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PicSee uses on-device facial recognition to detect and auto-send photos of your friends—without relying on WhatsApp, Instagram, or cloud storage.
From Koo to PicSee: A New Take on Photo Sharing
Mayank Bidawatka, co-founder of now-defunct Indian social network Koo, is back with a new product: PicSee, a mobile app that aims to redefine personal photo sharing.
- Released on iOS and Android, PicSee helps users automatically identify and share photos of friends in their camera rolls.
- Unlike traditional messaging apps, PicSee bypasses manual sharing by detecting faces and prompting users to send relevant images—or automatically sending them after 24 hours.
“Your friends have hundreds of photos of you they never shared,” Bidawatka told TechCrunch. “I wanted to solve that friction.”
How PicSee Works: Share Without the Hustle
PicSee’s core idea is simple:
If you and your friends are both on the app, you’ll automatically exchange photos of each other.
- Users send a connection request; once accepted, they can begin sharing.
- The app scans your gallery, detects familiar faces, and suggests photos to send.
- If you don’t take action, the app sends the photos after 24 hours.
- You can review, recall, or reject photos at any time.
Photos remain stored locally on your device, with no cloud storage involved unless you choose to save them elsewhere.
Privacy at the Core: On-Device Processing and Encryption
Given the deeply personal nature of photos, PicSee includes multiple privacy safeguards:
- Facial recognition happens entirely on-device.
- Photos are shared via end-to-end encrypted connections.
- Users can recall sent photos, which deletes them from the recipient’s PicSee.
- NSFW filters are built-in, and screenshotting is blocked within the app.
This architecture ensures control stays with users, addressing common concerns around cloud-based photo platforms.
The Engagement Challenge: Who Really Wants Auto-Sharing?
While innovative, PicSee faces a tough behavioral hurdle: convincing users to change deeply entrenched habits.
- Most people already share photos with close friends via WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat, or iMessage.
- PicSee’s model makes most sense for tight-knit groups—family, partners, and best friends—not wider social circles.
- This raises the question: will users adopt a dedicated app for just a few relationships?
Additionally, while PicSee handles photos of friends already on your phone, it doesn’t yet solve event-based photo sharing, like when a friend asks for concert or wedding photos.
What’s Coming Next: Social Features and Smart Albums
PicSee is already planning several updates to enhance usability:
- A commenting feature lets users react under shared photos.
- Future releases will include:
- Smart album creation
- Duplicate photo removal
- Suggested albums
- Integration with iCloud and Google Photos
- Face detection in videos
These additions aim to turn PicSee into a more full-featured, smart gallery app that supports both auto-sharing and curated organization.
Backed by Major Investors
Billion Hearts, the company behind PicSee, raised $4 million in funding last year.
- Blume Ventures led the round, with participation from General Catalyst and Athera Ventures.
- The funding is expected to fuel product development and global expansion, particularly targeting users who crave private, seamless sharing outside social media.
