Gallery review by wander

Community Apps
1

Gallery — Community App Review
Version: 0.4.0

Gallery shows the pictures and videos on the phone, by folder, one at a time, black on white.

The first screen is every folder, newest first. Open one and its pictures sit two, three or four to a row; a swipe moves a screenful and stops. Open a picture and it fills the screen. A tap at either side turns the page, the way an e-reader does. A tap in the middle shows details, share and delete. Two fingers zoom in.

Videos sit in their folders beside the pictures, each marked with its length. Opened, a video shows its first frame and a play button, and plays here, with pause and ten seconds back or on. It smears, as anything moving does on this screen, but it plays.

It also works with the phone’s other apps:

  • A picture opened from a file manager, an email or a message is shown here, inside its own folder, so the pictures either side are a page-turn away.
  • When an app asks for a picture, Gallery is offered.
  • Details can open the picture’s folder in a file manager.

If you run an Immich server, its albums can sit below the phone’s folders and open the same way, and it can back up the camera’s pictures there; give it the server’s https address and an API key in settings.

It asks to read photos and videos, and uses the network only for an Immich server you set.

I have not tried pinch-to-zoom on a Kompakt myself yet, so I would like to hear how it feels in the hand.

Source, and the licence: GitHub - wanderwildwood/garo: Gallery (画廊 garō) — the pictures on the phone, by folder, one at a time. Turns like a page; opens what Files and the camera hand it, and answers when an app asks for a picture. · GitHub — GPL-3.0-only.

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2

Review updated by @wander

  • Description updated

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3

Review for version 0.4.0
User rating: ★★★★★

looks great, whenever I see one of your apps that I know I use I immediately switch to it as, the UI is just what I’m looking for.
I have one feature request, having a “library” album or a tab, that just puts all the pictures in one big pile in chronological order would be very handy.

4

Review for version 0.4.0
Author’s rating: ★★★★★ · Author of this review

Thank you, that’s good to hear.

0.4.1 has it: All pictures sits above the folders, with every picture and video on the phone in one list, newest first (oldest first, if that’s the order chosen in settings). Folders you’ve hidden stay out of it, and if you don’t want it, hold it and tap again to hide it like any folder.

5

Review updated by @wander

  • Version: 0.4.0 → 0.4.1
  • Description updated
  • Checksum: 1e4367d0a62e00f44fac74b6a6ce43d30032557bf035c9a23f829447c5ff41b7 → ee4290c00c1a7bc2bf274d5434669cdbe8ba51dc6de1fb4fd18ede072423f02a

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6

Review for version 0.4.1
User rating: ★★★★★

Again great apps and a big upgrade to the stock one! Is there a way to link your camera app to this gallery instead of muditas?

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7

Review for version 0.4.1
Author’s rating: ★★★★★ · Author of this review

Thank you, glad they’re working for you.

There is now. In Camera 0.1.6, a tap on the last picture (the circle left of the shutter) opens it in this Gallery whenever Gallery is installed, whichever gallery the phone has as its default. Update Camera, through Obtainium or from its review, and that’s all it takes.

8

Review for version 0.4.1
User rating: ★★★★★

maybe thats a dumb question, but how do I choose which gallery app the phone uses as default (same question about the files app, as I would prefer to have yours as the standard one and not the android one)?

9

Review for version 0.4.2
Author’s rating: ★★★★★ · Author of this review

Not a dumb question at all. The Kompakt’s settings have no page for it, so it’s done with the question Android asks when something is opened.

Gallery 0.4.2 makes that easier: Settings → Opens pictures and videos says which app opens them. If Android still asks, tap it, choose Gallery (two rows may both say “Gallery”; this one has the icon with two prints), then Always, and once more for videos. If another gallery was chosen with Always before, the same row opens that app’s “Open by default” page, which Mudita’s settings leave out: tap Clear default preferences there, come back, and choose Gallery.

Files 0.2.10 has the same row at the bottom of its first screen, for folders and downloads. What can’t be changed is the picker other apps open when you attach something; that one is part of Android. Files does sit inside it, though: open its side menu and tap the arrow beside Files to browse in Files instead.

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10

Review updated by @wander

  • Version: 0.4.1 → 0.4.2
  • Description updated
  • Checksum: ee4290c00c1a7bc2bf274d5434669cdbe8ba51dc6de1fb4fd18ede072423f02a → 396c4931106b4c1215e61dfc7d32a9ec35a0f635876797eb4103c65255838082

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11

Review updated by @wander

  • Version: 0.4.2 → 0.4.3
  • Description updated
  • Checksum: 396c4931106b4c1215e61dfc7d32a9ec35a0f635876797eb4103c65255838082 → e36d33b641248692bf3f839f99bbaa3b821293e6703b387f763298a46470ea0b

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12

Review updated by @wander

  • Version: 0.4.3 → 0.5.0
  • Checksum: e36d33b641248692bf3f839f99bbaa3b821293e6703b387f763298a46470ea0b → f6997d0fdd53d3e2f1d4607bf6869567962caa136ab2303e5a0214ef5d753d7b

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13

Review for version 0.5.0
User rating: ★★★★☆

Working great for me! But I want to mention 2 things I wish for:

  1. To be able to access the full gallery app from the camera app. Right now it is connected to the camera app and it opens the most recent picture and I can swipe from there which is great. I just wish I could also somehow access the folders and grid view that I can when I open the gallery app directly. That way I don’t have to have the gallery app in my app layout at all. I wondered if it could be an option next to the “show in files” button or maybe from clicking the “1 of ##” that’s next to the back button.

  2. I wish I could select multiple photos in the gallery app to delete all at once rather than opening each individually to delete.

Thanks for everything you’re doing. These apps are fantastic.

14

Review updated by @wander

  • Version: 0.5.0 → 0.5.1
  • Checksum: f6997d0fdd53d3e2f1d4607bf6869567962caa136ab2303e5a0214ef5d753d7b → 289c6ed088f1d0f70a2b730adfa4c14b23382a0cf71f6bddfb31cec7bba9784f

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15

Review for version 0.5.1
Author’s rating: ★★★★★ · Author of this review

Thank you, camille — both are in 0.5.1.

  • Opened from the camera, tap the “3 of 80” at the top and it goes on into that folder’s pictures; back from there reaches all the folders, and back once more returns to the camera. Back from the picture itself still goes straight to the camera, as before.
  • In a folder, hold a picture to mark it with a bold edge, tap others to mark them too, and “Delete 3” in the top bar removes them all, with one question from the phone. Back lets go of the marks.

Obtainium will pick it up, or it’s at the usual link.

16

Review for version 0.5.1
User rating: ★★★★★

You’re so quick it’s astonishing!! Thank you for listening, it works perfectly.

17

Review updated by @wander

  • Version: 0.5.1 → 0.5.3
  • Checksum: 289c6ed088f1d0f70a2b730adfa4c14b23382a0cf71f6bddfb31cec7bba9784f → 5af06d12b7f3fe2716162adf905a378d84a512d00bf4b3d0801486ad2ebafbf5

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18

Review for version 0.5.3
User rating: ★★★★★

Would you be willing to add the option to set the Ente Photos server in addition to the Immich server?

Thank you!

19

Review for version 0.5.3
Author’s rating: ★★★★★ · Author of this review

Thanks for the suggestion. I looked at what it would take, and I am not going to add Ente for now.

Immich hands the app finished pictures over a plain API with a key. Ente is end-to-end encrypted, so the phone itself would have to do the cryptography: derive keys from your password, unlock your master key, then each collection and each file, and decrypt every thumbnail and original. That means a login with its own key exchange and two-factor handling, a native crypto library in the app, and code I would have to keep in step whenever Ente changes its protocol. That is a lot of security-sensitive code for me to maintain, and a small mistake there is worse than a missing feature.

Ente’s own app already does this well, and I would rather you used it than a half-finished version of mine. If you also run Immich, Gallery will show that.

If Ente publishes an official library for this, or enough people ask, I will look again.

20

Review for version 0.5.3
User rating: ★★★★★

Thank you. I understand completely!

I like Immich but may not be ready to purchase it yet. Do you know if there’s a free, more limited way to sign up and try it? I haven’t seen that on their website.