How do I keep the Fotaflo app monitoring for new photos in the background?

Power saving settings on your Android device could be blocking the Fotaflo app from monitoring and uploading new photos in the background in newer versions of Android (8+)

The following steps should help you ensure that the Fotaflo image monitoring service remains active throughout the day.

The Fotaflo monitoring app is tuned for low-power usage by only actively processing when new photos are taken. It shouldn't consume significant amounts of power throughout the day when whitelisted from Android power-saving features.

All Devices

Turn off battery saver / power saving mode

Battery Saver usually turns on automatically when a device is low on battery (e.g. when it's down to 15%). When this mode is on it will inhibit the Fotaflo photo monitoring feature from finding new photos and uploading them. Either charge the device to automatically turn off battery saver or manually shut it off using the notification menu or settings.

Turn off battery optimization for the Fotaflo app

Android's Battery Optimization feature can also block or shut down the Fotaflo photo monitoring service throughout the day forcing you to open the Fotaflo app to initiate uploading your photos. You can tell Android not to optimize the Fotaflo app by going to Settings > Battery > Battery Optimization then choosing "All Apps" instead of "Not optimized Apps" from the top menu, then scroll down and select the Fotaflo app and then choosing "Don't optimize".

The Fotaflo app version 2.0.6 will pop-up a notification if the Fotaflo app is set to be optimized. If you tap the notification it will bring you to the Battery Optimization settings.

Samsung Devices

On Samsung devices with Android 8+ installed there are additional power-saving settings that could interfere with the Fotaflo photo monitoring service throughout the day.

Make Fotaflo an unmonitored app

Samsung's Device Maintenance features provide additional ways to optimize the performance of your device. Go to Settings > Device Maintenance > Battery and set Fotaflo to be an "Unmonitored app".

Additional Troubleshooting

If you've followed the above advice and the Fotaflo app still doesn't find and upload your new photos in a timely manner then you can try the following:

Samsung devices: Dock part of the app at the top of the screen using the snap-window feature

Most devices: Open the Fotaflo and Camera apps in split-screen mode. Note that many camera apps won't allow you to use it in split-screen mode but this has been tested to work on some Samsung devices.