Traces support
Need a hand?
Email hi@nextgensoftware.co and we'll get back to you, usually within two working days. It helps to include your iPhone model, iOS version, and the app version from Settings → Version in the app.
How it works
Traces checks the photos on your iPhone for what they give away: where they were taken, card numbers and passwords in text, ID documents, faces and, if you turn on Sensitive Content Warning, intimate photos. Everything happens on your iPhone; nothing is uploaded, and it works in Airplane Mode.
Tap a category on Home to see its photos, then Fix all or select some. The scan is free, and so are your first three fixes; after that, fixes need a Clean-up or Traces Lifetime.
After the first scan, Traces checks your new photos each time you open it. This week on Home shows the last seven days: how many photos you took, how many need a fix, and what you fixed.
Questions
Does Traces upload my photos?
No. Traces makes no network requests of its own. The checks run on your iPhone with Apple's built-in frameworks, and only what's found is kept, on your iPhone. The privacy policy has the details.
How long does a scan take?
Locations are found in seconds. Text and faces take longer on a big library. You can leave Traces: the scan picks up where it left off, and carries on while your iPhone charges. Tap Notify me when it's done to keep it going after you leave and get a notification when it finishes.
Why couldn't some photos be checked?
Their originals are only in iCloud. Turn on Check iCloud photos in Settings, or tap Check them fully on Home, and iPhone fetches them so Traces can check them. That uses Wi-Fi or mobile data. Or keep them on your iPhone: in iOS Settings, tap Photos, choose Download and Keep Originals, then scan again.
Why does Intimate photos say "Not checked"?
It uses Apple's on-device analysis, which needs Sensitive Content Warning. Turn it on in iOS Settings under Privacy & Security, then scan again.
What does each fix do?
- Remove location removes where the photo was taken. The picture itself is unchanged, and Traces can't undo it.
- Redact text saves a copy with the found text covered, and moves the original to Recently Deleted.
- Blur faces saves a copy with every face blurred, and moves the original to Recently Deleted.
- Move to Locked folder takes the photo out of Photos and keeps it encrypted in Traces.
- Delete moves the photo to Recently Deleted.
iOS asks before anything is deleted. Recently Deleted keeps photos for 30 days, so you can recover an original in the Photos app until then.
What is "Done with these?"
Screenshots of one-time codes and boarding passes are useful for a day and a risk for as long as you keep them. Once a code has expired (a day after the screenshot) or the flight has left, they appear under Done with these? on the This week page. They're all ticked to delete; untick any you want to keep, and Traces won't suggest them again. Deleting them counts as a fix.
How does the Locked folder work?
It opens with Face ID or your passcode. Photos in it are encrypted and stay on this iPhone only: they aren't in iCloud or your backups. Tap a photo to export it back to Photos. If you delete Traces or move to a new iPhone, export your locked photos first, or they're gone.
What is Clean Share?
In the Photos app, share any photo and choose Clean Share. It shows what the photo gives away and, with Lifetime, shares a copy without its faces, text or location. Your original stays exactly as it is.
Clean-up or Lifetime?
Both are paid once; there's no subscription. A Clean-up fixes every photo your scans had found when you bought it, all at once or one by one, whenever you like. Photos found after that are shown, but need another Clean-up or Lifetime. Lifetime fixes everything, for good, checks your new photos automatically and tells you when it finds something, and adds Clean Share.
I bought it, but fixes are locked
For Lifetime, tap Restore purchase in Traces Settings while signed in to the same Apple Account you bought it with. A Clean-up is kept on the iPhone you bought it on, even if you delete and reinstall Traces; Apple doesn't restore this kind of purchase, and it covers that iPhone's photos. Photos found after you bought it aren't covered: Settings shows how many photos it covers.
Can I get a refund?
Refunds are handled by Apple. Request one at reportaproblem.apple.com.
How do I stop Traces asking for Face ID?
Turn off Require Face ID in Traces Settings. The Locked folder always asks.
Can Traces remind me to check new photos?
Yes. Traces offers a weekly note after your first fix, or choose weekly or monthly in Traces Settings. The weekly note comes on Monday evenings; with Lifetime it says how many of the week's photos need a fix.
How do I delete everything?
Tap Delete all app data in Traces Settings. It clears scan results, settings and the Locked folder; your Photos library isn't touched. Export any locked photos you want to keep first.