Gallery apps are a simple tool that are used to view, manage, and organize images and videos on mobile phones, PCs, or cloud services. Gallery apps are typically pre-installed on a mobile device, such as Apple Photos being pre-installed on all Apple devices.
Some mobile users choose not to use the pre-installed gallery app and download one that fits their needs better, with features that include more security or storage options.
Photo Gallery Forensics
With users having the ability to choose a different application to store their images and videos, it is important for investigators to have the right tools to be able to extract and analyze photos from an offender’s phone.
With the use of our flagship solution, Oxygen Forensic® Detective, investigators are able to extract the data they need from photo gallery applications.
The Benefits of Extracting Photos from Gallery Apps
When beginning to collect evidence in an investigation, it is important to understand the best place on a cellphone to extract data from images.
Images and videos that are extracted from messaging apps, such as Telegram, WhatsApp, etc., will compress images and their geodata, which affects the ability of investigators to track the location of where the photo was taken.
The best place to extract data from images is from the gallery app that the user has designated as the place where photos are being managed and organized. This is why it is important to have the right tools to extract from both top messaging and gallery apps.
Supported Photo Gallery Apps The Top 4 Supported Gallery Apps in Oxygen Forensic® Detective are:
Google Photos
Google Photos, a part of Google Drive, is a photo sharing and storage service developed by Google. Over 1 billion people use Google Photos globally. People use Google Photos to store, share, view, and edit photos and videos. It also includes an AI-powered assistant to help manage media.
Oxygen Forensic® Detective is able to extract Google Photos data from the Cloud, Android, and iOS.
Cloud
Data that can be extracted from the Cloud:
- Account owner information
- Contacts
- Private and shared albums information
- Mediafiles
- Comments to shared mediafiles and albums
Apps
Data that can be extracted from Android:
- Accounts
- Albums
- Albums information
- Cache
- Local media
- Search results
- Search suggestions
Data that can be extracted from Apple iOS:
- Accounts
- Albums
- Cache
- Media
- Search results
Amazon Photos
With an Amazon Prime membership, users are able to store photos on Amazon Photos. Users can access their photos and videos through the Amazon Photos mobile app, PC, or desktop app. Users who have Amazon Photos can view their photos on their Fire TV, Echo Show, or Echo Spot.
Oxygen Forensic® Detective is able to extract Amazon Photo data from the Cloud, Apps, and PC.
Cloud
Data that can be extracted:
- Information about account owner
- Mediafiles
- Family members
- Albums
- Files from trash
- Albums, sorted by People
- Albums, sorted by Places
- Sharing
- Group members
- Comments
- Group media files
- Group albums
App
Data that can be extracted from Androids:
- Account
- Albums
- Cache
- Cookies
- Family
- Files
- Folders
- Logs
Data that can be extracted from Apple iOS:
- Account
- Albums
- Cache
- Cookies
- Downloads
- Family
- Files
- Folders
- Logs
- Sharing
- Sharing info
PC
Data that can be extracted from Windows:
- Images
- Other files
- Videos
Data that can be extracted from MacOS:
- Images
- Other files
- Videos
iCloud Photos
iCloud Photos is a feature of Apple’s iCloud service. It automatically backs up and syncs iPhone photos from your devices. iCloud is Apple’s cloud-based storage platform that stores files remotely.
Oxygen Forensic® Detective is able to extract iCloud Photos data from the Cloud.
Cloud
Data that can be extracted:
- Account owner information
- Albums and photos + extracted geodata from some photo
Apple Photos
Apple Photos comes pre-installed on all Apple devices, iOS, and macOS. Apple Photos is a photo management and editing application developed by Apple. After a photo is taken on an Apple device, it is automatically added to the Apple Photo gallery.
Oxygen Forensic® Detective is able to extract Apple Photos data from iOS and macOS.
Apps
Data that can be extracted from iOS:
- Albums
PC
Data that can be extracted from macOS:
- Albums
- Folders
- Memories
- People
- Photos
- Projects
- Videos
Conclusion
There is a multitude of photo gallery apps that users can use to store and manage their photos and videos.
At Oxygen Forensics, our flagship solution, Oxygen Forensic® Detective, offers the ability to extract data from 20+ multimedia applications.
If you are interested in taking a look at all the photo applications that we support, contact us for a free trial.