Never pay for cloud storage again. Immich automatically backs up your camera roll to your LocalNode in original, uncompressed quality. This guide shows you how to set up the mobile app so you never lose a memory.
Overview
The Immich mobile app is a near-perfect clone of Google Photos or Apple Photos. It runs quietly in the background on your phone, detects when you take a new photo, and securely uploads it to your home server over Wi-Fi.
Step 1: Install the app
The official Immich app is completely free.
iPhone/iPad: Open the App Store and search for "Immich".
Android: Open the Google Play Store and search for "Immich".
Step 2: Connect to your LocalNode
Before the app can back up your photos, it needs to know where your server is.
Make sure your phone is connected to your home Wi-Fi network.
Open the Immich app.
On the welcome screen, look for the Server Endpoint URL field.
Enter: http://localnode.local:2283/api
Tap Connect.
When prompted, enter the username and password you created when you first set up the Immich web dashboard.
⚠️ Warning: You must include /api at the end of the URL. Without it, the mobile app cannot talk to the server correctly.
Now we tell the app to start copying your camera roll.
Once logged in, tap the cloud icon in the top right corner (it likely has a slash through it).
This opens the Backup screen. Tap the large Start Backup button.
Your phone will ask for permission to access your Photos. You must select "Allow access to all photos" or the backup will fail.
The app will scan your camera roll and begin uploading.
Optimizing Backup Settings:
Tap the gear icon on the Backup screen to adjust how it operates:
Require Wi-Fi: Keep this checked so you don't burn through your cellular data plan.
Require Charging: (Optional) Check this if you only want backups to happen at night while you sleep.
Foreground vs Background: For your very first backup (which could be tens of thousands of photos), keep the app open and the screen on. Apple and Google aggressively kill background apps, so the fastest way to get the initial mass-upload done is to leave the phone plugged in with the app open overnight.
💡 Tip: Once the initial backup is finished, you can safely ignore the app. Future photos will automatically upload in the background in small batches whenever you return home to your Wi-Fi.
