Of all of the Android flagships out there within the US, the telephones I lean towards most are Google Pixel smartphones. Positive, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Extremely and OnePlus 13 are wonderful gadgets, however I desire the general Pixel expertise.
I not too long ago acquired the Pixel 10 Professional, and it feels just like the smartphone of my goals.
Google fastened main points I had with previous Pixel gadgets, together with a much-improved Tensor G5 chipset, dependable battery life, a clear and easy software program expertise, and Qi2 magnets on the again that make it simpler to connect to different MagSafe equipment I personal.
This, nevertheless, doesn’t suggest Pixel smartphones are freed from annoyances. I nonetheless want the software program felt a bit sooner, however the largest subject I’ve confronted up to now is with the Google Images app on this system.
The issue with Google Images on Pixel telephones
It is simply not an excellent gallery app
Not like Samsung Galaxy smartphones or gadgets from Xiaomi, Vivo, and Oppo that ship with their very own gallery apps for viewing images and movies, Google Pixels rely solely on the Google Images app.
This is likely one of the largest icks I’ve with Pixel gadgets. Google Images simply is not an amazing offline photograph viewer.
Whereas it really works nicely as a cloud storage and sharing platform, it falls brief while you need to browse the media saved domestically in your cellphone. Opening photographs and movies in Google Images in some way looks like a activity.
The app tries to sync images to the cloud, show reminiscences, counsel edits, and do much more directly, and these options typically get in the best way of merely viewing an image you clicked a minute in the past.
If you happen to turned off Google Images backup, the app consistently reminds you to show it again on. If you happen to allow it, navigating to on-device albums like Screenshots, Digicam, and Downloads nonetheless looks like a tedious three-step course of.
I lastly gave up on the Google Images app on my Pixel and seemed for a third-party possibility that does one factor nicely — letting me view my clicked images offline shortly whereas managing a number of albums simply with a easy UI. I believe I’ve lastly discovered one.
I attempted a number of choices, however settled on this one
Easy Gallery Professional fixes all my points
The app I have been utilizing on my Pixel 10 Professional as a alternative for Google Images is Easy Gallery Professional.
It is a easy, light-weight gallery app that focuses on native media administration as an alternative of nagging about backups or syncing. It really works totally offline and does not require an web connection.
The interface is clear, extremely customizable, and integrates with the Materials You theme on Pixel gadgets. You’ll be able to tweak every thing from the house display screen view format to the column depend, grid dimension, and even the colour of the app UI and app icon.
The app enables you to select between seeing all of your photographs on the house display screen or viewing them in a grid of folders, such as you’d discover on gallery apps from different Android OEMs.
You’ll be able to pin favourite albums, reminiscent of Digicam or Downloads, and a useful search bar on the high helps you shortly discover any photograph.
It additionally has built-in gestures for fast actions, like adjusting brightness with a vertical swipe whereas watching a video.
Plus, the app helps practically all media varieties, and you may view detailed details about recordsdata, together with decision and EXIF information.
Being a paid app, Easy Gallery Professional does not present advertisements or request pointless permissions that might compromise your information. You’ll be able to password-protect your entire app or lock particular hidden objects should you desire.
Positive, it does not have as highly effective an editor as Google Images, which provides options like object eraser and auto-reframe. However if you’d like one thing easy and fast, like cropping or rotating, Easy Gallery handles these duties with ease.
Pixel homeowners nonetheless deserve a correct offline gallery app
Easy Gallery Professional prices about $3 as a one-time buy on the Google Play Retailer.
Whereas I often do not suggest paid apps on Android — since there’s often a free, well-maintained open supply different out there — I have never discovered any gallery app on the Play Retailer that is nearly as good as this one. And I’ve tried a number of gallery apps.
Nonetheless, this does not excuse Google’s failure to offer a strong offline media app for Pixel telephones. Positive, there’s the Gallery Go app, however it’s so barebones that it does not work nicely, particularly on high-end gadgets.
What Pixel customers really want is a correct different, one thing nearer to the Gallery app on Samsung smartphones, as an alternative of being pressured to rely solely on Google Images.