Family photos with Immich

Immich is our own private version of Google Photos — the family photo library, running on the home server instead of a big tech company’s cloud. You can browse everyone’s shared photos, search them, and (if you want) automatically back up your own phone’s pictures to it.

Coming soon

Immich is still being set up. Once it’s live, the address and sign-in details go right here:

• Web address: [ Stephen will add the link ]
• Your login: [ Stephen will set you up and share it ]

Get the app (or use a browser)

• iPhone / iPad: App Store, search Immich.
• Android: Google Play, search Immich.
• Computer: open the web address above in any browser — nothing to install.

Sign in (once)

1. Open the app and, when it asks for the Server URL, type the web address above.
2. Enter the login Stephen gave you.
3. After that it stays signed in.

Browse the photos

• Timeline shows photos by date.
• Search finds them by people, places, or things (“beach,” “dog,” a name).
• Albums are the organized sets — look here for shared family albums.

Back up your own photos (optional)

The app can automatically copy your phone’s photos to the server so they’re safe and shared:

1. In the app, open Settings → Backup.
2. Turn on backup and pick which albums to include.
3. Leave it on Wi-Fi and it uploads in the background.

Note

Backup is optional. If you only want to look at the family library, skip it. Turning it on means your phone’s photos get copied to the home server.

Download a photo

Open any photo, tap the Share / download icon, and save it to your phone.

When it’s not working

1. Check the web address is typed exactly (it only works once Stephen says it’s live).
2. Signed out? Open the app and sign in again with your login.
3. On Wi-Fi or signal? It needs internet to reach the server.
4. Still stuck? Text Stephen.