Safely Sharing Images with the Imagepipe App (Android)

Introduction

Every time you take a photo with your phone, the phone may save additional data in the image file. This can include the date and time, camera settings, your phone model, and, if location services are enabled, GPS coordinates.

This means that if you send a selfie to a stranger online, they may be able to determine where you are within seconds by reading the metadatavstored in the image.

Using Imagepipe

These instructions show you how to install Imagepipe. Imagepipe is a simple Android app. It reduces image size and removes additional metadata, also known as EXIF tags. Imagepipe is available from the F-Droid store. It’s rather like the Google Play Store. The F-Droid Store features many apps developed by its own community (people who do this in their free time).

Installation and Setup

1) Open the Imagepipe page in your phone’s browser: https://f-droid.org/en/packages/de.kaffeemitkoffein.imagepipe/ 2) Scroll down to the gray box containing the version information. 3) Tap “Download APK.” 4) Save the file to your Downloads folder and confirm the download. 5) If your phone displays a security warning, confirm that you want to download the file. By the way: Imagepipe was programmed by kaffeemitkoffein, and a *.apk is an Android installation file. 6) You will now see a security warning from your browser (in most cases Chrome; here it is the Vanadium browser). The security message reads: “For security reasons, you cannot currently install unknown apps from this source on your smartphone. You can change this in the settings.” Open Settings. 7) On the Install unknown apps page, enable “Trust this source.” 8) You will now be asked if you wish to install Imagepipe. Click on Install. 9) After installation, tap “DONE.” 10) Turn “Trust this source” off again. 11) Imagepipe will now appear as a small icon on your home screen. Click on the Imagepipe icon. 12) The app opens. Click OK in the blue help dialogue box. 13) Before sharing an image, send it to Imagepipe first. You can adjust the image size here. A smaller image means it will be sent more quickly. Just don’t make it too small, otherwise you won’t be able to make out anything in the small image. 800 pixels is usually a good choice. That’s 800 pixels, i.e. picture elements. That’s usually more than enough. Edit the value if you feel like it. The default setting is usually 1024. You can use a slider on the left to adjust the image quality. The lower the quality, the less storage space the image takes up and the faster it can be transferred. You can also turn the quality all the way up to the right. 14) Write 800 next to the size. 15) Tap the plus (+) button. 16) If you have more than one gallery app, choose the one you want to use. 17) Select a photo from your gallery. 18) At the top is a menu bar with buttons. Click on the button on the far left. This allows you to crop an image. You can carry out this extra step if you wish. Press the screen with your thumb and index finger and move them apart to select the desired area. 19) You have now selected a section of the image. 20) You are now ready to share the image. Tap the share icon in the top-right corner (three connected dots). The first time you do this, Imagepipe may ask for access to your photos, videos, music, and audio files. Tap ALLOW. 21) Select the app you want to use to share the image.

Summary

You have installed Imagepipe from the F-Droid store. You have set up Imagepipe and now know how to use it.

In short: Once Imagepipe is set up, you can use it whenever you want to share a photo. Send the photo to Imagepipe first, the app automatically reduces its size and removes the hidden metadata (EXIF tags) before opening the sharing options again.

Enjoy sharing your images more safely.