Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 26, 2026

1. Overview

Pho is a serverless photo gallery app. There is no central server, no database, and no middleware. The app runs an embedded Go gRPC backend directly on your device, which connects to your own storage. Because Pho does not operate any cloud infrastructure, your photos never pass through our servers.

2. Data We Do Not Collect

We do not collect any of the following:

  • Your name, email address, or phone number
  • Device identifiers or advertising identifiers
  • Your IP address or network information
  • Any data uploaded to Pho's servers — there are no Pho servers to upload to
  • Analytics, telemetry, or usage tracking
  • Advertising SDKs or third-party trackers

3. Data Stored Locally on Your Device

The following data is stored only on your device and never leaves it:

  • Storage configuration — the connection addresses and credentials for your SMB, WebDAV, NFS, or Baidu Netdisk storage
  • Sync settings — filter rules, concurrency, and directory structure preferences
  • Synced photo ID list — used for incremental sync to avoid re-uploading
  • App preferences — theme color and language
  • Encryption password — only when encryption is enabled (see section 7)

4. Photo and File Storage

Your photos are stored directly on your own storage — a NAS, WebDAV server, NFS share, or Baidu Netdisk account that you configure. Files are written in a transparent YYYY/MM/DD directory structure. Pho does not operate any cloud storage and has no ability to access your photos outside of the sync sessions you initiate.

5. Baidu Netdisk Integration

If you connect Baidu Netdisk as a storage backend, Pho uses Baidu's OAuth flow to authorize access. The resulting OAuth token is stored locally on your device and used only to call Baidu's API. This token is never transmitted to Pho or any party other than Baidu.

6. Purchases and Payments

All subscriptions and one-time purchases are processed through Apple's In-App Purchase (IAP) system. Pho does not touch, receive, or store any payment information, credit card numbers, or billing addresses. Subscription billing, renewals, and refunds are managed entirely by Apple. Pho only reads a single boolean value indicating whether you have purchased Pro — nothing more.

7. Encryption

Pro users may enable encryption for additional protection. Pho supports AES-128 in CFB mode and AES-256-GCM (the newer scheme). The encryption password is stored only on your device and is never uploaded anywhere. If you forget the password, encrypted files on your storage cannot be recovered — please store it safely.

8. Logs and Diagnostics

Pho's LoggerService is an in-memory ring buffer that runs entirely on your device. Logs are visible only to you, are never uploaded, and are discarded when the app is closed. There is no crash reporting SDK and no remote diagnostics.

9. Third-Party Services

Pho integrates only two third-party services, both optional and both under your control:

  • Apple In-App Purchase — for processing Pro subscriptions and lifetime purchases. Governed by Apple's privacy policy.
  • Baidu Netdisk API — only if you connect Baidu Netdisk as your storage. Governed by Baidu's privacy policy.

No other third-party services, analytics, or advertising SDKs are integrated.

10. Children's Privacy

Pho is not directed at children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can investigate.

11. Data Retention and Deletion

All local data — storage configuration, sync settings, preferences, and encryption password — is deleted when you uninstall the app. Photos already synced to your storage remain there under your control; Pho has no way to delete them remotely and no access to them outside your active sync sessions.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Updates will be posted on this page with a revised "Last updated" date. Continued use of Pho after a change constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, email:

[email protected]