Sumi — a camera app for travelers in Japan
Last updated: July 3, 2026
Sumi (“the app”, “we”) overlays refined Japanese typography — the place name and address of where a photo was taken — onto your pictures. This policy explains what data the app uses and where it goes. In short: your photos never leave your device, and the app has no user accounts, no analytics, and no advertising or tracking SDKs.
Photos you capture or import are processed entirely on your device to render the typographic overlay. The finished image is saved to your Photos library (with its original geotag preserved, if present). We do not upload, store, or transmit your photos to any server.
To name the place in a photo, the app uses your device’s GPS coordinates and compass heading — either live from the camera, or read from a photo’s Exif metadata when you import one. These coordinates are sent to the following map and place-name services solely to resolve the location into a place name and address:
Only the coordinates needed to name the location are sent. We do not attach your identity to these requests, and we do not keep a record of where you have been.
The optional Japan Trip Pass is a non-renewing in-app purchase handled entirely by Apple through the App Store and StoreKit. We never see or store your payment details. To sync your pass across your own devices, the app stores the purchase’s expiry date in your private iCloud key-value storage, which is accessible only to you through your Apple ID.
Sumi is not directed at children under 13 and does not knowingly collect any personal information from them.
We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be reflected on this page with a revised “Last updated” date.
Questions about this policy? Contact us at privacy@west-coast.dev.