Photok

Abstract

1. Introduction

Photok is a secure private photo vault for Android that helps you hide photos and videos using strong AES-256 encryption. It protects sensitive media in an encrypted gallery and keeps your private memories safe on your own device.

Photok is open source, ad-free, and built with a privacy-first philosophy. It is developed by me (Leon) and public volunteers.

Photok is available on Google Play and F-Droid. Aswell as some alternatives.

2. Objective

Private photo vault for Android

This project demonstrates how Kotlin, Android can be applied to a real-world Mobile App Development problem.

3. Key Features / Modules

• Import photos and videos from your gallery
• Organize private media into albums
• Export files anytime
• Create and restore encrypted backups
• Unlock your vault with fingerprint authentication
• Share media directly to the vault
• Option to hide the app icon
• Automatically delete original files after import

4. Technology Stack

5. System Requirements

General requirements for this technology stack — check the README for exact versions.

• Android Studio (latest)
• JDK 17
• Android device or emulator
• Git (to clone the repository)

6. Installation & Setup

git clone https://github.com/leonlatsch/Photok.git
cd Photok

Full setup instructions are in the project README.

7. Future Enhancements

Suggested extensions you can add to make this your own project.

• Add push notifications with Firebase Cloud Messaging
• Add offline support with local caching
• Publish an internal test build on the Play Store

8. Viva / Review Questions

Common questions examiners ask for projects in this domain.

1. Which framework is used and why (native vs cross-platform)?
2. How is app state managed across screens?
3. Where is the data stored — locally, Firebase or a REST backend?
4. How are permissions (camera, location, storage) handled?
5. How would you publish this app to the Play Store / App Store?

9. Source Code & License

This project is developed by leonlatsch and published on GitHub under the Apache License 2.0. Please follow the license terms and credit the original author when you use or modify this code.