Project SEEN — Android App
Project SEEN is distributed outside the Play Store. Here is exactly how to install it, and why sideloading is the only option.
Before you download
This is an Android app and will not work on iOS. Please read the How It Works and Technical & Ethics pages before downloading. Regardless, the app will walk you through consent on first launch before you begin participation. That said, understanding the project before you install is the better starting point, some context only exists on this website.
Download
⚠ Sideloading warning - read this
Installing apps from outside the Play Store is genuinely risky and I would not normally recommend it. Neither would your own device, which is why it's complicated. Malicious APKs can compromise your device. Before you install anything: verify you are on the correct website, verify the download link goes where you expect, and if something feels off, don't proceed. I am not trying to normalise sideloading as a casual habit; I am asking you to do it once, carefully, for a specific project you understand. If you have doubts, that is the right instinct.
Version [1.0.0] · [file size] · Requires Android [8]+
[Artist to fill — SHA-256 checksum: xxxxxxxx]
Installation
Allow installs from unknown sources
Open Settings → search up "unknown apps" or go through Apps → Special app access → Install unknown apps → select your browser (i.e. Chrome) or Files app, (depends on what you'll use to open the apk, but Files app is safer) → allow. The path varies by Android version and manufacturer, but searching for the "unknown apps" setting should lead you to the place.
Download the APK to your Android device
Tap the download link above directly on your phone. Your browser will save the file and may warn you that this file type can harm your device. That warning exists for good reason, see the hazard notice above. If you have verified you are on the right site and the link matches the one listed here, tap "Download anyway."
Open and install
Open the downloaded file from your notifications or Downloads folder. Tap Install. Android scans the package and prompts you to confirm. From here on out, you can find it among your other apps. Open it there to begin onboarding.
Permissions
You can review all the permissions in the app settings before opening the app, and revoke them at any time, which will pause your participation in the project.
READ_MEDIA_IMAGES / READ_MEDIA_VIDEO / READ_MEDIA_AUDIO - allows the app to read your media library at any time. This is the core permission the project depends on. These are read-only permissions, per Android's own rules, which means the app cannot and will not edit or delete any of your media.
INTERNET — allows the app to transmit files to the server. This is a silent permission, per Android's rules, you implicitly agree to it during onboarding.
The app requests no permissions beyond those listed here.
As a security note/lesson for Android, Android will only grant an app permissions with your consent, so even a dangerous app would have to politely ask for a dangerous permission such as MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE (which grants full storage access to an app, all files indiscriminately, to edit, add, or delete from, potentially including files your device needs to function).
That is to say, SEEN cannot do any of that damage because it only asks for read-only permissions. The two most alarming things it can do is copy your files to a remote server (which as you know, it does) or use the internet permission to download a lot of stuff and take up a lot of storage (but all the storage would be in its own app, and uninstalling it would remove that lol). I just want to make a point that understanding these permissions are useful, Android's permission system is nicely robust.
Now is a good time to mention that if you have a very old Android device, 5+ years maybe, you might be on Android version 12 or earlier, so READ_MEDIA_ permissions might not exist and the app has a back-up to use the only option to read media, MANAGE_EXTERANL_STORAGE. If that's you, use your own discretion if you're willing to take that risk.
Before you uninstall — read this
If you ever want to stop participating, consider using the withdrawal feature inside the app before uninstalling. Because your participation is fully anonymous and the server stores no personal information, the only way to authenticate a server purge request is through the app itself. Uninstalling first means that link is gone. See the Withdrawal page for the full details.
Why not the Play Store
It's unfortunate the app cannot be distributed safely via the Play Store, however Google's policy on media access is extremely restrictive for independent apps. They require an appeal process before asking for broad media access (which it asks for, explained just above) and the appeal process requires proof it's necessary for the function, which flags this project for being unusual; it's not exactly a cloud storage app, and Google doesn't want to back an app that's transmitting files to someone else. No amount of informed consent can override their privacy policy, because technocrats trust themselves to protect you better than yourself.
It's not even possible to sideload on iOS, which is why it's not included in this project at this time. While I'm aware of a way to enable transmission in a similar way within Apple's rules, it'd lack a lot of features and I don't have any iOS devices to test it on, so Android was the most seamless option to launch this project.