What is a private offline batch photo editor?

An offline batch photo editor does its work on your iPhone or iPad. The photos are resized, compressed or converted by the device itself, so nothing has to be uploaded to a website to get the job done.

I build Batchly, one such editor, so weigh what follows with that in mind.

What on-device processing protects

Online converters are convenient, but every file you drop into one travels to someone else’s server. For client photos, pictures of children, ID scans or unreleased products, that is a real question: who stores them, for how long, and under which law?

With on-device processing that question mostly disappears for the editing step. Batchly resizes, crops, watermarks, compresses and converts between HEIC, JPEG, PNG and TIFF on the device, works offline, and needs no account. It also leaves your originals untouched and writes new files, so a wrong setting never destroys the source.

What it does not protect

Offline editing is not the same as private sharing. Three things still need your attention:

• Metadata. Batchly keeps EXIF and IPTC data, including date, camera and location. That is useful for photographers and risky for a marketplace listing shot at home.
• The next step. Once you send the file by email, chat or upload, that service’s rules apply.
• The device. A lost phone without a passcode exposes the photos, edited or not.

Sharing without your location

In the Photos app, select the images, tap Share, then Options at the top of the sheet, and switch Location off before sending. Check once by sending a test photo to yourself and looking at its details.

Batchly is free for up to 7 photos at a time; Pro adds unlimited batches and saved workflows. The interface is in English only.

Read next: compress photos for email, HEIC to JPG in bulk and what to compare in batch editor apps.