Your photos stay on your iPhone.
Emulsion develops everything on your phone. It has no accounts and no server of its own, shows no ads and sells no data. This page explains the little that leaves your device.
Last updated: October 10, 2026
- Photos and RAW originals: stored and developed only on your iPhone. We never receive them.
- Anonymous usage data: which cities and settings are used, with no photos, no location and no names you type. Turn it off in Settings → Privacy.
- No accounts, no ads, no tracking: Emulsion never asks you to sign up, and never asks for the tracking permission.
Who is responsible
Emulsion is an iPhone app developed by Daniel de la Lastra, who decides how the little data described on this page is used. For any question or request about your data, write to me at daniel271196@gmail.com.
Your photos and files
All processing happens on your iPhone: RAW development, film looks, grain, depth-of-field blur (the depth model ships inside the app) and recipes.
- Emulsion library. Originals and developed photos are kept in the app's private storage, with their recipe and earlier versions. If you delete the app, they go with it. A photo in the trash is permanently deleted when you empty it.
- Photos. Emulsion only writes to your photo library when you save, and only reads it when you import or update a copy Emulsion saved earlier.
- Backup. If you back up the library, it goes to the Files folder you choose, with whatever service you have there (for example, iCloud Drive).
- Sharing. When you share a photo or recipe, you send it yourself, with the iOS share options, to whoever you choose.
- iCloud. If a photo you import is in iCloud, iOS downloads it to your phone. That is a system feature, not an Emulsion one.
Emulsion does not upload your photos to any server, its own or anyone else's.
Permissions the app asks for
| Permission | What for |
|---|---|
| Camera | Capturing RAW photos. Without it you can still import and develop photos. |
| Photos | Saving your developed photos, reading the RAW original of photos you import and updating the copies Emulsion saved. It also works with limited access. |
| Location (while using the app) | Optional. Records where you took each photo, to print the place on the frame and name rolls. It stays on your iPhone, with the photo, and can be turned off in Settings. |
To write the name of the place ("Lisbon, Portugal"), iOS sends the coordinates to Apple through its geocoding service, which Apple handles under its privacy policy. Emulsion does not receive those coordinates off your phone. You can change or withdraw each permission at any time in iOS Settings.
Anonymous usage data
To learn what works and what doesn't, Emulsion uses Google Firebase Analytics. It measures things like:
- which cities (film looks) are chosen, how many photos are taken and with which options: RAW or film, lens, manual mode, timer;
- which darkroom controls are touched and which app settings are changed;
- which screens are opened, whether a recipe is saved, and whether Emulsion Pro is viewed or bought, with the plan chosen.
These are catalogue identifiers, counts and yes/no values. Never sent: your photos, their content, their location, place names or any text you type, such as the names of your recipes or rolls.
Along with events, Firebase automatically receives a random installation identifier (not your name or your Apple Account), the iPhone model, the iOS version, the language and an approximate country. Emulsion does not include the advertising identifier and does not follow you across apps, so it does not show Apple's tracking prompt.
Analytics is on by default, on the basis of a legitimate interest in improving the app. To turn it off, go to Settings → Privacy → Share usage data: collection stops immediately and anything waiting to be sent is deleted.
Purchases
Emulsion Pro is bought through the App Store. Apple handles the payment: Emulsion never sees or stores your card, your name or your Apple Account. The app only checks on your iPhone, with StoreKit, whether Pro is active. You can restore the purchase on another iPhone from Settings → Emulsion Pro, and manage or cancel the subscription in your Apple Account settings.
Retention and your rights
Your photos and settings last as long as you keep them on your iPhone. Usage data is tied to a random installation identifier, not to you, and Google keeps it for the period configured in Analytics.
You can ask for access, correction or deletion of your data, and object to its processing, through the contact in section 01. Because we hold neither your name nor your email, we can only locate usage data if you give us the installation identifier. If you are in the EU or the UK and believe your rights are being violated, you can also complain to your country's data protection authority (in Spain, the AEPD).
Children
Emulsion is not directed at children under 13 and does not knowingly collect data from children.
Changes to this policy
If what is collected or how it is used changes, this page is updated and the date above changes. If the change is significant, the app will let you know.