# 3D Photo Ring: Album Browser — Color, Similarity, AR View

> 3D photo browser with AR, color sorting, and automatic presentation. (iPhone/iPad app by Klaus Schöffmann.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/3d-photo-ring-album-browser/id475241191 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Klaus Schöffmann](https://appshunter.io/developer/475241194)
- Category: Photo & Video, Productivity
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.50/5 from 152 App Store ratings · 98 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 16.0 · 6 MB
- Languages: American English, Dutch, French (France), German (Germany), Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian Bokmål, European Portuguese, Russian and 4 more
- Released: 2011-11-04
- Data updated: 2026-08-27
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/3d-photo-ring-album-browser/id475241191/reviews.md

## What is 3D Photo Ring?

This app is a unique photo browser for iPhone and iPad with color sorting and a powerful 3D interface, now even including a cool Augmented Reality (AR) view and a great automatic presentation mode ("auto-rotation" with vertical switching)! 

The 3D interface looks gorgeous and allows easy navigation through your photos: it can be rotated horizontally, and you can use vertical swipe gestures to browse through your albums and collections (which can be individually selected). 

◆ swipe left/right to rotate.
◆ swipe up/down to navigate.
◆ 1x tap: open photo.
◆ 2x tap: switch to front or back of ring.
◆ 3x tap: switch between grouped/continuous mode.
◆ Pinch to zoom! In AR mode use pinch to increase/decrease radius of ring. 
◆ Tap in black area to show/hide navigation bar.

It has been shown in scientific studies that this outstanding interface allows you to find desired pictures significantly faster than the default 2D grid photo browser. It can show many more photos at a glance and uses an intuitive swipe-to-rotate interaction (or vertical wipe to switch to different parts in the collection). 

The color sorting allows you to get a better overview of your collection and to easily find a desired picture by its color. Moreover, it also allows you to find duplicate pictures and to delete one of them. You can share photos, email them, or open them in an external app.
 
The app is also an excellent way to present photos, since it has a auto-rotate feature that constantly rotates the ring and automatically navigates through your collection (also in AR view)!
Additionally, you can select the albums that should be shown in the 3D ring interface.

## Key features

- 3D photo interface
- Augmented Reality (AR) view
- Color sorting
- Automatic presentation mode
- Album selection
- Duplicate photo detection

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| All Premium Features | $12.99 | one-time |
| Similarity Sorting of Photos | $1.99 | one-time |
| The AR Experience! | $2.99 | one-time |
| Unlimited Photos (>500) | $4.99 | one-time |
| Auto-Rotate Presentation | $1.99 | one-time |
| Far Side of the Ring! | $1.99 | one-time |
| Color Sorting of Photos | $4.99 | one-time |


## What do users think of 3D Photo Ring?

Overall sentiment: mixed

**Pros**

- 💡 Innovative photo viewing concept
- 👍 Easy to use and navigate
- ✨ Visually appealing interface
- 🚀 Fast photo finding
- 🔄 Frequent updates and improvements
- 🌟 Good for managing large photo collections
- 🌈 Color sorting feature is helpful
- 💡 Useful for duplicate photo identification
- 👍 Responsive developer
- ✨ Unique and original idea

**Cons**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes
- 🐛 App not opening
- 🐛 Freezes on launch
- 🐛 "Analyzing photos" stuck
- 🐛 "Too less memory" error
- 🐛 Poor quality on iPad Pro
- 🐛 Slow performance
- 🐛 Photos distorted in ring
- 🐛 Default ring view not saved
- 🐛 Full image scrolling jerky
- 🐛 Small icon images are square and truncate
- 🐛 Limited capacity for photos
- 🐛 Does not work with large albums
- 🐛 Re-reads all images on startup
- 🐛 Black screen issues
- 🐛 Not suitable for large photo collections
- 🐛 Photos squashed when viewed individually

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Color sorting feature doesn't work
- App won't leave selection screen
- Purchased features not included
- App crashes after opening
- App does not open
- App freezes on launch
- "Analyzing photos" message never completes
- "Too less memory" error with large photo collections
- Poor quality on iPad Pro
- Slow and frustrating performance
- Does not support GIF playing
- Cannot select multiple photos
- Photos distorted in the ring
- Settings cannot fix distortion
- Double tapping image does not open it
- Ring doesn't match sales pitch visuals
- Default ring view not saved
- Full image scrolling is jerky
- Small icon images are square and truncate photos
- Limited photo capacity (e.g., 648 images)
- App crashes when trying to open large albums
- App re-reads all images on startup
- Black screen issues on iOS 7
- App crashes immediately when selecting 1 album
- Goes to black screen when adding photo roll
- Squashes photos when viewing individual pics
- Cannot access full resolution
- Cannot process large numbers of pictures
- Cannot delete duplicates from the app
- Purchased color sorting feature used to be included

**Most requested features**

- Add video sharing
- Add AR functionality
- Add speed adjustment for ring rotation
- Add auto-up/down rotation
- Add iPad or MAC version
- Ability to delete photos
- Ability to delete duplicate photos
- Support GIF playing
- Select multiple photos
- Order photos in real life
- Add music from library to photos
- Ability to edit while using interface
- Select multiple photos and delete/email them
- More 'sorts' for rings
- Show full circle display with minimum 36 images
- Support full, uncropped photo display for portrait images
- Ability to display 1 or 2 photo rows
- Add dark mode option
- Improve photo import from Google Photos
- Allow import from Amazon Photos
- Remember user preferences after each launch

## Recent user reviews (10 of 98)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/3d-photo-ring-album-browser/id475241191/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Share Vidéo

*2022-07-16*

Si seulement pouvait avoir de partage des vidéos

### 5/5 — Photo ring

*2022-07-16*

Thanx for this great choice. It’s so much easier than searching all albums much appreciated

### 5/5 — Great!

*2022-07-01*

Great way to find your photos

### 1/5 — Doesn’t work

*2021-10-15*

How is this getting any positive feedback, doesn’t work

**Developer response:** How is it not working for you? Did you not allow the app to access your photos?

### 1/5 — Doesn’t work

*2021-10-08*

I bought the color sorting feature and it doesn’t work. Requesting a refund

**Developer response:** What exactly does not work with it?

### 3/5 — Photo ring

*2020-12-29*

This is a great photo app
It has a very nice set up

### 4/5 — No longer works

*2020-09-20*

This app that I paid for (at least for some extra features) won’t leave the selection screen, but always just bounces right back. It is now completely unusable. Is it a problem with iOS 14? Please fix!

UPDATE: After deleting and reloading the app, it seems to work now. But I’m disappointed to have to purchase the “Color Sort” feature, when it used to be included.

### 4/5 — How do I do

*2020-08-19*

How do I do AR???????

### 5/5 — More than eye-candy!

*2020-07-04*

While it’s gorgeous to look at and fun to play with, this app is also a very effective way to scroll through tons of photos! Very responsive developer who keeps on improving features and functionality. I recommend taking the discount and getting all the cool features; I’m glad I did.

**Developer response:** Thanks a lot for the great feedback!

### 5/5 — Great to see many updates!

*2020-06-26*

Five stars as it’s a super app with lots of potential for more features. It should be a stock app for iPhone. Could you please add auto-up/down so that the rings autorotate but also move all the way up to the top of the stack and then down, while rotating? I definitely pay for extra features, and I just did for see-through!

**Developer response:** Thanks a lot for the great suggestions and the good feedback! Yes, it should be possible to integrate such a feature - please stay tuned!

## Frequently asked questions about 3D Photo Ring

### What does the 3D Photo Ring app do?

This app provides a unique way to browse your photo collection using a 3D interface and Augmented Reality (AR). It allows for intuitive navigation, color sorting to find pictures by hue, and an automatic presentation mode for slideshows.

### What are the key features of this photo browser?

Key features include a visually appealing 3D interface for easy navigation, an AR view to place your photo ring in the real world, color sorting for quick picture discovery, and an auto-rotation mode for automatic presentations. You can also select specific albums to display.

### Is this app free to use?

The app is free to download and use, but it offers in-app purchases. These purchases likely unlock additional features or customization options beyond the core functionality.

### What devices is this app compatible with?

The app is designed for iPhone and iPad devices, leveraging their capabilities for its 3D interface and AR features. Specific iOS version compatibility may vary.

### How does the color sorting feature help me find photos?

The color sorting feature arranges your photos based on their dominant colors, providing a visual overview of your collection. This makes it easier to locate specific pictures by their color, especially when you remember the general hue of a photo but not its exact name or date.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 15.20 — 2026-08-04

Bugfixes

### 15.10 — 2026-07-18

Our biggest update in years!

NEW: Similarity View – your photos arranged by visual similarity, so related shots appear right next to each other. All analysis happens privately on your device.
NEW: Smart Search – type what you're looking for ("dog on the beach") and instantly filter your entire library. Fully on-device, nothing leaves your phone.
NEW: 2D Grid View – prefer a classic layout? Switch between the 3D ring and a flat photo grid anytime.
NEW: Swipe down to close a photo – just like you're used to.
IMPROVED: The view button now cycles through Time, Color, and Similarity sorting.
IMPROVED: Color sorting now flows in smooth dark-to-light gradients.
FASTER: Your library is indexed quietly in the background, so searching and switching views is instant.

Plus many bug fixes and performance improvements. The app now requires iOS 16.

Enjoying 3D Photo Ring? A rating helps us a lot – thank you!

### 15.00 — 2026-07-08

* Improved thumbnail sharpness.
* Added a new "similarity-sort" view.
* Improved inspection-view, which can also be closed now by a down-swipe.
* Improved performance.

### 14.70 — 2020-07-03

Pinch-to-Zoom further optimized.
Ring Auto-Rotate (Presentation Mode) now also supports automatic ring navigation (change in settings).
Home indicator will be hidden if there is no interaction.
"Restore in-app purchases" fixed.
"Show Photo in Time View" / "Show Photo in Color View" feature fixed.

### 14.60 — 2020-06-28

Pinch-to-Zoom as new default (can be set in Ring-Settings).
In Augmented Reality (AR) the radius of the ring can be changed from 10cm to 3m (by using pinch).

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## More apps by Klaus Schöffmann

- [Quick Fav Dial - Smart Dialer](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/quick-fav-dial-smart-dialer/id525474193)
- [Speed Dial XL: Big Photo Call](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/speed-dial-xl-big-photo-call/id733552154)
- [Money Forecast: CashFlow](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/money-forecast-cashflow/id1030505828)
- [Photo Retriever - AI Search](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/photo-retriever-ai-search/id1438616981)
- [U-Hear: Live Subtitles](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/u-hear-live-subtitles/id6790933874)

All apps by Klaus Schöffmann: https://appshunter.io/developer/475241194

## Related topics

[photo albums 3d](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/photo-albums-3d) · [rgb photo](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/rgb-photo)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-27.*