Forest support

Compatibility

Which devices does Forest work on?

Forest runs on iPhone, on iOS 16 or later.

Is Forest coming to Android?

Yes, and it’s in testing right now. If you’re on Android and would like free early access in exchange for trying it out and sending us any feedback, email [email protected]. Otherwise it’ll appear here and on Google Play the moment it’s ready.

Does Forest handle videos?

Yes. Forest now sorts your videos as well as your photos, so you can clear out the ones you don’t need and win back the storage they take up.

Does Forest work with iCloud Photos and Google Photos?

iCloud, yes. Google Photos, no, and here’s the honest reason. Forest works entirely on your device and never goes online. It handles your iCloud photos because Apple builds iCloud right into your iPhone’s own Photos library, so Forest just reads it locally. Google Photos is a separate app with its own cloud that isn’t part of that library, so Forest has no way to reach it without going online, which it’s built never to do. A quick way to check: open your iPhone’s Photos app. If your camera roll is all still there, you’re good. If you’ve cleared it off so everything now lives only in Google Photos, Forest won’t be able to see those.

Your photos and videos are safe

Why does Forest ask for Full Access to my photos?

It sorts your whole library, so it needs to see all of it (Limited only shows a hand-picked few). But nothing ever leaves your phone: no server, no account, no uploads. Forest just reads your photos and videos to help you sort them.

Does Forest delete my photos on its own?

No. Nothing ever leaves your photo library without you confirming it. When you bin a photo it just moves to a holding area inside Forest. Photos only leave your library when you open the Bin, choose to empty it, and confirm the system prompt that appears.

What happens to a photo when I empty the bin?

It moves to Recently Deleted in your Photos app, where it stays recoverable for 30 days. To free the space straight away, open Photos, go to Recently Deleted, and empty it there.

Does Forest work on my device, or send photos somewhere?

Everything happens on your device. Forest reads your library to organise it and never uploads your photos or videos. See our privacy policy.

Binning and deleting

Can I delete only some of the photos in the bin?

Yes. Tap the photos you want to remove, then choose “Delete” for just those. If you tap nothing and choose “Empty bin”, it removes everything in the bin at once.

I binned a photo by mistake. Can I get it back?

Yes. Open the Bin, tap the photo, and choose “Restore”. It returns to your timeline. Even after emptying the bin, the photo sits in Recently Deleted in Photos for 30 days.

The Album

Where do my album photos go?

Every photo you save to the album is also added to a “Forest Album” in your Photos app. Open it there whenever you want to edit, print, or share your favourites.

How do I look through my album?

Tap any photo in the Album to open it full screen, then swipe left and right to move across your whole album.

How do I remove a photo from the album?

In the Album, tap “Select”, choose the photos, then “Remove from album”. This only drops them from the album. The photos stay everywhere else in your library.

I removed a photo from the “Forest Album” in Photos, but it came back.

Forest keeps its own record of your album and treats that record as the master copy. When you reopen Forest it notices the photo is missing and adds it back. To remove a photo for good, do it inside Forest (Album, then Select, then Remove from album).

I deleted a photo from the “Forest Album” in Photos and saw blank squares in Forest.

Those blanks are album entries for photos that no longer exist. Close Forest fully and reopen it. Forest tidies them away and the album count drops to match.

The home screen

What is Memory jog?

A short, timed session for working through your older photos. You choose how many minutes, and Forest brings you your oldest fortnights first. When the time is up it shows you what you got through, and you can pause or keep going.

What does Continue do?

It picks up where you last left off. Tapping it opens that box and gently highlights the first photo you had not yet looked through, so you can find your place before diving in.

Nothing shows in the Continue card. Why?

Continue only appears when you have a box in progress. Once you have finished (sealed) the box you were working on, and have nothing else on the go, Continue rests until you start another one.

Why does Lately say “Up to date”?

It means you have looked through everything in the current fortnight so far. Because the fortnight is still live, more photos may arrive, so Forest does not push you to finish it early. There is nothing to do until new photos come in.

A sealed box has a small dot on it. What does that mean?

New photos have arrived in a fortnight you had already sealed. The dot is a gentle nudge that there is something fresh to look at, if you want to.

Appearance and settings

Forest looks light in the day and dark at night. Can I change that?

Forest follows your phone’s appearance setting. Change it in your phone’s settings and Forest will match.

How do I start over?

Open the Overview and choose “Reset Forest”. This clears your decisions, album tags, bin, and progress. Your actual photos are left untouched.

Odds and ends

Some photos have no date. Where do they go?

Photos with no date recorded are left out of Forest’s timeline, so they will not appear as a stray “1970” pile. They stay safe in your library.