Everyday use
What happens when the family computer is off?
Nothing is lost. New photos wait on each phone and go across the next time the phone can reach the computer. With the planned Cloud tier, photos will arrive in the cloud while the computer is off, and the computer collects them later.
Does it back up in the background on iPhone?
The iPhone app is not released yet. It is planned to back up when iOS gives the app time, and every time you open PhotoAlbumsMesh. Apple limits background work, so iPhones will back up less often than Android phones, and the app will tell you so. Opening the app for a moment will start a backup right away.
Does it ever delete photos from our phones?
No. PhotoAlbumsMesh never deletes anything from a phone. Deleting a photo on a phone also does not delete it from the computer.
What does the junk filter leave out, and can I get those photos back?
It leaves out screenshots, receipts and documents, price tags and shop shelves, several photos of a parked car, and near copies taken within seconds, where it keeps the sharpest. Nothing is deleted: left-out photos stay on the phone on a review screen. Keep any of them with one tap, or switch a category off.
Family and devices
Can one family mix Android phones and iPhones?
Yes, that is the plan, and it will be the normal case. Every phone backs up to the same family computer, into a folder with its owner's name. Today only the Windows computer app is released; the Android app is in the Google Play closed test and the iPhone app is in Apple's review.
Does it work on Linux?
Not yet. The computer app is released for Windows only (Microsoft Store). The Mac and Linux apps are coming, with the same features. Planned minimums: Windows 10 (22H2) or 11, macOS 12, Ubuntu 22.04 or current Fedora, Android 9 and iOS 16.
Can we have more than one computer?
Yes, with Sync Anywhere. A second computer can hold another full copy, be a mirror at another house, or be a laptop that shows everything but keeps only small previews. A USB drive as a mirror copy is free.
What if the computer breaks or is stolen?
When you set up PhotoAlbumsMesh, you save a recovery key. With it, the family can be restored on a new computer. For the photos themselves, keep a second copy: a USB backup drive (free), a second computer at another house (Sync Anywhere), or later the Cloud tier.
What if the disk fills up?
PhotoAlbumsMesh is built to keep some space free on the disk. When space runs low it stops, explains what is happening in plain words, and offers a fix.
Privacy
Is anything sent to you?
In the version out today, no photos and nothing about you: the apps send nothing to us. Planned for a later version: away from home, our service may introduce a phone to your computer so they can connect directly; for that it would see the two devices' public keys and internet addresses, for a moment. With Sync Anywhere, also planned, our relay would pass on sealed data it cannot open. It would see which of your family's devices connect and when, never the photos or their names. The app sends no usage statistics and no crash reports.
Do I need an account?
No. Your family is known by its own devices, and a phone joins by scanning a code on your computer. Only the planned Cloud tier adds sign-in with Google, Apple or email, because the web needs a way in.
Plans and payment
What happens if we stop paying?
Every photo stays on your computer, and backup over a direct connection keeps working for free, at home or away. Backup through our relay stops. A second computer keeps everything it already has and receives nothing new.
Does one subscription really cover the whole family?
Yes. Whoever pays, and whether they pay on an iPhone, an Android phone or on our website, every phone and computer in the family gets the paid features. Sync Anywhere is $2.99 a month or $24.99 a year.
Is there a limit on how much we can send through the relay?
A fair-use limit may be set later, so that one family cannot slow the relay for others. We will say it here before it starts. Photos sent over a direct connection never count, because they do not use our relay.
Photos
Are videos, RAW and HEIC photos kept?
Yes. Videos are backed up, RAW photos stay RAW and iPhone HEIC photos stay HEIC, as the original files. From Live Photos and Motion Photos, the first version keeps the still photo.
Can I bring in old photos, or a Google Takeout download?
Not in the first version. Importing existing folders and downloads from other services is planned.
About the app
When can we use it?
The PhotoAlbumsMesh computer app for Windows is in the Microsoft Store now. The Android app is in the Google Play closed test, the iPhone app is in Apple's review, and the Mac and Linux apps are being built. None of them is released yet. Join early access and we will email you when they are ready to try.