Photo Shortlist
Who is responsible
Photo Shortlist is developed by Matt Playne. You can contact the developer about privacy through the support address shown on this page.
Photos access and local analysis
With your permission, Photo Shortlist reads information about your Apple Photos library and requests current photo and Live Photo renditions through Apple’s Photos framework. It uses this information to find similar photographs, display comparisons and remember your choices.
Photo matching runs on your Mac using Apple’s Vision framework. The app does not operate a photo-upload server or send your photos to a developer-operated analysis service.
Information stored on your Mac
Saved choices, unfinished comparisons, settings, selected albums and dates, set-aside photos, analysis data and removal outcomes are stored in the app’s private storage on your Mac. This includes photo identifiers and metadata used to recognise photos and changes to them.
This local state remains available so you can reopen the app and continue. Revoking Photos access does not erase it. Removing the app may leave local state behind; contact support for help removing app data without changing your Photos library.
iCloud and Apple services
Photo Shortlist can ask Apple’s Photos services to download photo detail or Live Photo motion from iCloud. Viewing downloads follow the Automatic or Manual setting and your actions. Downloads to find more matches require a separate action.
Apple provides these services under its own terms and privacy policy. The app therefore does not promise that using it never involves a network connection.
Saving and removing photos
Saving choices does not change or delete photos in Apple Photos, and does not change Photos favourites. Library removal occurs only after you explicitly confirm it in Review choices. It affects the whole Photos asset, including edits and Live Photo motion, and can sync through iCloud Photos.
Diagnostics and tracking
The app contains no advertising or third-party analytics SDK. It records local diagnostic timings and errors, but has no built-in log-upload feature.
Apple may provide developers with crash or usage information according to your Apple privacy settings and Apple’s services. Any diagnostics made available to the developer are used only to investigate faults and improve the app.
This website
The website is hosted by Cloudflare. Cloudflare processes connection and request information, such as IP addresses and browser information, to deliver and protect the site. See Cloudflare’s privacy policy.
The website’s own pages use no analytics scripts, advertising trackers, contact forms or browser storage. Hosting and security services can still process request information.
Contacting support
If you email support, Matt Playne receives your email address, message and any attachments you choose to include. Matt handles support requests personally, using Apple’s iCloud Mail, to respond to your request and investigate problems.
Support messages are kept while needed to handle your request and related follow-up, then deleted when no longer needed, subject to any legal recordkeeping requirements. You can ask about, correct or request deletion of information you sent to support. Please avoid sending personal photos or database files unless we first agree they are needed.
Your choices
You can change download settings in Photo Shortlist and revoke Photos access in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Photos. To recover removed photos while available, use Recently Deleted in Apple Photos. Questions about the information you have provided directly to the developer can be sent to support.
Changes to this policy
When the app or its services change, this page will be updated with the effective date of the revised policy.