Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about setting up and using Pixette.
General #
What is Pixette?
Pixette is an iOS and Android app that creates random slideshows from your photos and videos. It connects natively to Synology Photos and Immich, or via the WebDAV protocol to any compatible NAS or server, including QNAP, Nextcloud, and TrueNAS, and can also play photos stored locally on your device.
Is Pixette free?
Pixette is free to download and use. A Premium upgrade is available for less than $5/year and adds a handful of extra features.
Which devices are supported?
Pixette works on iPhones and iPads running iOS 13 or later, Android phones and tablets running Android 7.0 or later, Apple Vision Pro, and Apple Silicon Macs. It's especially great on old tablets repurposed as digital photo frames.
Setup & Connection #
How do I connect to my NAS?
On a Synology NAS (DSM 7.0 or later), the easiest option is the Synology Photos connection: just choose 'Synology Photos' in Pixette and sign in with your DSM account, no extra setup needed. For other NAS devices (or as an alternative on Synology), enable the WebDAV server, create a dedicated user with read-only access to your photo folders, then enter your NAS URL, username, and password in Pixette. Detailed guides are available for each option in the Getting Started section.
What's the difference between Synology Photos and WebDAV?
Synology Photos connects directly to the Synology Photos app on your NAS, so there's no WebDAV server to install and no dedicated user to create, you simply sign in with your DSM account and can browse by folder or album, including the shared space. It requires DSM 7.0 or later and an account without two-factor authentication. WebDAV is a universal protocol supported by virtually every NAS, so it's the right choice for non-Synology devices or when you need 2FA on your account.
What is WebDAV?
WebDAV (Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning) is a communication protocol that allows apps to read files from a server over your local network. Most NAS devices support it and it can be enabled in a few clicks.
Can I connect Pixette to Immich?
Yes. Pixette connects natively to your Immich server: choose 'Immich' in the app, enter your server URL, and sign in with your Immich email and password. You can play your entire library or pick specific albums. A data-saver option streams smaller preview images to save bandwidth.
Which NAS brands are supported?
Pixette connects natively to Synology Photos and Immich, and works with any NAS or cloud storage that supports WebDAV, including QNAP, TrueNAS, Nextcloud, ownCloud, Seafile, Unraid, and Western Digital. Check the setup guides for step-by-step instructions.
Can I use photos stored on my device?
Yes. Besides connecting to a NAS, Pixette can build slideshows from photos stored locally on your device. On iOS, choose an album from your photo library; on Android, pick a folder. No NAS or network connection is required for local pictures.
Features #
How does the randomisation work?
Pixette uses a mathematical shuffle algorithm (Feistel network) to create a unique viewing order without storing a huge list in memory. Every photo is mapped to exactly one position (no duplicates, no gaps) so your entire collection plays exactly once in a scrambled order. The shuffle is refreshed each time the app is restarted, when shuffle-sensitive settings are changed, or after reindexing. You can check your current position by tapping the Info button during the slideshow.
Does Pixette work offline?
Yes. When the NAS connection is lost, Pixette generates slideshows from locally cached files. The app attempts reconnection approximately every minute.
Can I filter pictures by EXIF metadata?
Yes! EXIF filtering is now available in beta. The app downloads the header of each file in advance to build a local database of all EXIF data. Once indexed, you can filter your slideshows based on selected EXIF metadata such as camera model, date, or lens.
When is re-indexing required?
Re-index whenever you add or remove files in your NAS folder. You can enable 'Automatic reindex' to handle this automatically at your preferred daily time.
Can Pixette sleep automatically when the room is empty?
Yes. With motion-aware sleep, Pixette uses the front camera as a presence sensor: while it detects movement in the room the slideshow keeps playing, and after a period of stillness (which you can configure) it dims the screen to black. It wakes again the moment someone moves nearby. All processing happens on-device, the camera frames are reduced to a coarse light-and-dark grid and are never saved, uploaded, or shared. You can also set a fixed sleep and wake schedule instead, or combine both.
Can I show the weather on my slideshow?
Yes. Pixette can display the current conditions and a four-day forecast as an overlay. Add temperature and weather to any custom overlay using simple variables, so your photo frame doubles as a subtle weather station for your kitchen or hallway.
Can Pixette show two photos at once?
Yes. The Pair Photos option places two portrait photos side by side on a landscape screen (or two landscape photos stacked on a portrait screen), so wide displays aren't wasted showing a single tall photo with black bars on either side.
Troubleshooting #
Why does the app sometimes crash on older devices?
Three factors can contribute: limited RAM on older devices, limited storage capacity, and uncommon picture or video formats that aren't supported on older hardware. Pixette resizes images to minimize memory usage, but very old devices may still struggle with large collections.
Why does Pixette create a local cache?
The cache serves three purposes: it protects older devices from memory crashes by storing resized versions, it enables smooth navigation by pre-downloading the next images, and it allows offline playback when the NAS connection drops.
I can't connect to my NAS. What should I check?
Verify that URLs are entered correctly (they are case-sensitive), test your WebDAV connection from a computer first, check that your device IP isn't blocked in your NAS security settings, and try using simple credentials (letters and numbers only) for initial testing.
Date & Time Formats #
Pixette lets you customize the text overlay on your slideshow. Use these variables in Settings → Overlay to display the current time, photo metadata, or folder names.
Current Time: $(pattern) #
Displays the current device time. You can use any ICU DateFormat pattern inside $(…).
| Variable | Example |
|---|---|
| $(HH:mm) | 14:30 |
| $(h:mm a) | 2:30 PM |
| $(HH:mm:ss) | 14:30:45 |
| $(EEEE) | Monday |
| $(EEE) | Mon |
| $(MMM d) | Apr 30 |
| $(MMMM d, yyyy) | April 30, 2020 |
| $(dd/MM/yyyy) | 30/04/2020 |
Photo Info (EXIF Metadata) #
Displays data from the photo's EXIF metadata. Requires EXIF indexing to be enabled.
| Variable | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| $date | Photo date | 15 January 2024 |
| $dateShort | Photo date (short) | 15 Jan |
| $dateclean | Photo date + strips dates from folder names | 15 January 2024 |
| $time | Photo time | 14:30 |
| $city | City (from GPS) | Paris |
| $region | Region | Ile-de-France |
| $country | Country | France |
| $keywords | Keywords / tags | landscape, sunset |
| $camera | Camera make | Apple |
| $cameraModel | Camera model | iPhone 14 Pro |
File Path #
Extract parts of the photo's folder path. Example path: Photos/2024/Vacation/IMG_1234.jpg
| Variable | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| $first | First folder | Photos |
| $first(2) | First N folders | Photos/2024 |
| $first(-2) | Skip first N folders | Vacation |
| $last | Last folder | Vacation |
| $last(2) | Last N folders | 2024/Vacation |
| $last(-2) | Skip last N folders | Photos |
| $full | Full folder path | Photos/2024/Vacation |
| $file | Filename | IMG_1234.jpg |
Formatting #
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
| $n | Line break (new line) |
Default overlay format
Clock: $(HH:mm) —
Title: $first - $dateclean $n $city, $country
Good to know
$(…) shows the current time, while $date and $time show when the photo was taken.
Variables that can't be resolved are silently removed. All date/time formatting respects your device's locale.