Privacy Policy
In short: everything happens on your device. Your photos and face measurements are never uploaded to any server, and we collect no personal data of any kind — no analytics, no tracking, no accounts. See section 3 for exactly how face data is handled.
This Privacy Policy explains how SG Passport Photo — listed on the App Store as “Singapore Passport & IC Photo” (previously “SG Passport Photo: NRIC & Visa”) and shown as “SG Photo” on your home screen; “the app” — handles your information. The app is developed and operated by David Thien, an individual developer based in Singapore. This policy is written to meet the requirements of Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Act 2012 (PDPA) and Apple’s App Store guidelines.
1. What we collect: nothing
We do not collect, receive, store or process any personal data about you. Specifically, the app has:
- No servers of our own — your photos and data are never uploaded anywhere by the app (the optional feedback form is a page on this website, described below);
- No analytics or usage tracking;
- No advertising and no advertising identifiers;
- No third-party SDKs;
- No user accounts, registration or sign-in.
Because we collect no personal data, we also do not use, disclose, sell or transfer any personal data for any purpose.
The one exception is feedback you choose to send us. The app has a “Send feedback” option that opens a web form on this website. If you use it, we receive the message you type, your email address if you choose to give one, and the app version and iPhone model so we can reproduce problems. Sending feedback is entirely voluntary and the email field is optional. We use this information only to read and act on your feedback, and to follow up with you about it if you gave an email. It is stored on Cloudflare (our website host) and delivered to us by email; it is never used for marketing and never shared with anyone else. You may ask us to delete your feedback at any time using the contact details in section 10.
2. How your photos are handled
The app takes or imports photos so it can check and prepare them for Singapore passport, NRIC, visa and work-pass applications. All photo processing — including face detection and background handling — happens entirely on your device. Photos are never transmitted to us or to anyone else by the app.
Photos are stored locally on your device:
- in the app’s own photo library on your device, and
- in your iOS photo library, only if you choose to save a photo there.
The app requests camera and photo-library permissions solely to take and save photos at your request. You can withdraw these permissions at any time in iOS Settings.
3. Face data
The app analyses your face solely to check a photo against the document requirements. This section explains exactly what that involves.
- What is analysed. While the camera is open, the app detects where a face is in the live preview (a face rectangle only) so it can show coaching hints such as “move closer” or “keep your head level”. When you take or import a photo, the app locates facial features (eyes, mouth, chin and face outline), measures head size and position, head tilt and turn, whether the eyes are open and the mouth is closed, and expression, and scores image quality (lighting, sharpness, background and anything covering the face). This uses Apple’s on-device Vision and Core Image frameworks and the open-source OFIQ face-image-quality library (ISO/IEC 29794-5), which is bundled inside the app.
- Where it is processed. Entirely on your device. No photo, preview frame, facial feature position, measurement or score is ever sent to us or to anyone else. The app has no servers and uses no third-party service or SDK for face analysis.
- What is kept. Live preview frames and their face rectangles are discarded immediately after each frame is analysed; nothing from the live preview is stored. After a photo has been processed, the facial feature positions and intermediate images are discarded; the app keeps only the finished photo and a compliance report saved alongside it. The report contains the pass or fail result of each check together with the numbers those results are based on — for example head height as a fraction of the photo, eye-line position, head tilt angles and quality scores from 0 to 100. The app does not create or store a facial template, faceprint, feature vector or any other biometric identifier, and does not perform face recognition or identification: it cannot tell who you are, only whether the photo meets the requirements.
- Where it is stored. The photo and its report are stored in the app’s private storage on your device, protected by iOS data protection and included in your own iCloud or computer backups if you have those enabled, like any other app data. If you choose to save a photo to your iOS photo library, only the photo is saved there, not the report.
- How long it is kept. For as long as you keep the photo. Deleting a photo in My ID Photos deletes its report with it; deleting the app deletes everything the app stored. We hold no copy and cannot access, recover or delete it on your behalf, because it never leaves your device.
- Sharing. Face data is never shared with any third party and is never used for any purpose other than checking and preparing your photo.
4. Retention and deletion
Your photos remain on your device for as long as you keep them. We hold no copies and therefore retain nothing. To delete your data, delete individual photos within the app (and from your iOS photo library, if you saved them there), or delete the app, which removes the app’s own library entirely.
5. Payments and subscriptions
The compliance check is free, and so are your first two photos that pass it. After that the app offers two optional purchases: a 1-Month Pass (S$9.98, one payment, does not renew) and the SG Photo Pro yearly subscription (S$98.98/year, auto-renewable). Payment is processed entirely by Apple through the App Store under Apple’s own terms and privacy policy. We never see or store your payment details. The count of free photos you have used is kept on your device only. You can manage or cancel the yearly subscription at any time in iOS Settings > Apple Account > Subscriptions; the 1-Month Pass simply ends after one month.
6. Third parties
The only third party involved in the app is Apple, which distributes the app and processes subscription payments. Apple’s handling of your App Store account and payment information is governed by Apple’s privacy policy. No other third party receives any data from the app.
7. Children
The app does not collect personal data from anyone, including children. Photos of children taken with the app are processed on-device only, like all other photos, and never leave the device through the app.
8. Your rights under the PDPA
Under the PDPA you may request access to, or correction of, personal data an organisation holds about you, and you may withdraw consent to its collection, use or disclosure. Because we collect and hold no personal data, there is normally nothing for us to provide, correct or delete. If you nonetheless have any question, request or complaint about your data, contact us at davidvcthien@gmail.com and we will respond within a reasonable time, and in any case as required by the PDPA.
9. Changes to this policy
If we ever change how the app handles data, we will update this policy and its effective date on this page before the change takes effect. Material changes will also be noted in the app’s App Store release notes. Continued use of the app after a change takes effect indicates acceptance of the updated policy.
10. Contact
Data protection contact: David Thien
Email: davidvcthien@gmail.com
11. Disclaimer
The app is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA), the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) or any other Singapore government agency. Final acceptance of any photo is at the discretion of the receiving authority.