Trails RG Studio Privacy
How Trails RG handles information in Trails RG Studio (Android and macOS; Windows when available).
Local-first. Your photos stay yours.
Trails RG Studio is designed as a local-first photography application. Your photographs are processed on your device and are not uploaded to Trails RG servers.
No Trails RG account or cloud storage is required to use the core photography workflow.
Trails RG Studio is free for everyone and does not require a subscription.
Privacy at a glance
Your photographs
Your photographs stay on your device. Trails RG Studio processes them locally and does not upload your photo library to Trails RG servers or require cloud storage for the core photography workflow.
The only information you may send to Trails RG is information you voluntarily provide through the app's support, feedback, feature-request, or contact functionality. That is separate from your photo library and happens only when you choose to send it.
Summary
The App processes your photos on your device. We do not operate a Trails RG backend that receives your photo libraries for stamping or browsing. We do not sell personal data.
- Your photographs stay on your device.
- No cloud storage is required.
- No Trails RG account is required.
- Trails RG Studio is free.
Information the App accesses
Photos and files you choose
When you open a folder, pick images, or export a stamped copy, the App reads and writes image files you select (and related EXIF/metadata inside those files). Processing happens locally. Exports are saved where you choose (for example Downloads or a folder you pick).
Local settings
The App stores preferences on your device (for example last folder path, caption layout, adjust settings) using on-device storage. These stay on your device unless you clear app data or uninstall.
Support, feedback, and contact (voluntary only)
The only information you may send to Trails RG is information you voluntarily provide through the app's support, feedback, feature-request, or contact functionality.
If you use Help → Report a problem / Request a feature / Contact, you may send a message (and optional diagnostics such as app version and OS) to [email protected]. In-app submissions may be relayed by Formspree (or a similar form service) and then emailed to us. That content is only what you choose to send.
Trails RG Studio does not automatically upload your photographs or other personal information as part of normal browsing, editing, or export.
Links to third parties
The App may open external links (website, Instagram, Buy Me a Coffee, email). Those services have their own privacy policies.
On-device models
Cull, Find unusable, and the Editor's Subject tool use two small models that ship inside the App. They run on your phone or Mac. A photograph is not sent to Trails RG, to a cloud AI service, or to an external model.
- Subject. A small U²-Net finds the shape of the subject. Cull measures sharpness on that shape. The Editor uses the same model when you choose Subject.
- Animal name. MobileNet v2, trained on ImageNet, names that shape as a bird, a mammal, or another animal. It does not identify a person, a face, or an age. A frame with no clear animal is left unnamed.
- Everything else in a cull is a measurement on the device: sharpness, shake, and exposure. Find duplicates compares the file name, the date, and the contents. It does not use a model.
Settings → Performance chooses where the two models run. CPU uses the processor. GPU uses the accelerator on that device (Core ML on a Mac, NNAPI on Android) and falls back to the processor. The photograph still does not leave the device. Memory (Light, Balanced, or High) only changes how many previews are read at once. The models still look at one frame at a time.
A cull result, including a suggested rating, is saved on the device with that folder. It is not uploaded. Stars you set yourself are written beside the photo, on your disk, and a cull does not change them.
Information we do not collect by default
- No Trails RG account is required
- No advertising ID collection for ads
- No analytics SDK that phones home photo contents
- No photograph is sent to a cloud AI or a language model
- No sale of personal information
If a future version adds optional cloud features or analytics, we will update this policy and the in-app disclosure before collecting new categories of data.
Children's privacy
The App is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.
Permissions
The App may request access to photos, media, or files so you can open and export images. You can revoke access in system settings; some features will then be unavailable.
Data retention
Local preferences and caches remain on your device until you clear them or uninstall the App. The preview cache used while browsing large photos stays on the device and is kept within 2 GB. Emails you send are retained as needed to respond to you and improve the App.
Your choices
- Limit access by not granting photo/folder permission
- Clear app storage / uninstall to remove local preferences and caches
- Contact us to ask questions about this policy
Changes
We may update this policy. The effective date above will change when we do. Continued use after an update means you accept the revised policy.
Contact
Questions: [email protected]