here the co-determination of the works council regularly has to be observed.
6. Storage period
- Photos on the device: until the upload has succeeded, then immediate deletion. If the upload fails, the photo remains in the queue until it has been transferred or discarded by you.
- Access data and settings: until you log out in the app or until uninstallation.
- Place name in the cache: a maximum of five minutes, only in the working memory (see 3.6).
- Photos on the target server: you or the operator of the server are responsible for these. The app does not delete anything there.
7. Your rights
Vis-à-vis the controller you have the rights under Art. 15 to 21 GDPR: access, rectification, erasure, restriction of processing, data portability and objection. You can withdraw consent you have given at any time with effect for the future.
Since the app provider receives no data from you, in practice these rights concern the data on your device and on your server. Both are in your own hands:
- Deleting data on the device: log out in the app or uninstall the app
- Deleting photos: directly on your server
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority (Art. 77 GDPR). The authority responsible for us is:
The State Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information Rhineland-Palatinate
Hintere Bleiche 34, 55116 Mainz, Germany
E-mail: poststelle@datenschutz.rlp.de · www.datenschutz.rlp.de
8. Third-country transfer
The app provider does not transfer any data to third countries. Where your photos go is determined solely by the server address you enter. If this server is located outside the EU/EEA, you are responsible for the lawfulness of that transfer.
Note: if the location stamp is switched on, the coordinates are transmitted to the geocoding service of your device manufacturer in order to convert them into a place name (see 3.6). The data protection provisions of the respective manufacturer apply to this transmission; the app has no influence over it.
9. Security
- Transfer exclusively via HTTPS; unencrypted HTTP is blocked.
- The password is stored encrypted with AES-256/GCM. The key is kept in the Android Keystore, is bound to the device and cannot be read out.
- Photos are stored exclusively in the private app directory and are not accessible to other apps.
- Automatic backups are switched off.
- Recommendation: with Nextcloud, use an app password instead of your main password. It can be revoked individually without affecting your account.
10. Children
The app is not aimed at children and does not knowingly collect any data from children.
11. Changes
This policy is adapted if the functions of the app change. The authoritative version is the one linked in the app or in the Google Play Store at the time.
Changes compared to version 1.0.0: version 1.0.1 added the optional location stamp. It is switched off by default. If it is switched on, the app processes the location as described in section 3.6.
Geier-IT · app version 1.0.1 · Last updated: 31 August 2026