Notes

why DeDuper stays on device

the privacy and product decision behind a photo cleanup tool

July 20, 2026. finished. deduper / product.

DeDuper scans a photo library for near-duplicates, ranks the stronger copy, and moves the rest to Recently Deleted. the important product decision came before the scoring model: photos do not need to leave the device

keeping the scan local removes an account, an upload queue, and a server bill. it also makes the privacy promise easy to explain. the app requests photo-library access because that is the work, not because the library is raw material for another service

that constraint shapes the interface too. every proposed deletion remains reviewable, the app explains why it prefers one image, and iOS provides the final recovery window in Recently Deleted

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