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Setting Up Photo Access

SkinVault needs permission to access your photo library to scan for sensitive content. Here's how to grant the right permissions for the best experience.

Your photos never leave your device. All AI scanning happens 100% on-device using Apple's Neural Engine. We have zero access to your photos.

Why "Full Access" is Recommended

iOS offers different levels of photo access. For SkinVault to work properly, we recommend "Full Access":

1

Open iOS Settings

You can tap "Open Privacy Settings" in the SkinVault app, or open the Settings app manually.

2

Navigate to SkinVault

Scroll down and tap on SkinVault in the list of apps.

Alternatively: Settings > Privacy & Security > Photos > SkinVault

3

Select Photos Access

Tap on Photos to see access options.

4

Choose "Full Access"

Select "Full Access" to allow SkinVault to scan your entire photo library.

Remember: All scanning happens on your device. Photos are never uploaded anywhere.

Settings Path Summary

Settings > SkinVault > Photos > Full Access

Or: Settings > Privacy & Security > Photos > SkinVault > Full Access

Understanding Photo Permissions

What Each Permission Level Means

None

SkinVault cannot access any photos. The app won't be able to scan for sensitive content.

Limited Access

You choose specific photos SkinVault can see. Useful if you only want to scan certain albums, but you'll need to manually update the selection as new photos are added.

Full Access (Recommended)

SkinVault can scan your entire library to find all sensitive photos. This is the recommended setting for comprehensive privacy protection.

Even with Full Access, your photos never leave your iPhone. All processing uses Apple's Neural Engine on your device.

How SkinVault Protects Your Privacy

100% On-Device Processing

SkinVault uses advanced AI models that run entirely on your iPhone:

What We Don't Have Access To

What We Do Have Access To

Read our full Privacy Policy for complete details on how we handle your data.

Troubleshooting

"SkinVault can't access my photos"

If you're seeing a permission error:

  1. Open Settings > SkinVault > Photos
  2. Make sure "Full Access" is selected
  3. If it's greyed out, try Settings > Privacy & Security > Photos > SkinVault
  4. Restart SkinVault after changing permissions

"Scanning is slow"

On-device AI processing speed depends on your iPhone model:

Tips for faster scanning:

"I denied permission accidentally"

No problem! You can change permissions anytime:

  1. Open the Settings app
  2. Scroll down and tap SkinVault
  3. Tap Photos
  4. Select "Full Access"

Storage & Cache

"Skin Vault is using a lot of storage"

When Skin Vault scans your photo library, iOS creates a temporary cache of the photos it processes. This cache is managed by iOS itself — not by Skin Vault — and is attributed to the app in Settings > iPhone Storage. This is normal behavior for any app that accesses your photo library.

Key facts:

If you need to free space urgently, you can also uninstall and reinstall Skin Vault — your scan history is stored locally and will be rebuilt on the next scan.

"v1.0.2 — local storage fix"

In v1.0.2 we fixed a bug where temporary scan files weren't cleaned up properly after each scan session, causing duplicate files to build up on your device's local storage. This was purely an on-device housekeeping issue — your photos never left your phone. The fix is included in v1.0.2 and later.

Need More Help?

If you couldn't find what you're looking for:

FAQ: support.linked.skin
Email: support@linked.skin
Response Time: Usually within 24 hours