Overview & Core Philosophy
Welcome to EXIF Remover, an Android mobile
utility published by JEWEALITY (founded by
Mahesh Varma). This Privacy Policy explains our
practices regarding the processing, handling, and security of
information when you use the EXIF Remover application
(com.jeweality.exifremover).
Digital cameras and smartphone cameras automatically embed sensitive metadata—known as Exchangeable Image File Format (EXIF) data—into every photo you capture. This data frequently exposes your exact home or office GPS coordinates, altitude, device brand, model, unique serial numbers, camera lens settings, and exact timestamps.
Our mission is simple: We created EXIF Remover to give you total control over your digital footprint. Privacy is not an afterthought in our app; it is the fundamental purpose of the product.
Photo Processing (100% Local Guarantee)
When you select images to sanitize with EXIF Remover, here is exactly what happens behind the scenes:
What We NEVER Do
- ❌ Never upload your photos to any remote server or cloud
- ❌ Never view, share, or analyze your pictures
- ❌ Never use your images for AI training or machine learning
- ❌ Never scan photo facial features, biometric data, or scenes
- ❌ Never overwrite your original files without your permission
What We DO Do Locally
- ✔️ Read metadata tags using Android's native ExifInterface
- ✔️ Safely strip GPS, device, software, and timestamp tags
- ✔️ Save a clean, sanitized copy directly to your Gallery
- ✔️ Keep your original source photo intact and unaltered
- ✔️ Execute 100% of processing in local sandbox memory
Photos you choose to clean are read directly through Android's scoped content URIs, sanitized entirely in device volatile memory (RAM), and written to your local device media storage. Once the operation finishes, temporary in-memory buffers are instantly purged.
Types of Metadata Stripped
EXIF Remover strips and cleans all standard, manufacturer-proprietary (MakerNote), and location metadata tags, including but not limited to:
| Metadata Category | Specific EXIF Tags Removed | Privacy Risk Mitigated |
|---|---|---|
| GPS & Geolocation | GPS Latitude, Longitude, Altitude, GPS Timestamp, Processing Method, GPS Speed, Bearing | Prevents stalking, home/work location discovery, and physical tracking. |
| Device & Hardware | Camera Maker (e.g. Samsung, Apple, Sony), Device Model, Unique Body/Lens Serial Numbers, Lens Specs | Eliminates device fingerprinting and hardware tracking across platforms. |
| Date & Time | DateTimeOriginal, DateTimeDigitized, SubSecTime, Timezone Offset | Protects daily routines, travel schedules, and timeline patterns. |
| Software & Editing | Software Name, OS Build Version, Photoshop / Lightroom History, User Comments, Copyright | Prevents software profiling and workstation identification. |
| Camera Technicals | ISO, Shutter Speed, Aperture, Focal Length, White Balance, Flash Status | Strips camera shooting configurations and internal camera logs. |
Device Permissions Explained
We adhere strictly to the principle of least privilege. EXIF Remover requests the minimum set of permissions necessary to function:
| Android Permission | Usage & Purpose | Is It Required? |
|---|---|---|
android.permission.INTERNET |
Used exclusively to fetch and display ads via Google Mobile Ads SDK (AdMob) and load European privacy consent choices via Google User Messaging Platform (UMP). Not used for photo operations. | Enabled |
android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE
|
Used by the AdMob SDK to verify whether an active network connection exists before attempting to request ad creatives. | Enabled |
android.permission.POST_NOTIFICATIONS
|
Used strictly on Android 13+ (API 33+) to alert you when a large background batch of photo cleanings has finished processing. You can disable this at any time in Settings. | Optional |
EXIF Remover does NOT request
READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE,
READ_MEDIA_IMAGES,
ACCESS_MEDIA_LOCATION,
ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION, CAMERA,
RECORD_AUDIO, or READ_CONTACTS. We
leverage Android's official system
Photo Picker, which gives the app read access
only to the exact photos you consciously tap and select.
Third-Party Services & Advertising (AdMob)
To maintain EXIF Remover as a free utility for users worldwide without charging subscription fees, our app displays advertisements powered by Google Mobile Ads (AdMob).
Google AdMob may collect and process pseudonymous technical information in accordance with Google's Privacy Policy. This data may include:
- Device Identifiers: Google Advertising ID (GAID) or Android ID.
- Diagnostic & Device Information: Device model, operating system version, carrier, screen size, and network type.
- Ad Interaction Metrics: Impressions, click events, and ad completion rates.
- General Geolocation: Coarse IP address geolocation (at country/city level) used for regional ad relevance and fraud prevention.
We integrate the official Google User Messaging Platform (UMP) SDK. Users in the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom (UK), and Switzerland are presented with an interactive consent dialog upon app launch. You have complete freedom to accept, decline, or configure personalized versus non-personalized advertising preferences.
For complete details on how Google processes ad data, please review:
- Google Privacy & Terms
- How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services
-
Official App-Ads.txt Verification
(Publisher ID:
pub-9831459193159283)
Local Data & Processing History
The application provides an optional History tab so you can view summary statistics of how many photos you have cleaned, the timestamps of past cleaning batches, and total metadata fields stripped.
All history records are stored purely locally in an on-device encrypted SQLite database (using Android Jetpack Room and DataStore). This data remains 100% on your device:
- It is never transmitted to any external server or analytics service.
-
It is excluded from Android cloud auto-backup
(
allowBackup="false") to prevent unintended cloud sync. - You can permanently delete all local history at any moment by navigating to Settings > Clear History.
Data Retention & Deletion
Because we do not operate remote servers, user accounts, or cloud databases:
- Zero Cloud Retention: There is no personal data or photo data stored by us in the cloud to retain.
- Instant Local Deletion: You retain complete physical control over your device data. You can delete all history records with one tap within the app's settings menu.
- App Uninstall: Uninstalling the EXIF Remover application from your Android device immediately purges all application sandbox files, local databases, and preferences.
Children's Privacy (COPPA Compliance)
EXIF Remover is a general-audience privacy utility tool. Our services are not directed at children under the age of 13 (or under 16 in the European Union).
We do not knowingly collect, request, or solicit any personal information from children. If you believe that a child has provided personal information to third-party ad networks through our app, please contact us immediately at service@jeweality.com so we can take appropriate remedial steps.
Your Rights Under GDPR, CCPA & Global Privacy Laws
Depending on your jurisdiction (such as the European Union under the GDPR, California under the CCPA/CPRA, the United Kingdom under the UK DPA, or Brazil under the LGPD), you may have the following statutory privacy rights:
- Right to Know / Access: The right to know what personal data is collected, used, or shared.
- Right to Deletion: The right to request the deletion of your personal data.
- Right to Opt-Out of Personalized Advertising: You can opt out of personalized interest-based advertising directly from your device settings (Go to Android Settings > Google > Ads > Delete advertising ID or Reset advertising ID).
- Right to Non-Discrimination: We do not discriminate against any user for exercising their legal privacy rights.
To exercise any applicable statutory privacy right, you may contact our privacy team directly at service@jeweality.com.
Security & Architecture
We employ strict architectural and technical measures to safeguard your information:
- Local Sandboxing: Android's application sandbox isolates EXIF Remover's processes from other applications installed on your device.
-
No Automatic Cloud Backup: Our app manifest
explicitly disables system cloud backups
(
android:allowBackup="false"), ensuring that sanitized files and history logs are never silently uploaded to cloud drive services. - Temporary Memory Cleanup: Photo data loaded into memory during EXIF stripping is immediately discarded as soon as the cleaned output stream is written to storage.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, never. 100% of photo decoding, EXIF metadata stripping, and saving is performed on your device's local CPU. No image file or photo bytes ever leave your phone.
No. By default, EXIF Remover creates a clean, sanitized copy in your device gallery under your Pictures folder. Your original photo remains completely untouched and safe.
The Internet permission is required exclusively to serve banner/interstitial advertisements through Google Mobile Ads (AdMob) and load European GDPR consent options via Google UMP. The photo processing module has no network connection code whatsoever.
On your Android phone, go to Settings > Google > Ads > Delete advertising ID (or Reset advertising ID). If you reside in the EEA/UK, you can also adjust your consent choices in the app at any time.
Yes. Open the EXIF Remover app, tap Settings, and choose Clear History. This instantly wipes all local batch count logs and timestamps from your device.
Contact & Publisher Information
If you have any questions, suggestions, or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy or your data privacy, please reach out to our team:
service@jeweality.com