PicStudio Privacy Policy

1. Who Operates PicStudio

PicStudio is operated by Mars. In this policy, "we," "us," and "our" mean the operator of PicStudio. Privacy questions and data requests can be sent to support@zstarai.com.

2. Scope

This policy applies to the PicStudio iOS app, pages on this website that link to it, and related support channels. It describes how we handle information when you browse templates, upload photos, run AI edits, manage subscriptions, or contact us.

3. Information We Process

• Photos and edit inputs. Images you import or capture, together with prompts, template choices, aspect-ratio settings, and other options you submit for a generation.
• Generated results. Output images and related task metadata such as status, timestamps, template identifiers, and error details when a task fails.
• Generation history. Records that let you reopen past results in the History tab. History is stored on your device and, when you are connected, mirrored to your PicStudio account on our servers so it can sync across sessions on the same installation.
• Account and session data. PicStudio does not show a traditional sign-in screen. On first launch we create a device-linked account for the app and store its credentials in the iOS Keychain. That account identifier ties together your credits, history, and subscription state. It is not your name, email address, or phone number.
• Subscription and credits. Your plan status, remaining free generations or Pro entitlement, credit usage, and App Store transaction identifiers we need to verify purchases, restore them, and prevent duplicate grants.
• Support messages. If you email us, we process your address, message content, and any attachments you include.
• Service operation data. Basic request logs, app version, and iOS version information needed to operate, secure, and troubleshoot the service.
• Product interaction events. When enabled in a given build, PicStudio may record in-app interaction events — such as which screen you opened or which settings action you selected — to understand product usage. Release builds may keep this reporting disabled.
• Advertising identifier, if you allow it. On supported iOS versions, PicStudio may ask for App Tracking Transparency permission. If you grant it, we may read the device advertising identifier (IDFA) to measure advertising performance. If you deny permission, we do not access the IDFA for that purpose.

4. What We Do Not Do

• We do not use Face ID, TrueDepth, or similar Apple biometric APIs to identify you or build a separate faceprint outside the photo you uploaded.
• We do not sell your photos, prompts, or personal information to data brokers.
• We do not use your uploaded content to train PicStudio's own models.
• PicStudio is not an ad-supported app. We do not show third-party ads inside the editor.

5. How We Use Information

We use the information above to run template-based and prompt-based AI edits, keep your history and credits accurate, deliver and restore subscriptions, respond to support requests, measure product performance where permitted, protect the service from abuse, and meet legal obligations. We use providers only as needed to deliver the feature you requested.

6. AI Processing

When you start an edit, PicStudio sends the inputs required for that task — typically the photo, prompt, template selection, and generation settings — from our backend to one or more third-party AI image services. The third-party services we use or may use include Google (Gemini image models) and OpenAI (GPT Image and compatible image generation or editing APIs), plus other commercial image APIs we integrate from time to time when needed to complete a request. The provider returns the edited or generated image. Providers receive data only to perform the specific task you requested and process it under their own terms in addition to the restrictions described here.

Upload only photos and prompts you have the rights and permissions to use. Do not submit content that violates our Terms of Use.

7. Face Information in Photos You Upload

Some PicStudio templates — including portrait retouching, background replacement, and stylized face effects — work with photos that contain a human face. This section explains how we handle that information.

No background face scanning. PicStudio does not scan your photo library or camera roll for faces. We only receive face information when it appears inside a specific image you choose to upload or capture for an edit.

No separate biometric profile. We do not create a standalone faceprint, facial-recognition template, or identity record from your face. Facial features are processed only as pixels within the photo file you submitted for that edit.

Purpose. Face information in an uploaded photo is used solely to complete the edit you asked for — for example, smoothing skin in a portrait template, replacing the background behind a person, or applying a creative face effect.

Sharing for processing. When a task requires external AI processing, the uploaded photo — including any visible facial features — and the related prompt or template instructions are transmitted from our backend to the provider selected for that task (such as Google Gemini or OpenAI GPT Image APIs) so the requested output can be produced. We do not sell facial data and do not share face information with advertising, measurement, or data-broker services.

Storage. Photos and results that contain faces are stored on Amazon Web Services (AWS) in the United States (us-west-2), under our control, for the retention periods described in section 9.

Deletion. You can remove face information stored with your account by deleting individual History items, using Settings → Clear History, clearing local cache, or emailing support@zstarai.com to request broader account-linked deletion. See section 8 for details. Deleting data does not cancel an Apple subscription.

8. Your History, Cache, and Deletion Choices

PicStudio gives you several ways to remove stored content. These options address different layers of data; using one does not always remove everything in another layer.

8.1 Generation history

• Delete one item. In the History tab, you can remove an individual generation. When online, this deletes the corresponding history record from our servers and removes the local copy on your device.
• Clear all history. In Settings, Clear History permanently removes every generation history entry on the device and sends delete requests for those records on our servers. Thumbnails and cached copies tied to those entries are removed locally.

8.2 Local cache

Settings also offers Clear Cache. This removes temporary files PicStudio stored on your device — such as downloaded previews that can be fetched again — but does not delete your history list or subscription status.

8.3 Account-linked server data

Clearing history removes the history records we store for your PicStudio account. It does not automatically erase every server-side artifact from past tasks — for example, short-lived upload objects, completed task logs, or purchase-verification records may remain for the periods in section 9 or until a broader deletion request is completed.

8.4 Email requests

You can email support@zstarai.com to ask us to delete additional account-linked data, to ask what we still hold, or to raise a privacy question. Because PicStudio uses a device-linked account rather than an email sign-in, we may need details from the app — such as approximate dates of use or a support screenshot — to locate the correct account if you reinstall the app or change devices. Deleting data does not cancel an active subscription; manage billing in your Apple ID settings.

9. Retention

We keep information only as long as needed for the purposes described in this policy. Face information in photos follows the same retention rules as the uploaded photo and generated result files described below and in section 7. Typical periods include:

• History records — kept while they remain in your History until you delete them individually, use Settings → Clear History, or ask us to remove them.
• Uploaded source photos and generated outputs — kept on AWS in the United States while they remain linked to an active History entry or are needed to complete, retry, or display a task. After you delete the related History entry or request deletion, we remove or stop serving the associated server-side files within a limited operational window, except where we must keep minimal records for security, abuse prevention, subscription verification, or legal compliance.
• Local cache files — kept on your device until you use Settings → Clear Cache or remove the app.
• Subscription and purchase records — kept as long as needed to verify entitlements, process refunds, prevent duplicate grants, and meet tax or accounting requirements, even after you delete history.
• Support correspondence — kept for a reasonable period to resolve your request and maintain an audit trail.

We may retain minimal request logs or anonymized aggregates for security, abuse prevention, and legal compliance after primary content is deleted.

10. Service Providers

We rely on service providers that process information on our instructions, including:

• Apple — App Store purchases, subscription billing, and transaction verification.
• RevenueCat — subscription state management for the app.
• Amazon Web Services — object storage and content delivery for uploaded photos and generated results in the United States (us-west-2).
• Google — Gemini image models that receive the photo, prompt, and generation settings for a task and return the edited or generated image.
• OpenAI — GPT Image and compatible image generation or editing APIs that receive the photo, prompt, and generation settings for a task and return the edited or generated image.
• Other image generation APIs — additional commercial providers we integrate from time to time that receive task data and return the edited or generated image when needed to complete your request.

We may disclose information when required by law or when necessary to protect users, rights, and the integrity of the service.

11. Permissions and Tracking

PicStudio requests iOS permissions when you use related features — for example, camera access when you take a photo, photo-library access when you pick an image, and save access when you export a result. You can review or change these permissions in iOS Settings.

Where supported, PicStudio may also display Apple's App Tracking Transparency prompt. Your choice controls whether we may use the advertising identifier for measurement purposes as described in section 3.

12. Security

We apply administrative, technical, and organizational measures designed to protect information. No method of transmission or electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

13. Children

PicStudio is not directed to children under 13, or under the minimum digital-consent age in your jurisdiction if higher. If you believe a child provided personal information to us, contact us and we will review the request and take appropriate steps.

14. International Users

We and our providers may process information in countries other than where you live, including the United States. Those locations may have data-protection laws that differ from yours.

15. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The revised version will be posted on this page with an updated "Last updated" date.

16. Contact

Questions about this Privacy Policy or requests relating to your data can be sent to support@zstarai.com.