# DS photo

> Mobile access and management for Synology NAS photo collections. (iPhone/iPad app by Synology Inc..)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ds-photo/id321493106 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Synology Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/321493109)
- Category: Photo & Video, Utilities
- Price: Free
- Rating: 2.20/5 from 122 App Store ratings · 236 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 10.0 · 55 MB
- Languages: German (Germany), Danish, American English, French (France), Italian, Japanese, Korean, Dutch, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk and 11 more
- Released: 2009-07-25
- Data updated: 2026-08-13
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ds-photo/id321493106/reviews.md

## What is DS photo?

*You must own a Synology NAS to run this app and be running the latest Photo Station 6.6.0 package to get the complete set of features**

DS photo allows you to browse through the photo collection on your Synology NAS server on the go, as well as interact with friends using the comments in real time. Organising your photos is easy: with traditional albums, using tags to create virtual albums or with a simple tap with the timeline mode! Better yet, download albums to the iDevice to view them even when no network connection is available, and use the Photo Backup to effortlessly upload your photos taken with your iDevice onto your own personal cloud.

Find all detailed features about the app on our website:
www.synology.com > NAS > DSM 6.0 > Apps > Mobile Apps > Software Specs
https://www.synology.com/dsm/software_spec/mobile#DSphoto

## Key features

- Browse Synology NAS photo collection
- Organize photos into albums
- Create virtual albums with tags
- Timeline photo view
- Download albums for offline access
- Photo backup to personal cloud

## What do users think of DS photo?

Overall sentiment: negative

**Pros**

- 🚀 Fast photo viewing
- 👍 Useful for backing up photos
- 👍 Ability to access photos remotely

**Cons**

- 🐛 Crashes and login issues
- 🐛 Unreliable photo backup
- 🐛 Slow performance and freezes
- 🐛 Incompatible with newer iOS versions
- 🐛 Conversion of photos to JPEG format
- 🐛 Inability to retry failed uploads

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Crashes on startup
- Login failures
- Issues with geofencing and background uploads
- Problems with uploading large files or videos

**Most requested features**

- Add support for HEIC/HEIF photo format
- Improve background upload capabilities
- Add option to save photos/videos to camera roll
- Enhance album management and sorting options
- Improve slideshow and video playback functionality

## Recent user reviews (10 of 236)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ds-photo/id321493106/reviews.md

### 1/5 — No longer supported

*2026-07-01*

Not sure why this app is still available - it hasn’t been updated in years and no longer functions. I can’t log in, view downloaded photos, or upload new photos. Controls (e.g. the back button) are blocked by newer iOS control overlays. Ds file serves my needs well, but does not have as smooth of a photo integration.

### 1/5 — Why have it if you’re not keeping it working

*2026-03-30, version 4.15.2*

Cannot login to the photo app. Same username and password work fine in the web interface. Seriously, just take the app down if it’s intentionally unusable.

### 1/5 — Delete it

*2025-08-11, version 4.15.2*

It is wasting your time to download it and your memory to install.

### 1/5 — No longer able to sign in

*2024-12-30*

Everything up to date and the app will no longer connect to the server. The other DS apps work fine, but this one refuses to connect. Waste of time.

### 1/5 — Afful and required

*2024-10-20, version 4.15.2*

Can’t access photos through a browser anymore. And can’t log on not the photos app because it says can’t contact the sinilogy disk station. Usesless now

### 4/5 — Bien globalement

*2024-03-30*

Appli très bien
Mieux en tout cas que les nouvelles moutures de synology qui deviennnent payante ou sur abonnement > grotesque 
La mode est de faire un peu comme tout monde ; on te met un abonnement hors de prix à la semaine et dérisoire à l’année
Et en plus qui marche mal
Donc retour au source sur cette appli qui fait complètement le taff
Ne reconnaît cette pas les visages mais ce n’est pas son rôle

### 3/5 — More usable if able to save albums to camera roll

*2024-03-14, version 4.15.2*

Although great at viewing photos and sharing with family members. It would be nice if the app can support saving multiple photos or an album to the camera roll. I’m not sure if it retains metadata of the photos this way, if not it should be kept.

### 1/5 — Very basic

*2023-05-18, version 4.15.2*

Very basic apps from a manufacturer. It doesn’t even support parallel uploads of images over local network.
Can’t add security to server application. It just running bare security.

### 2/5 — Backup feature has issues

*2022-12-15*

Seriously, if you have any images downloaded that happen to be .webp format you’re not going to get any photo backing up done. It will get to one of those and just stop at “preparing” for the rest of eternity until you find the image and manually delete it.

### 1/5 — Unable to login

*2022-12-08, version 4.15.2*

Sitting on the same Wi-Fi the NAS is on and login immediately fails.

## Frequently asked questions about DS photo

### What is DS photo?

DS photo is a mobile application that allows you to access, manage, and organize your photo collection stored on a Synology NAS server. It provides features for browsing, organizing into albums, and backing up your mobile photos to your personal cloud.

### What are the key features of DS photo?

Key features include browsing your Synology NAS photo library, organizing photos into traditional or virtual albums using tags, viewing photos in a timeline mode, downloading albums for offline access, and using the Photo Backup feature to upload photos from your device to your NAS.

### Is DS photo free to use?

Yes, DS photo is a free application. However, it requires you to own a Synology NAS and have the latest Photo Station package installed to access its full range of features.

### What devices is DS photo compatible with?

The app is designed for mobile devices, specifically mentioning 'iDevice' in the description, suggesting compatibility with iOS devices. It requires a Synology NAS running the latest Photo Station 6.6.0 package.

### How can I organize my photos with DS photo?

You can organize your photos using traditional albums, by creating virtual albums with tags, or by utilizing the timeline mode for chronological browsing. This allows for flexible management of your photo collection.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 4.15.2 — 2019-04-16

- Supports user interface in Thai language
- Optimized display on the new iPad Pro and iPhone XR
- Fixed an issue where sharing photos to DS photo from Facebook Messenger might fail
- Fixed an issue where the home indicator wasn’t hidden when users browse photos in full screen
- Fixed an issue where login to DS photo via HTTPS might fail
- Fixed an issue where star ratings might disappear
- Minor bug fixes

### 4.15.1 — 2018-10-04

- Added support for iPhone XS Max UI layout

### 4.15.0 — 2018-05-23

- Updated Synology's terms and conditions for EU data privacy compliance

### 4.14.2 — 2018-04-10

．Fixed an issue where adding geofence in photo backup settings might fail

### 4.14.1 — 2018-02-21

．Fixed an issue where photo backup might be suspended due to incorrect permission denial

## Apps similar to DS photo

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [PhotoSync – transfer photos](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/photosync-transfer-photos/id415850124) | 4.8 (8,196) | Free | Photo & Video |
| [NIKON IMAGE SPACE](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nikon-image-space/id468284680) | 2.8 (242) | Free | Photo & Video |
| [Photos Backup for Synology](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/photos-backup-for-synology/id997253422) | 4.8 (623) | Free | Photo & Video |
| [AiFoto](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aifoto/id1478095834) | 2.5 (26) | Free | Photo & Video |
| [Photo Scanner Pro: Scan Albums](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/photo-scanner-pro-scan-albums/id1096568238) | 4.7 (1,933) | $59.99 | Photo & Video |
| [Photos Backup for QNAP](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/photos-backup-for-qnap/id1182636054) | 4.7 (352) | Free | Photo & Video |

## More apps by Synology Inc.

- [DS audio](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ds-audio/id321495303)
- [DS cam](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ds-cam/id349087111)
- [DS file](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ds-file/id416751772)
- [DS finder](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ds-finder/id429865523)
- [DS video](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ds-video/id540949418)

All apps by Synology Inc.: https://appshunter.io/developer/321493109

## Related topics

[nas photo](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/nas-photo) · [synology nas photo management app](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/synology-nas-photo-management-app) · [synology photos](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/synology-photos) · [synology ds cam](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/synology-ds-cam) · [synology ds finder](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/synology-ds-finder) · [ds file](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/ds-file) · [synology ds file](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/synology-ds-file) · [dsd audio](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/dsd-audio)

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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 2026-08-13.*