Privacy policy for the app “FotoCloud”
This English version is for information only. Only the German version is legally binding.
App: FotoCloud (com.fotocloud), version 1.0.1. As of 2 November 2026.
In short: FotoCloud uploads photos to a server that you specify yourself. There is no backend of the app provider. The provider receives neither your photos nor your access credentials nor 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:
Geier-IT – Anton Geier, Untere Bergstraße 2, 55487 Sohren, Deutschland. Email: info@geier-it.eu. Telephone: +49 152 04202892.
Further information can be found in the Impressum (legal notice). There is no statutory requirement to appoint a data protection officer; for questions about data protection in this app, contact the address stated above.
2. The key points 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 of the app provider. The provider receives neither your photos nor your access credentials nor 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 held 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) | Temporary storage until upload | App-internal, private folder – not in the gallery, not in the MediaStore, not readable by other apps | Immediately after successful upload |
Automatic backups are switched off for the app (allowBackup="false"). As a result, access credentials are not included in a Google cloud backup.
3.2 Transferred to the server you have chosen
- the image files
- user name and password for login (HTTP Basic Authentication over HTTPS)
- the time of capture as the file date
The transfer takes place exclusively in encrypted form over HTTPS. Unencrypted HTTP is blocked in the app. The sole recipient is the server that you have entered in the settings.
3.3 Burned into the photo
If the setting “Burn date, time and user into photo” is active (default setting), the date of capture, the time and the entered user name are written into the image permanently and irrevocably. 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 of capture into the EXIF data of the photo. The device's camera may store further technical information (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 (default setting)
- no reading of the gallery: The Android system photo picker is used for import. The app sees only the images that you select there – a storage permission is not needed for this and is not requested.
3.6 Location (only if the location stamp is switched on)
The setting “Burn location into top right of photo” is switched off by default. If it is switched on, the app requests the location permission and determines the current position when a photo is taken.
| What happens | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Position determination | When a photo is taken, the current position is queried. From Android 12, you can grant the approximate position instead of the precise one; the app then continues to work, but may name the neighbouring town. |
| Transmission to the geocoding service | To convert the coordinates into a place name, the Android system function Geocoder is used. In doing so, the coordinates are transmitted to the geocoding service of the device manufacturer – on devices with Google services, therefore to Google. The app has no influence over this. |
| What goes into the image | Solely the place name, e.g. “Ort: Kastellaun”. |
| What does not happen | Coordinates are not stored, not written to EXIF and not transferred to the cloud server. |
| Temporary storage | So that a series of photos does not repeatedly determine the location, the most recently determined place name is kept in working memory for at most five minutes – and is reused only if the new shot is less than 500 metres from the last one. If you move further, the location is determined anew. The temporary storage is lost when the app is closed. |
| Switching off | Turn off the switch 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 the place where the picture was taken.
4. Permissions and what they are needed for
| Permission | Used for |
|---|---|
| CAMERA | Taking photos – the core function of the app |
| ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION, ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION | Optional. Only for the location stamp; requested only when you switch it on |
| INTERNET | Upload to the server entered |
| ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE | Detecting whether a connection exists, and the “Wi-Fi only” option |
| POST_NOTIFICATIONS | Display of upload progress |
| FOREGROUND_SERVICE, FOREGROUND_SERVICE_DATA_SYNC | Completing uploads even when the screen is locked |
5. Legal bases (Art. 6 GDPR)
Processing on the device and the transfer to your server take place for the performance of the usage relationship and at your instigation: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (performance of a contract or implementation of 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 off the setting (Art. 7(3) GDPR).
Important for use in a business setting
If a company uses the app and in doing so persons are photographed or personal data is depicted, the company is the controller within the meaning of the GDPR – not the app provider. The company must then independently ensure a legal basis, the information of data subjects, erasure periods and, where applicable, a record of processing activities. The burned-in user name – in combination with the location stamp, also the whereabouts – can enable monitoring of performance or behaviour; here, the co-determination rights of the works council must as a rule be observed.
6. Storage period
- Photos on the device: until successful upload, then immediate deletion. If the upload fails, the photo remains in the queue until it is transferred or discarded by you.
- Access credentials and settings: until logout in the app or until uninstallation.
- Place name in temporary storage: at most five minutes, in working memory only (see 3.6).
- Photos on the target server: you or the operator of the server, respectively, are responsible for this. The app deletes nothing there.
7. Your rights
You have the rights under Arts. 15 to 21 GDPR against the controller: access, rectification, erasure, restriction of processing, data portability and objection. You can withdraw any consent 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. You have both in your own hands:
- Delete data on the device: log out in the app or uninstall the app
- Delete 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 competent for us is: Der Landesbeauftragte für den Datenschutz und die Informationsfreiheit Rheinland-Pfalz (State Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information of Rhineland-Palatinate), Hintere Bleiche 34, 55116 Mainz. Email: poststelle@datenschutz.rlp.de, www.datenschutz.rlp.de.
8. Transfers to third countries
The app provider does not transfer any data to third countries. Where your photos go is determined solely by the server address that you enter. If this server is located outside the EU/EEA, you are responsible for the permissibility of that transfer.
Note: If the location stamp is switched on, the coordinates are transmitted to the geocoding service of your device manufacturer for conversion 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 this.
9. Security
- Transfer exclusively over HTTPS; unencrypted HTTP is blocked.
- The password is stored encrypted with AES-256/GCM. The key is held 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 data from children.
11. Changes
This policy is amended if the functions of the app change. The current version at any given time can be found on this page.
Changes compared with version 1.0.0: The optional location stamp has been added with version 1.0.1. It is switched off by default. If it is switched on, the app processes the location as described in section 3.6.