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For a dependable household Immich setup, configure mobile uploads first, choose Smart Search models for the languages people actually use, give each family member an account, and back up both the media and the database. Mobile album sync is one-way—not a mirror of phone changes—and background uploads depend partly on your phone’s operating system.
How do I make Immich back up photos from my phone automatically?
In the Immich mobile app, select the device albums you want backed up. When you select albums, Immich calculates content checksums and skips assets that match content already on the server, avoiding duplicate uploads and unnecessary bandwidth. The default network policy is Wi-Fi only; you can change it in the app’s backup settings. See Immich’s Mobile Backup documentation for current controls.
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Enabling backup does not guarantee an immediate upload whenever a photo is taken. Immich uploads when the app is opened or resumed and also attempts periodic background work, whose timing is subject to the phone’s operating system.
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Strict battery optimization on some Android devices can interfere with Immich’s background worker. If uploads stall while the app is closed, review the device’s battery-optimization settings for Immich. The app also offers options such as running uploads only while charging and adding a delay after capture.
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iPhone background uploads
Enable Background App Refresh for Immich. iOS decides when background tasks run, so the app cannot promise continuous or immediate uploads; opening Immich more often may help background runs occur more often.
Album synchronization and iCloud assets
If you enable album synchronization, Immich creates corresponding server albums and can organize existing uploads into them. Sync runs from phone to server: deleting or moving a photo on the phone does not make the same change in the server album. Treat this as an import and organization aid, not a two-way mirror.
For assets stored in iCloud, Immich may temporarily download selected items into its cache while hashing and uploading them. This can use device storage and mobile data, particularly with a large library or when uploads are not restricted to Wi-Fi.
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Which Immich search model works for multiple languages?
Immich Smart Search uses a CLIP model and VectorChord in its Postgres search setup. It can find images from freeform descriptions even when the query words do not appear in photo metadata. Model settings are at Administration > Settings > Machine Learning Settings > Smart Search. Immich’s Searching documentation offers qualitative model-selection guidance, not a guarantee of equal results across languages or photo collections.
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| How people search | Model direction in Immich’s documentation | Trade-off to consider |
|---|---|---|
| Mostly one non-English native language | Consider NLLB models; query language follows the user’s language setting. | Check that the user’s language setting matches how they search. |
| The same person switches between languages | XLM and SigLIP2 are described as more flexible because they understand search text irrespective of the current language setting. | Test typical household queries; the documentation does not promise identical retrieval quality for every language or collection. |
| English-only searches | Compare the listed CLIP models. | Balance memory and compute needs against indexing time, query speed, and retrieval quality. |
Larger or higher-quality options may use more memory and take longer to index and search. Smaller models can be faster, with comparatively similar quality in many cases. Immich does not provide benchmark numbers that establish a universal best model.
Change a model and reprocess assets
- Open Administration > Settings > Machine Learning Settings > Smart Search.
- Choose and save the model name that fits your users’ language patterns and server resources.
- Use Job Status to reprocess assets so the new model can index them.
- If jobs fail, check the server and machine-learning logs.
Smart Search is not the only way to locate photos. Immich also supports filters for people, locations, albums, dates, camera, filenames, media type, favorites, archive state, OCR, tags, and other metadata. Combine a contextual phrase with relevant filters when a broad query returns imprecise results.
How do I share Immich photos with my family?
Give each family member a separate account rather than sharing one login. Immich’s post-installation guide describes creating additional accounts after setup; the first registered user is the administrator. Family members can install the mobile app and sign in using the server’s endpoint URL.
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| Sharing option | Scope and recipient | Access |
|---|---|---|
| Shared album | A selected album shared with users on the same Immich instance. | Editor (read and write) or viewer (read-only). |
| Partner sharing | A selected user can access a whole library. | View and download. |
| Public link | Share with someone who does not have an Immich account. | Can be configured with options such as expiration and password protection. |
For a collaborative trip or event album, use an album share and choose whether recipients may edit. For access to an entire library, partner sharing has broader scope. For someone outside your instance who needs a selected share, consider a public link and configure its available protections.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What do I need to back up for an Immich server?
Back up both the uploaded photos and videos and the Immich database. The database holds metadata and user information; the original media files reside in the upload storage location. A database backup alone does not preserve the photographs. Immich’s Backup and Restore guide recommends a 3-2-1 backup strategy: keep multiple copies, on different types of storage, with one copy off-site.
Keep database records and media together
The database stores file paths; Immich does not scan the library folder to rebuild those paths. Careless filesystem moves or deletions can therefore leave missing or untracked assets. When possible, stop the server during a backup so the database and media copies remain consistent.
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Plan storage around the full backup
An external drive can provide an additional backup copy, but one drive alone does not satisfy the 3-2-1 strategy. Choose capacity based on your current library and retention plan, and verify that your backup includes both the database and original media. Immich does not prescribe a particular drive model or universal capacity.
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