topic Re: Sony photo album widget in XA Series

Sony photo album widget

Rty50n — Tue, 09 May 2017 04:35:36 GMT

I have just changed from a M4 Aqua to a XA1 and found that the Sony photo album widget isn't available and I can't add a shortcut either? Is this an error with the Nougat operating system or have Sony removed it? I'd like to know as I really liked the photos being on my home screen.

Re: Sony photo album widget

Qatrium — Tue, 09 May 2017 04:51:10 GMT

Hello @Rty50n and welcome to the community!

There's a widget on my XZ with Nougat called "Photos and Videos", it should do the same trick as the old Album widget.

Re: Sony photo album widget

Rty50n — Tue, 09 May 2017 06:54:35 GMT

Thanks for the reply but that's the widget that is missing from the XA1. I didn't name it right in the original question sorry.

Re: Sony photo album widget

Qatrium — Tue, 09 May 2017 07:33:16 GMT

@Rty50n

I don't have an XA1 to check if it's there or not, but I'll try to get more information for you.

Re: Sony photo album widget

Qatrium — Tue, 09 May 2017 08:56:41 GMT

@Rty50n

It appears that the same widget was removed from Xperia XZs after feedback that users don't use it that much. I don't know if the same applies to XA1 but I requested further details.

UPDATE: it is confirmed that this widget was removed from a number of 2017 Xperia models, including XA1.

Re: Sony photo album widget

Lord_viridis — Thu, 11 May 2017 19:02:03 GMT

You can use apps off play store such as https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hikaru.photowidgetad

But many of these are like a slideshow.

For the official Sony one, you could try googling Sony photos and videos widget, it may well be on a mirror site for apk's

Re: Sony photo album widget

r4b3 — Fri, 30 Jun 2017 14:19:56 GMT

I miss the widget too, but obviously the only ones who use this widget are we 😉

Re: Sony photo album widget

giz02 — Sat, 01 Jul 2017 15:45:45 GMT

I used it too. And miss it.

Xperia XZ Premium

@r4b3 wrote:
I miss the widget too, but obviously the only ones who use this widget are we 😉

Re: Sony photo album widget

Lingonberry — Thu, 06 Jul 2017 20:06:31 GMT

I'm also very disappointed at the lack of this widget on the xa1. Sony, return it

Re: Sony photo album widget

DaveKoekebacker — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 22:10:11 GMT

Just today I received my xz premium black edition and switched everything from my z3 to my xzplus just as i did from my z1 to my z3

This feature was amazing. Given the fact sony put so much emphasis on the camera for their flagships, how could they remove the one feature that gave ease of access to the taken pictures.

For me this is very disappointing and sadly the mirrored apk files found online wouldnt show the widget. And i dont plan to root my one day old phone

Re: Sony photo album widget

Dapaintrain99 — Wed, 23 Aug 2017 22:38:33 GMT

I'm also pretty disappointed that this widget was gone it was so nice on my Z3 and my z5 I thought surely it would be in the xz premium.

Re: Sony photo album widget

GB6 — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 22:25:13 GMT

I also miss the album widget on my new XZs. And strange enough I got the camera widget, which would show up after a day or two after installing the apk, after I got it from third party. Then it was suddenly there and it works like on my old Sony. But not the same with the Album (or Foto and Video, as it was called later), after installing the apk, it doesn't show, even after restarts and waiting a day or two.

Sony does itself a bad job this way!!

Re: Sony photo album widget

jeremy-o — Thu, 05 Oct 2017 05:14:51 GMT

Wow, what a disappointment! I just switched to an XA1 - it's the third Sony phone I've had, because I find the software and hardware great. I loved the album widget for quickly finding and sharing photos and to find out it has been scrapped is a real bummer. Let's hope there's a good alternative somewhere... Any suggestions welcome!

Re: Sony photo album widget

Qatrium — Thu, 05 Oct 2017 05:17:25 GMT

@jeremy-o

Check this reply:

/t5/Xperia-XA1/Sony-photo-album-widget/m-p/1222861#M113

Re: Sony photo album widget

jeremy-o — Fri, 06 Oct 2017 23:10:40 GMT

@Quester: as the initial poster suggested, this is a slideshow, and doesn't have the same kind of simple carousel function of the Photos and Videos widget. It seems bizarre, but I can't find anything else to do the job, and old widget .apks don't work either.

Such a shame - finding recent shots used to be so easy!

Re: Sony photo album widget

DagonSoul — Wed, 25 Oct 2017 23:27:24 GMT

Honestly what happened to giving the end user a choice. I used it everyday so please bring it back for us!

Re: Sony photo album widget

rndmrtl — Mon, 30 Oct 2017 12:52:36 GMT

Same for me. I'm very disapointed that it has been removed.

I think however that it would be very nice for Sony to publish the source of those abandonned widgets in GitHub or another source repository, so other developers could rebuild them.

Re: Sony photo album widget

gepert — Sun, 26 Nov 2017 14:00:52 GMT

I've changed now from Z3 compact to XZ1 and I'm extremly angry about Sonys customers paternalism, as I realized this problem of missing the Sony photo album widget. At least they should have provided the widget for installation on demand!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: Sony photo album widget

Lucky26 — Sat, 02 Dec 2017 21:17:37 GMT

~~Idem passage du Z5 c au XZ1 c et disparition du widget photo et vidéo.~~

~~J'ai cherché longtemps une alternative mais rien.~~

~~Sony pouvez-vous faire une mise à jour pour remettre ce widget très important.~~

~~Merci~~

Same passage from Z5 c to XZ1 c and disappearance of the photo and video widget.
I have been looking for an alternative for a long time but nothing.
Sony can you do an update to put this widget very important.
Thank you

Re: Sony photo album widget

izznix — Wed, 13 Dec 2017 00:14:21 GMT

Seriously SONY, you remove features used daily and which make SONY phones special and keeps me buying SONY..

Disappointed