Overview
ShutterLife is a camera shutter count reader for photographers, available for iOS and macOS. This policy explains what data ShutterLife collects, uses, and shares — none through the app itself. We only process personal data if you contact us yourself (see “Contacting Us” and “Support Requests with Camera Photos”).
Controller
The controller for the processing of personal data within the meaning of Art. 4(7) GDPR, to the extent that personal data is actually processed (see sections "Data Collection" and "Contacting Us"):
Adriano Camonita
Barthstr. 6
44328 Dortmund
Germany
Email: privacy@casystudio.com
Data Collection
ShutterLife does not collect any data.
- No personal information is collected
- No photos or image files are uploaded or transmitted
- The app transmits no camera data (model, serial number, shutter count); it leaves your device only if you export a report yourself or email us a photo
- No usage analytics or crash reports are collected
- No advertising identifiers are used
- No cookies or tracking technologies are used
- No location or GPS data is read, even when such data is present in the EXIF metadata of your photos
Exception: if you voluntarily email us photos for firmware verification (see "Support Requests with Camera Photos"), those photos leave your device through your own action of sending the email, not through any function of the app.
Data Processing
All image file processing (EXIF parsing, shutter count extraction) happens entirely on your device. No data is sent to any server.
Data Stored On Your Device
- Shutter count readings: Camera model, shutter count, and date of each reading
- Reading history: Previous readings stored locally for tracking camera wear over time
- Camera serial number (where present in EXIF): Stored to disambiguate multiple cameras of the same model.
- Firmware version and EXIF capture date (where present in EXIF): Stored to correlate shutter count history with camera firmware version and original capture time.
This data is only accessible by the ShutterLife app, is never transmitted automatically to any external service, and is deleted when you uninstall the app. It only leaves your device if you yourself export a report (PDF, CSV or plain text) via the Share Sheet, and even then only to the destination you actively select while sharing (e.g. Mail, Notes, AirDrop). You can also delete all data at any time from within the app (History > Delete All).
Storage duration: Readings persist on your device indefinitely until you explicitly delete them via History > Delete All or uninstall the app. There is no automatic deletion, since the data lives entirely under your control on your device.
Internet Connection
ShutterLife does not transmit any data to remote servers. The app functions entirely offline.
Third-Party Services
ShutterLife does not integrate with any third-party analytics, advertising, or data collection services.
Hosting (GitHub Pages)
This website is hosted by GitHub, Inc. When the pages are accessed, GitHub processes technically necessary server log data (including IP address and time of access) to ensure secure and reliable delivery of the pages (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). We ourselves have no access to these server logs. GitHub is self-certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and additionally relies on the EU Standard Contractual Clauses; details are governed by GitHub's own privacy policy.
Distribution and Apple
ShutterLife is distributed through Apple's App Store. Apple may collect diagnostic, usage and download metadata independently from this app under Apple's own privacy policy. ShutterLife has no access to that data and is not the controller for Apple's processing.
International data transfers: Apple Inc. is headquartered in the United States. According to Apple, transfers of diagnostic and usage metadata to Apple's US infrastructure are based on the EU Standard Contractual Clauses (Art. 46(2)(c) GDPR, Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/914). Since ShutterLife has no access to that data flow, Apple acts as an independent controller under its own privacy policy.
Aggregated App Store Connect analytics: ShutterLife may receive aggregated, anonymized analytics (e.g., installation counts, active devices, retention) from Apple's App Store Connect, provided users have opted in to "Share with App Developers" in their device settings. These reports contain no user identifiers and cannot be traced back to individuals.
Legal Basis
Since no personal data is processed by the provider, Art. 6 GDPR does not apply to the operation of the app. The exclusively local storage of your readings on your end device occurs under your sole control and does not constitute processing by the provider within the meaning of Art. 4(2) GDPR.
Since no personal data within the meaning of Art. 4(1) GDPR is processed on the provider's side when using the app, the information obligations under Art. 13 GDPR do not apply in this respect. The corresponding information in this privacy policy is provided voluntarily for transparency purposes. This is different only if you actively contact us (see "Contacting Us" below).
Contacting Us
If you contact us by email or phone (contact details in the Legal Notice), we process the information you provide (e.g., email address, name, content of your inquiry) solely to handle your request. The legal basis is Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (legitimate interest in responding to your inquiry). If you voluntarily attach files, such as photos, the legal basis for those is your consent under Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR, which you may withdraw at any time with effect for the future. Storage duration: We delete the data once your request has been fully handled, and in any case no later than 90 days thereafter, unless statutory retention obligations apply.
Support Requests with Camera Photos (Firmware Verification)
If your camera model or firmware version is not yet supported, the app shows a contact path in three places (error message, model list, App Store description). The contact button opens a pre-filled mail draft to support@casystudio.com. The app itself sends nothing — whether and which photo you attach is a decision you make yourself, from your own mail app, when you hit send.
Purpose: We read the EXIF and manufacturer metadata (MakerNote) of the photos you send us to determine the counter’s position for your firmware version, and then reply with your shutter count by email.
These photos may contain personal data beyond the image itself — for example your camera’s serial number, capture timestamps, and, if enabled on your camera, GPS coordinates. If the photo shows people, this applies to their data too. The legal basis is your consent under Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR. You give it by deliberately attaching the photo to the email and sending it. You may withdraw it at any time with effect for the future, informally by email to the same address; we will then delete the files without delay. Withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before it.
Where a submitted photo shows people, we process their data on the basis of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (legitimate interest in handling your support request); we only evaluate the technical metadata, not the image content. Where possible, please send photos without people — two test shots of any subject are enough.
Recipient: Your email and its attachments are received and stored at IONOS SE, Elgendorfer Straße 57, 56410 Montabaur, Germany. IONOS acts as our processor under Art. 28 GDPR. Under that agreement, processing takes place within the European Union or the European Economic Area; the sub-processors used for our mailbox are located in Germany (as of August 2026). No transfer to third countries is envisaged.
We use the photos you send us exclusively to verify your camera’s firmware. We do not share them with any third party and do not use them as test data without first asking your explicit permission. Storage duration: We delete the photos once the check is complete and we have sent you your shutter count, and in any case no later than 30 days after your email arrives. This section supplements the general “Contacting Us” section for the photo attachments of this specific support path.
Transition period for older app versions: Version 1.0.7, the version currently shipping in the App Store, contains our former support address, shutterlife.support@gmail.com. That mailbox is operated by Google; on the free tier there is no data processing agreement under Art. 28 GDPR, and Google may transfer data to servers in the United States. We continue to read that mailbox so that requests from older app versions are not lost, and delete the messages there once they have been handled. Please do not send photos to that address — use support@casystudio.com only. We will shut the old channel down on October 31, 2026.
Children's Privacy
ShutterLife does not collect any data from any user, including children, through the app. For email inquiries, the sections above apply.
Your Rights Under GDPR
Under the GDPR, you have the following rights with respect to personal data processed by us: access (Art. 15), rectification (Art. 16), erasure (Art. 17), restriction of processing (Art. 18), data portability (Art. 20), and objection (Art. 21). Outside the sections “Contacting Us” and “Support Requests with Camera Photos”, we do not collect or store any personal data; in that respect there is no personal data for you to request, modify, or delete from us. All app data remains exclusively on your device under your full control and can be removed at any time via "History > Delete All" or by uninstalling the app. For data from contact and support requests, these rights apply against us until the data is deleted under the retention periods stated above.
ShutterLife does not engage in automated decision-making, including profiling (Art. 22 GDPR).
Right to Lodge a Complaint
You have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority (Art. 77 GDPR). The competent authority for the controller is:
Landesbeauftragte für Datenschutz und Informationsfreiheit Nordrhein-Westfalen (LDI NRW)
Kavalleriestraße 2–4
40213 Düsseldorf
Germany
Changes
We may update this policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated date.
Contact
Privacy questions? Contact us at privacy@casystudio.com