Share your photos easily

How is my privacy protected?

Each shared album is secured using state of the art XSalsa20 stream cipher, ensuring that only the devices involved can access the content. This end-to-end encryption safeguards your photos, group member details, and metadata.

Can I control who has access to my shared albums?

Yes, you can review and manage album members in the album settings panel. Only people with the invitation link can access your shared albums.

What happens if someone else gets access to my album link?

If an album link is compromised, that person will get access to your album's content and can add other members.

you can change the album’s secret in the album settings panel to secure it again.

What information does the Pycter team have access to?

The only information transmitted through our servers is related to 'communication setup' messages. Here is an exhaustive list of the decryptable information we have access to

• Device's contact information (IP addresses, last online time).
• Which devices are communicating with each other.

We do not have any information about the ownership of devices.

What steps should I take to secure my shared albums?

1. Share album links through QR codes instead of untrusted platforms that may compromise privacy.
2. Periodically rotate album secrets for added security.
3. Regularly review album members to ensure all users are intended participants.

How does Pycter ensure the photos retain their original quality?

Pycter never applies lossy compression to your photos. A checksum mechanism ensures every shared photo is identical, bit for bit, to the original.

Can I use Pycter without an internet connection?

Absolutely! You can add photos to an album while offline. They will automatically synchronise with your peers as soon as both devices reconnect to the internet.

Is there a limit to the number of photos I can share or store?

Pycter imposes no limits on the number of photos you can share. However, photos are stored on your device, so you may run out of storage space.

What happens if my device runs out of storage space?

Synchronisation will halt.

To manage this, you can configure a 'retention policy' to automatically remove photos based on specific criteria, such as time elapsed since synchronization, successful backup to another device, or other settings.

Where are the photos downloaded ?

By default, downloaded photos are saved in your device’s photo folder under: [user photo folder]/pycter_downloads/[album name]/[year]/[month]/

Can I change where my photos are downloaded?

Yes! Each album has a configurable download policy that allows you to specify if and where files are downloaded.

Can I share videos too?

Not yet, but this feature is planned for the next version. Stay tuned!

Is there a way to recover shared albums if I lose my device?

Simply ask your peers to resend the shared album links, and your photos will be re-downloaded from their device.

Does Pycter offer cloud storage for backups?

Not yet. For long-term photo storage, Pycter will offer cloud backup plans starting at €50 per terabyte per year.

What does "Pycter" stand for?

It stands for "picture transfer." The "y" represents the "y" in cryptography, emphasizing security.

How does Pycter work?

Pycter is a peer-to-peer application where devices communicate directly to exchange files. A central server functions like a directory, enabling devices to discover and share their IP addresses.

Is Pycter based on the torrent protocol?

While Pycter is a peer-to-peer system, it does not use the torrent protocol. Instead, it employs a dedicated protocol optimized for photo album sharing, with two major differences.

Firstly, this protocol requires authentication to download your files, ensuring that your memories remain private.

Secondly, this protocol allows you to receive files you didn't explicitly request.