Why We Created the Utiful App: Out of Frustration
We were frustrated by the fact that mobile phone manufacturers provided such a useful tool as the mobile camera but offered no means for common-sense photo organization. The more we used our mobile cameras, the more chaotic our Photos apps became. Finding our pictures in this mess called camera roll became a more and more time-consuming and painful task. This is where we decided to stop accepting this situation and build a photo organizing app that will help people organize their photos in an easy and meaningful way. The Utiful app was born!
The Four Reasons for Photo Chaos
So why does everybody with a camera phone end up in photo chaos? We identified four major reasons for this:
REASON #1 (positive): The mobile camera is super useful for many different purposes
The first reason is that people use their mobile cameras not only for family and vacation photos but also for work, school, hobby, keeping note of stuff, taking pictures of things for reference, maintaining collections of items etc. And this is clear: we have our mobile cameras always with us and they are so easy to handle, so fast and so precise, that we keep using them for all possible purposes. It is no surprise that self-employed individuals who use their phone cameras for both personal and business purposes are affected by this to a great extent.
REASON #2 (positive): Screenshots are an easy way to capture information
The second reason is that everybody with a mobile phone makes a lot of screenshots. Which is totally understandable. Mobile devices have become one of our primary sources of information. Every time we see important or valuable information on the phone's screen, there's nothing easier than making a screenshot to capture and save it for future reference.
REASON #3 (negative): All images end up in one and the same place
The third reason is that all these images that we capture and keep, serving such diverse, separate purposes, end up in the very same location within the mobile phone, commonly known as the camera roll, which inevitably grows to a big pile of clutter.
REASON #4 (negative): The standard Photos app is no help
The fourth reason is that the standard Photos app of the phone doesn't allow to move photos out of the camera roll, thus drastically limiting the user's ability to organize effectively—a problem described below in more detail.
REASON #1 (positive): The mobile camera is super useful for many different purposes
The first reason is that people use their mobile cameras not only for family and vacation photos but also for work, school, hobby, keeping note of stuff, taking pictures of things for reference, maintaining collections of items etc. And this is clear: we have our mobile cameras always with us and they are so easy to handle, so fast and so precise, that we keep using them for all possible purposes. It is no surprise that self-employed individuals who use their phone cameras for both personal and business purposes are affected by this to a great extent.
REASON #2 (positive): Screenshots are an easy way to capture information
The second reason is that everybody with a mobile phone makes a lot of screenshots. Which is totally understandable. Mobile devices have become one of our primary sources of information. Every time we see important or valuable information on the phone's screen, there's nothing easier than making a screenshot to capture and save it for future reference.
REASON #3 (negative): All images end up in one and the same place
The third reason is that all these images that we capture and keep, serving such diverse, separate purposes, end up in the very same location within the mobile phone, commonly known as the camera roll, which inevitably grows to a big pile of clutter.
REASON #4 (negative): The standard Photos app is no help
The fourth reason is that the standard Photos app of the phone doesn't allow to move photos out of the camera roll, thus drastically limiting the user's ability to organize effectively—a problem described below in more detail.
The Problems with the Photos App on iPhone, iPad, and Android
The standard Photos app has some very cool features, but it also puts challenging hurdles in the way of common-sense photo organization:
PROBLEM #1: Albums in the Photos app actually contain only links and not photos
The standard Photos app lets you add photos to albums however the photos you add to an album do not get moved out of the camera roll but remain there, so you can’t easily tell which photos you have already organized and which not.
PROBLEM #2: Deleting from the camera roll deletes also from the albums
When you delete from the camera roll the photos you added to an album, the standard Photos app deletes them also from the album you’ve put them in, thus negating your effort to organize.
Understanding the Photos App on iOS and Android
But why does the standard Photos app work this way?
The Photos app's functionality is rooted in the photo management concept of Apple and Google. In this concept, all images are stored indefinitely in one place—the camera roll, also known as the 'Recents' album.
When you add a photo to an album in the Photos app, what the app actually does is add a link to the photo in the album, while the original photo remains in the camera roll. This means the photo is not physically moved to the album but merely linked to it. Consequently, the photo remains visible in the 'Recents' album because it never leaves it.
Understanding this, it's clear why deleting a photo from the camera roll also removes it from the album you’ve added it to—it's because the link in the album points to a photo that no longer exists in the camera roll, causing the link itself to disappear.
Apple and Google likely have their reasons for introducing and maintaining this organizational concept. While it may support the advanced features of their Photos apps targeting family and vacation photographs, for users who seek common-sense photo organization, this concept can quickly become a hindrance.
PROBLEM #1: Albums in the Photos app actually contain only links and not photos
The standard Photos app lets you add photos to albums however the photos you add to an album do not get moved out of the camera roll but remain there, so you can’t easily tell which photos you have already organized and which not.
PROBLEM #2: Deleting from the camera roll deletes also from the albums
When you delete from the camera roll the photos you added to an album, the standard Photos app deletes them also from the album you’ve put them in, thus negating your effort to organize.
Understanding the Photos App on iOS and Android
But why does the standard Photos app work this way?
The Photos app's functionality is rooted in the photo management concept of Apple and Google. In this concept, all images are stored indefinitely in one place—the camera roll, also known as the 'Recents' album.
When you add a photo to an album in the Photos app, what the app actually does is add a link to the photo in the album, while the original photo remains in the camera roll. This means the photo is not physically moved to the album but merely linked to it. Consequently, the photo remains visible in the 'Recents' album because it never leaves it.
Understanding this, it's clear why deleting a photo from the camera roll also removes it from the album you’ve added it to—it's because the link in the album points to a photo that no longer exists in the camera roll, causing the link itself to disappear.
Apple and Google likely have their reasons for introducing and maintaining this organizational concept. While it may support the advanced features of their Photos apps targeting family and vacation photographs, for users who seek common-sense photo organization, this concept can quickly become a hindrance.
The Utiful Photo Organizer App: Common Sense Meets Simplicity
Once we realized what were the reasons for photo chaos, it got obvious to us what we needed in our Utiful Photo Organizer app in order to have a real solution. The fact that people use their mobile cameras for all possible purposes and make lots of screenshots is because this is helpful. So the problem we needed to solve was that all images go to the same place and the standard Photos app doesn't help to sort out the mess.
MAIN FEATURE #1: Ability to move photos from the camera roll to separate folders
First, we created in the Utiful app a way to move photos out of the camera roll and save them to folders outside of the camera roll, so that the photos disappear from the camera roll but are kept in the folders. Actually, common sense.
MAIN FEATURE #2: Capture new photos directly into their target folder
Furthermore, we created a feature called the 'Folder Camera'. With the folder camera, the user can capture new photos directly into their target folder, thus organizing them on the spot. This way, newly taken photos that need to be organized do not go to the camera roll at all! The feedback from our users to this feature was tremendous because it significantly improved their productivity and the efficiency of their workflows!
MAIN FEATURE #3: Managing folders for photos made easy even for non-tech-savvy individuals
Another thing we disliked about the standard Photos app was how complicated and unintuitive was it to create and manage albums in it. We believed that creating and managing folders for photos must be simple and intuitive, so that even people who are not tech-savvy at all can easily manage it without any problems. And this is what we built in the Utiful app: Easy to create folders, easy to move photos to them, easy to manage everything in a neat folder structure.
MAIN FEATURE #1: Ability to move photos from the camera roll to separate folders
First, we created in the Utiful app a way to move photos out of the camera roll and save them to folders outside of the camera roll, so that the photos disappear from the camera roll but are kept in the folders. Actually, common sense.
MAIN FEATURE #2: Capture new photos directly into their target folder
Furthermore, we created a feature called the 'Folder Camera'. With the folder camera, the user can capture new photos directly into their target folder, thus organizing them on the spot. This way, newly taken photos that need to be organized do not go to the camera roll at all! The feedback from our users to this feature was tremendous because it significantly improved their productivity and the efficiency of their workflows!
MAIN FEATURE #3: Managing folders for photos made easy even for non-tech-savvy individuals
Another thing we disliked about the standard Photos app was how complicated and unintuitive was it to create and manage albums in it. We believed that creating and managing folders for photos must be simple and intuitive, so that even people who are not tech-savvy at all can easily manage it without any problems. And this is what we built in the Utiful app: Easy to create folders, easy to move photos to them, easy to manage everything in a neat folder structure.
The "Aha" Moment: Transforming the Camera Roll with the Utiful App
Experiencing the first version of our app was truly exhilarating: finally, we felt liberated to organize our photos as we desired, triumphing over photo chaos! However, it wasn't just a moment of relief; it was a genuine "Aha" moment! As we began sorting our non-family photos away from the camera roll, we realized that the Utiful app not only facilitates better organization but also allows users to redefine the purpose of their camera roll and their 'Recents' album!
The camera roll as a wonderful timeline of vacation photos
We swiftly discovered that the users of the Utiful app can reserve their camera roll for their vacation photos, while relocating everything else—such as work-related photos, screenshots, and reference pictures—into Utiful folders. In doing so, their camera roll transforms into a wonderful, uncluttered timeline of all their vacations, presented beautifully and ready to be showcased like never before!
The camera roll as a cleaned up inbox
Users who prioritize thorough organization can go even further. They can move also their family and vacation photos into dedicated Utiful folders such as 'Family', 'Hawaii 2021' etc. At the end of the process they get their camera roll completely empty—a perfect analogy to a clean and organized email inbox where every single message is sorted into its appropriate folder! For these users, the camera roll becomes similar to an inbox, containing all recently taken pictures that are awaiting review and organization.
Freedom to transform the photo chaos into photo bliss
With the Utiful Photo Organizer app, you have the freedom to transform your camera roll from a cluttered pile into a meaningful component of your organizational routine. In this way, the app not only enables you to get organized but also to maximize the value you get out of your mobile device!
The camera roll as a wonderful timeline of vacation photos
We swiftly discovered that the users of the Utiful app can reserve their camera roll for their vacation photos, while relocating everything else—such as work-related photos, screenshots, and reference pictures—into Utiful folders. In doing so, their camera roll transforms into a wonderful, uncluttered timeline of all their vacations, presented beautifully and ready to be showcased like never before!
The camera roll as a cleaned up inbox
Users who prioritize thorough organization can go even further. They can move also their family and vacation photos into dedicated Utiful folders such as 'Family', 'Hawaii 2021' etc. At the end of the process they get their camera roll completely empty—a perfect analogy to a clean and organized email inbox where every single message is sorted into its appropriate folder! For these users, the camera roll becomes similar to an inbox, containing all recently taken pictures that are awaiting review and organization.
Freedom to transform the photo chaos into photo bliss
With the Utiful Photo Organizer app, you have the freedom to transform your camera roll from a cluttered pile into a meaningful component of your organizational routine. In this way, the app not only enables you to get organized but also to maximize the value you get out of your mobile device!
Organizing as You Wish Is Not Only a Dream Anymore
The feedback we receive from all over the world to the Utiful app is overwhelming. People of all possible walks of life contact us all of the time to express their thankfulness for finally being able to organize their photos as they wish.
Manage your business photos separately from your personal photos
Many of our users, especially self-employed individuals, freelancers, and business owners, rely on the Utiful app to organize their business photos and all images related to their work. They categorize them for example by client and project and keep them efficiently sorted and distinct from their personal photographs. Examples of work-related photos include before-after images of project sites, inspection photos, visual asset management, spare parts documentation, and order items tracking. The 'folder camera' feature of the Utiful app has proven to be indispensable for business users, allowing them to capture and file new photos directly into the necessary folders, thus saving them effort and time.
Your organized space for your creativity
Creative people such as artisans, craftsmen, scrapbookers, and hobbyists are another significant part of our user base. They rely on the Utiful app to store photos and videos of their creations, products, idea collections, scrapbooking kits, hobby-related items, etc. By organizing these assets in separate folders outside of the camera roll, they have them easy to access and use whenever needed.
Have your visual collections always at hand, sorted with precision
For collectors, the Utiful app is a dream come true, offering a convenient way to categorize and track their collection items directly on their mobile phones without cluttering the camera roll. The app's feature to add captions and notes to each item simplifies the process of building catalogues. Additionally, the ability to manually define the exact order of photos within a folder provides collectors with the necessary precision in managing their collections.
Make your everyday life hassle-free by staying organized with your utility photos
Busy, organized people using the Utiful app often express to us that they can't imagine how they managed before. They share with us that having their reference pictures such as bills, recipes, product labels, and screenshots perfectly organized in Utiful folders not only helps them a lot in their everyday life but actually puts a smile on their faces every time they open their photo collection. Many parents find the app invaluable also for organizing their kids' school-related materials and for storing photos of their children's artwork.
Keep your purely private pictures for your eyes only
A lot of users have shared with us that, in addition to their regular photos, they also capture and store very private pictures meant for their eyes only. They prefer that these photos don't appear when they open their standard Photos app. For these privacy-conscious individuals, the Utiful app serves as a long-awaited private and secure photo storage on the phone. They can store their purely private pictures in dedicated Utiful folders, free from the risk of exposure to others and away from prying eyes, ensuring peace of mind and confidentiality. Importantly, neither we nor any of our employees or partners have access to the photos organized in the Utiful app. User privacy is of utmost importance to us.
Manage your business photos separately from your personal photos
Many of our users, especially self-employed individuals, freelancers, and business owners, rely on the Utiful app to organize their business photos and all images related to their work. They categorize them for example by client and project and keep them efficiently sorted and distinct from their personal photographs. Examples of work-related photos include before-after images of project sites, inspection photos, visual asset management, spare parts documentation, and order items tracking. The 'folder camera' feature of the Utiful app has proven to be indispensable for business users, allowing them to capture and file new photos directly into the necessary folders, thus saving them effort and time.
Your organized space for your creativity
Creative people such as artisans, craftsmen, scrapbookers, and hobbyists are another significant part of our user base. They rely on the Utiful app to store photos and videos of their creations, products, idea collections, scrapbooking kits, hobby-related items, etc. By organizing these assets in separate folders outside of the camera roll, they have them easy to access and use whenever needed.
Have your visual collections always at hand, sorted with precision
For collectors, the Utiful app is a dream come true, offering a convenient way to categorize and track their collection items directly on their mobile phones without cluttering the camera roll. The app's feature to add captions and notes to each item simplifies the process of building catalogues. Additionally, the ability to manually define the exact order of photos within a folder provides collectors with the necessary precision in managing their collections.
Make your everyday life hassle-free by staying organized with your utility photos
Busy, organized people using the Utiful app often express to us that they can't imagine how they managed before. They share with us that having their reference pictures such as bills, recipes, product labels, and screenshots perfectly organized in Utiful folders not only helps them a lot in their everyday life but actually puts a smile on their faces every time they open their photo collection. Many parents find the app invaluable also for organizing their kids' school-related materials and for storing photos of their children's artwork.
Keep your purely private pictures for your eyes only
A lot of users have shared with us that, in addition to their regular photos, they also capture and store very private pictures meant for their eyes only. They prefer that these photos don't appear when they open their standard Photos app. For these privacy-conscious individuals, the Utiful app serves as a long-awaited private and secure photo storage on the phone. They can store their purely private pictures in dedicated Utiful folders, free from the risk of exposure to others and away from prying eyes, ensuring peace of mind and confidentiality. Importantly, neither we nor any of our employees or partners have access to the photos organized in the Utiful app. User privacy is of utmost importance to us.
Why "Utiful"?
The name "Utiful" didn't come to us right away
Initially, we had different ideas. But then it hit us: Utiful! It's a blend of "utility" and "beautiful", capturing the essence of what our app does. With Utiful, you can seamlessly move all your utility photos—everything except family and vacation—out of the camera roll and this way transform the camera roll into a stunning timeline of your cherished memories.
So, why "Utiful"?
Because it's both useful and beautiful, just like your photos.
Initially, we had different ideas. But then it hit us: Utiful! It's a blend of "utility" and "beautiful", capturing the essence of what our app does. With Utiful, you can seamlessly move all your utility photos—everything except family and vacation—out of the camera roll and this way transform the camera roll into a stunning timeline of your cherished memories.
So, why "Utiful"?
Because it's both useful and beautiful, just like your photos.
Get Utiful now!
