Privacy Policy
Last updated: October 2, 2026 (on-device edits added)
This Privacy Policy explains how Revela (“we”, “us”) handles your information when you use the Revela app for macOS, iOS and iPadOS (the “App”) and this website. We designed Revela to collect as little data as possible: your photo library stays on your device, many edits are made entirely on your device, and we only send a photo to the cloud when you ask for an edit that needs generative AI.
In short: edits to light, colour, black & white, film looks, sharpening, enhancement and background removal run on your device and are never uploaded. Generative edits (for example replacing the sky or removing an object) are made by OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. For those, a downscaled copy of the photo and your instruction are sent to OpenAI through our server. The App asks for your permission before the first such edit, and you can switch cloud edits off entirely in Settings → Privacy → Only this device.
1. Who we are
Revela is operated by Casper Steenhoven, based in the Netherlands. For any privacy question or request, contact us at revelastudiosupport@gmail.com.
2. What we collect and why
| Data | Purpose | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|
| Account identifier (via Sign in with Apple) | Creating your account and tracking your credit balance | Our backend (Supabase) |
| Email address (only if you choose to share it via Sign in with Apple; you may use Apple's “Hide My Email”) | Account identification and support | Our backend (Supabase) |
| Photos you submit for a generative (cloud) AI edit, plus your edit instruction | Performing the edit you requested | A downscaled copy (max 1536 px, without location or camera metadata) is sent over an encrypted connection via our server to OpenAI, processed, and returned. Not stored on our servers. |
| Instructions and photos for on-device edits | Performing the edit you requested | Processed only on your device by Apple's on-device AI and the App itself. Never sent to us or anyone else. |
| Purchase and subscription status | Unlocking your plan and managing credits | Apple (App Store) and RevenueCat |
| Credit usage (number and quality of edits) | Enforcing your plan's monthly allowance and preventing abuse | Our backend (Supabase) |
What we do not collect: we do not run analytics or advertising trackers, we do not access your photo library beyond the images you explicitly submit for editing, and we never sell your data.
3. Your photos
- Your photo library is stored locally on your device. Browsing, organizing, and viewing photos happens entirely on your device. On iPhone and iPad, photos you import are copied into Revela's private storage on that device (excluded from iCloud backup); removing a photo from Revela deletes that copy, never the original in Photos or Files.
- On-device edits. Light, colour, black & white, film looks, sharpening, enhancement and background removal are made on your device, using Apple's on-device language model (Apple Intelligence, where available) to understand your instruction and Apple's Core Image and Vision frameworks to change the pixels. These photos and instructions never leave your device.
- Cloud (generative) edits. Edits that need generative AI — such as replacing the sky, removing or adding objects, or changing the style of a photo — are made by OpenAI's image model. For such an edit, a downscaled copy of the selected photo (max 1536 px, with location and camera metadata removed) and your instruction are sent over an encrypted connection to our server, which forwards them to OpenAI. The edited image is returned to your device.
- Your choice. The App asks for your permission before the first cloud edit. In Settings → Privacy you can choose Only this device, after which nothing is uploaded and generative edits are unavailable.
- We do not keep copies of your photos on our servers. OpenAI processes API content under its API data usage policies: it does not use API content to train its models, and may retain it for up to 30 days to monitor for abuse before deleting it, unless it is legally required to keep it longer. OpenAI may process data outside the European Economic Area (including in the United States) under appropriate safeguards such as the EU Standard Contractual Clauses.
4. Third-party services
We rely on a small number of processors to run Revela:
- Apple — Sign in with Apple and App Store payments (privacy policy)
- Supabase — authentication and credit ledger hosting (privacy policy)
- OpenAI — generative (cloud) AI image editing, only for edits that need it (privacy policy)
- Apple Intelligence — on-device understanding of edit instructions; runs on your device, nothing is sent to us
- RevenueCat — subscription management (privacy policy)
Each of these providers processes data only as needed to provide their service to us.
5. Payments
All payments are handled by Apple through the App Store. We never see or store your payment details. We receive only your subscription status (which plan is active) via RevenueCat so the App can unlock the right features.
6. Data retention
- Photos and edit instructions: on-device edits never leave your device. For cloud edits, processed transiently by our server (not retained) and by OpenAI (up to 30 days for abuse monitoring, as described above).
- Unsaved edits: your latest unsaved edit of each photo is kept in the App's private storage on your device so you can continue later; removing the photo from Revela deletes it.
- Account and credit data: retained while your account exists.
- Deletion: in Revela, open Settings → Account → Delete account…. Confirmation immediately removes your Revela account and cloud credit balance from our backend. It does not delete photos or files stored locally on your devices.
- Purchases: Apple and RevenueCat may retain transaction and subscription records where required for billing, fraud prevention, tax, or other legal obligations. Deleting your Revela account does not cancel an active App Store subscription.
7. Your rights (GDPR)
If you are in the European Economic Area, you have the right to access, correct, delete, or export your personal data, to restrict or object to its processing, and to withdraw consent at any time. To delete your Revela account, use Settings → Account → Delete account… in the App. For other privacy requests, email us at revelastudiosupport@gmail.com. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority — in the Netherlands, the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens.
Our legal bases for processing are: performance of a contract (delivering the App and the edits you request), and legitimate interest (preventing abuse of the credit system).
8. Security
All communication between the App, our servers, and our providers is encrypted in transit (TLS). Access to our backend is restricted, and per-user data is protected by row-level security so one user can never access another's data.
9. Children
Revela is not directed at children under 16, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from them. If you believe a child has provided us personal data, contact us and we will delete it.
10. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The “Last updated” date at the top reflects the latest revision, and material changes will be highlighted in the App or on this website.
11. Contact
Questions about this policy or your data? Email revelastudiosupport@gmail.com.