Why are other peoples photos showing up in my gallery?!

[jj14x]

I still don't understand how messenger could put photos, in my photos. That's unsettling. I've uninstalled it.

Here's the way it works. Facebook messenger (or whatsapp or another app) gets a message with an attached photo. Your phone downloads it to let you view it. The Photos app is running in the background auto-backing up all photos for you (which is a good thing - that way, if you lose your phone, you still have your pictures!)
Now, here's the important thing. The first time "Photos" finds a new folder (from new application) to backup, it will prompt you asking if you want to back that up. If you say no, it won't back it up. If you say yes, it will back it up.

Open the photos app, and tap on the menu (top left - 3 stacked horizontal bars), select On device. You can now see the various locations. If the cloud icon on the right of each location has a line thru' it, it is not getting backed up. If it is blue and has an arrow pointing up, it is being backed up. Tap on it to toggle.

Hope that helps!

 

[Jerrod Tofte]

The thing is, my cloud was not on. On this lollipop nexus 6, i never have gotten a message to accept something like that from messenger. The thing is, I have never seen any of the people in the photos I've gotten. They have just showed up in my photos application. I have gotten 3 on easter. One was a ****** with lips pulled up to make it look like bunny ears, with the meme saying, "happy easter" (which was actually pretty hilarious). It has also uploaded a pretty graphic picture (**** meme)... So I though it was my roommates messing with me. Now I realize that somehow it allowed someone to post straight into my photos app. What if someone sees that? Try explaining that when you are trying to show someone a picture of your dog?

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[grover5]

I found photos in the photo app on my nexus 6 recently that I didn't download as well. I don't think they were pictures people took but they were more like wallpapers. They were landscape ones. It happened about a week ago I think.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Jerrod Tofte]

This are the kind of photos I was getting

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Jerrod Tofte]

And the inappropriate ones.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Javier P]

Google messenger comes with the "auto retrieve MMS" on by default. Go to settings - advanced and switch it off. See if that makes a difference.

But there's one thing, those photos should be in your MMS list. Check that.

 

[RWH1TTEN]

This happened to me too!

 

[RWH1TTEN]

Everything you have described happened to me. Random Painter, an explicit 70's porn clip, mountain ranges. I was visiting Spain and using a Vodophone SIM. My cousin is now in Cancun and just posted a similar experience. Where you on your own network when this happened?

 

[RWH1TTEN]

Re: Why are other peoples photos showing up in my gallery?!I

I also have a Nexus 6

 

[howaboutthis123]

I. Just bought a lgk30 and had the same thing happen. And cannot understand why and it was collections of ppl I knew pics...like their albums.....

 

[Gray Area]

thats crazy and concerning!

 

[tecglo]

I just had the same experience and it was freaky. I called Samsung tech support and they pointed toward Google storage, but I can't figure it out.

 

[B. Diddy]

I just had the same experience and it was freaky. I called Samsung tech support and they pointed toward Google storage, but I can't figure it out.

Welcome to Android Central! Select any of those unexpected photos in your gallery app, then look at its Info/Details. What's the directory pathname of where the photos is actually located? Chances are these photos are cached images from some other app you use (like a messaging app, or a game, or the ad network that some app you installed uses).

 

[tecglo]

I found out why I was finding other people's photos on my Android Gallaxy 8+. It came from settings in What's App. Yeah! and I'm not a tech! I blocked the person who's photos I had setting set so her photos would be saved to my Gallery. It worded for me, not malicious.
You're welcome.