ImagePicker

expo-image-picker provides access to the system's UI for selecting images and videos from the phone's library or taking a photo with the camera.

Platform Compatibility

Android Device	Android Emulator	iOS Device	iOS Simulator	Web

Installation

Terminal

→ expo install expo-image-picker

If you're installing this in a bare React Native app, you should also follow these additional installation instructions.

Configuration in app.json / app.config.js

You can configure expo-image-picker using its built-in config plugin if you use config plugins in your project (EAS Build or expo run:[android|ios]). The plugin allows you to configure various properties that cannot be set at runtime and require building a new app binary to take effect.

Are you using the classic build system? (expo build:[android|ios])

You can configure the permissions for this library using ios.infoPlist and android.permissions.

Are you using this library in a bare React Native app?

Learn how to configure the native projects in the installation instructions in the expo-image-picker repository.

Example app.json with config plugin

{
  "expo": {
    "plugins": [
      [
        "expo-image-picker",
        {
          "photosPermission": "The app accesses your photos to let you share them with your friends."
        }
      ]
    ]
  }
}

Configurable properties

Name	Default	Description
`photosPermission`	`"Allow $(PRODUCT_NAME) to access your photos"`	iOS only A string to set the NSPhotoLibraryUsageDescription permission message.
`cameraPermission`	`"Allow $(PRODUCT_NAME) to access your camera"`	iOS only A string to set the NSCameraUsageDescription permission message.
`microphonePermission`	`"Allow $(PRODUCT_NAME) to access your microphone"`	iOS only A string to set the NSMicrophoneUsageDescription permission message.

Usage

import React, { useState, useEffect } from 'react';
import { Button, Image, View, Platform } from 'react-native';
import * as ImagePicker from 'expo-image-picker';

export default function ImagePickerExample() {
  const [image, setImage] = useState(null);

  const pickImage = async () => {
    // No permissions request is necessary for launching the image library
    let result = await ImagePicker.launchImageLibraryAsync({
      mediaTypes: ImagePicker.MediaTypeOptions.All,
      allowsEditing: true,
      aspect: [4, 3],
      quality: 1,
    });

    console.log(result);

    if (!result.cancelled) {
      setImage(result.uri);
    }
  };

  return (
    <View style={{ flex: 1, alignItems: 'center', justifyContent: 'center' }}>
      <Button title="Pick an image from camera roll" onPress={pickImage} />
      {image && <Image source={{ uri: image }} style={{ width: 200, height: 200 }} />}
    </View>
  );
}

When you run this example and pick an image, you will see the image that you picked show up in your app, and something similar to the following logged to your console:

{
  "cancelled":false,
  "height":1611,
  "width":2148,
  "uri":"file:///data/user/0/host.exp.exponent/cache/cropped1814158652.jpg"
}

Using ImagePicker with AWS S3

Please refer to the with-aws-storage-upload example. Follow Amplify docs to set your project up correctly.

Using ImagePicker with Firebase

Please refer to the with-firebase-storage-upload example. Make sure you follow the "Using Firebase" docs to set your project up correctly.

API

import * as ImagePicker from 'expo-image-picker';

Hooks

`useCameraPermissions`

Arguments

options? (PermissionHookOptions<object>)

Check or request permissions to access the camera. This uses both requestCameraPermissionsAsync and getCameraPermissionsAsync to interact with the permissions.

Example

const [status, requestPermission] = ImagePicker.useCameraPermissions();

Returns

[null | PermissionResponse, RequestPermissionMethod<PermissionResponse>, GetPermissionMethod<PermissionResponse>]

`useMediaLibraryPermissions`

Arguments

options? (PermissionHookOptions<{ writeOnly: boolean }>)

Check or request permissions to access the media library. This uses both requestMediaLibraryPermissionsAsync and getMediaLibraryPermissionsAsync to interact with the permissions.

Example

const [status, requestPermission] = ImagePicker.useMediaLibraryPermissions();

Returns

[null | MediaLibraryPermissionResponse, RequestPermissionMethod<MediaLibraryPermissionResponse>, GetPermissionMethod<MediaLibraryPermissionResponse>]

Methods

`ImagePicker.getCameraPermissionsAsync()`

Checks user's permissions for accessing camera.

Returns

Promise<CameraPermissionResponse>

A promise that fulfills with an object of type CameraPermissionResponse.

`ImagePicker.getCameraRollPermissionsAsync()`

Deprecated. Use getMediaLibraryPermissionsAsync() instead.

Returns

Promise<MediaLibraryPermissionResponse>

`ImagePicker.getMediaLibraryPermissionsAsync(writeOnly)`

Arguments

writeOnly (boolean) - Whether to request write or read and write permissions. Defaults to false

Checks user's permissions for accessing photos.

Returns

Promise<MediaLibraryPermissionResponse>

A promise that fulfills with an object of type MediaLibraryPermissionResponse.

`ImagePicker.getPendingResultAsync()`

Android system sometimes kills the MainActivity after the ImagePicker finishes. When this happens, we lost the data selected from the ImagePicker. However, you can retrieve the lost data by calling getPendingResultAsync. You can test this functionality by turning on Don't keep activities in the developer options.

Returns

Promise<(ImagePickerResult | ImagePickerErrorResult)[]>

On Android: a promise that resolves to an array of objects of exactly same type as in ImagePicker.launchImageLibraryAsync or ImagePicker.launchCameraAsync if the ImagePicker finished successfully. Otherwise, to the array of ImagePickerErrorResult.
On other platforms: an empty array.

`ImagePicker.launchCameraAsync(options)`

Arguments

options (ImagePickerOptions) - An ImagePickerOptions object.

Display the system UI for taking a photo with the camera. Requires Permissions.CAMERA. On Android and iOS 10 Permissions.CAMERA_ROLL is also required. On mobile web, this must be called immediately in a user interaction like a button press, otherwise the browser will bloc the request without a warning.

Note: Make sure that you handle MainActivity destruction on Android. See ImagePicker.getPendingResultAsync. Notes for Web: The system UI can only be shown after user activation (e.g. a Button press).

Therefore, calling launchCameraAsync in componentDidMount, for example, will not work as intended. The cancelled event will not be returned in the browser due to platform restrictions and inconsistencies across browsers.

Returns

Promise<ImagePickerResult>

If the user cancelled the action, the method returns { cancelled: true }. Otherwise, this method returns information about the selected media item. When the chosen item is an image, this method returns { cancelled: false, type: 'image', uri, width, height, exif, base64 }; when the item is a video, this method returns { cancelled: false, type: 'video', uri, width, height, duration }.

`ImagePicker.launchImageLibraryAsync(options)`

Arguments

options? (T) - An object extended by ImagePickerOptions.

Display the system UI for choosing an image or a video from the phone's library. Requires Permissions.MEDIA_LIBRARY on iOS 10 only. On mobile web, this must be called immediately in a user interaction like a button press, otherwise the browser will block the request without a warning. Animated GIFs support If the selected image is an animated GIF, the result image will be an animated GIF too if and only if quality is set to undefined and allowsEditing is set to false. Otherwise compression and/or cropper will pick the first frame of the GIF and return it as the result (on Android the result will be a PNG, on iOS — GIF).

Notes for Web: The system UI can only be shown after user activation (e.g. a Button press).

Therefore, calling launchImageLibraryAsync in componentDidMount, for example, will not work as intended. The cancelled event will not be returned in the browser due to platform restrictions and inconsistencies across browsers.

Returns

Promise<ExpandImagePickerResult<T>>

`ImagePicker.requestCameraPermissionsAsync()`

Asks the user to grant permissions for accessing camera. This does nothing on web because the browser camera is not used.

Returns

Promise<CameraPermissionResponse>

A promise that fulfills with an object of type CameraPermissionResponse.

`ImagePicker.requestCameraRollPermissionsAsync()`

Deprecated. Use requestMediaLibraryPermissionsAsync() instead.

Returns

Promise<MediaLibraryPermissionResponse>

`ImagePicker.requestMediaLibraryPermissionsAsync(writeOnly)`

Arguments

writeOnly (boolean) - Whether to request write or read and write permissions. Defaults to false

Asks the user to grant permissions for accessing user's photo. This method does nothing on web.

Returns

Promise<MediaLibraryPermissionResponse>

A promise that fulfills with an object of type MediaLibraryPermissionResponse.

Types

`CameraPermissionResponse`

PermissionResponse

Alias for PermissionResponse type exported by expo-modules-core.

`CameraRollPermissionResponse`

MediaLibraryPermissionResponse

Deprecated. Use ImagePicker.MediaLibraryPermissionResponse instead.

An alias for the MediaLibraryPermissionResponse object.

`ExpandImagePickerResult<T>`

Generic: T extends ImagePickerOptions | OpenFileBrowserOptions
Type: T extends { allowsMultipleSelection: true } ? ImagePickerMultipleResult : ImagePickerResult

`ImageInfo`

Name	Type	Description
base64 (optional)	`string`	Included if the `base64` option is truthy, and is a Base64-encoded string of the selected image's JPEG data. If you prepend this with `'data:image/jpeg;base64,'` to create a data URI, you can use it as the source of an `Image` element; for example: `<Image source={{ uri: 'data:image/jpeg;base64,' + launchCameraResult.base64 }} style={{ width: 200, height: 200 }} />`
cancelled	`boolean`	Boolean flag which shows if request was cancelled. If asset data have been returned this should always be `false`.
duration (optional)	`number`	Length of the video in milliseconds.
exif (optional)	`Record<string, any>`	The `exif` field is included if the `exif` option is truthy, and is an object containing the image's EXIF data. The names of this object's properties are EXIF tags and the values are the respective EXIF values for those tags.
height	`number`	Height of the image or video.
type (optional)	`'image' \| 'video'`	The type of the asset.
uri	`string`	URI to the local image or video file (usable as the source of an `Image` element, in the case of an image) and `width` and `height` specify the dimensions of the media.
width	`number`	Width of the image or video.

`ImagePickerCancelledResult`

An object returned when the pick action has been cancelled by the user.

Name	Type	Description
cancelled	`true`	-

`ImagePickerErrorResult`

Name	Type	Description
code	`string`	The error code.
exception (optional)	`string`	The exception which caused the error.
message	`string`	The error message.

`ImagePickerMultipleResult`

Name	Type	Description
cancelled	`false`	-
selected	`ImageInfo[]`	-

`ImagePickerOptions`

Name	Type	Description
allowsEditing (optional)	`boolean`	Whether to show a UI to edit the image after it is picked. On Android the user can crop and rotate the image and on iOS simply crop it. Default: `false`
allowsMultipleSelection (optional)	`boolean`	Web Only Whether or not to allow selecting multiple media files at once.
aspect (optional)	`[number, number]`	An array with two entries `[x, y]` specifying the aspect ratio to maintain if the user is allowed to edit the image (by passing `allowsEditing: true`). This is only applicable on Android, since on iOS the crop rectangle is always a square.
base64 (optional)	`boolean`	Whether to also include the image data in Base64 format.
exif (optional)	`boolean`	Whether to also include the EXIF data for the image. On iOS the EXIF data does not include GPS tags in the camera case.
mediaTypes (optional)	`MediaTypeOptions`	Choose what type of media to pick. Default: `ImagePicker.MediaTypeOptions.Images`
presentationStyle (optional)	`UIImagePickerPresentationStyle`	iOS Only Choose presentation style to customize view during taking photo/video. Default: `ImagePicker.UIImagePickerPresentationStyle.Automatic`
quality (optional)	`number`	Specify the quality of compression, from `0` to `1`. `0` means compress for small size, `1` means compress for maximum quality. Note: If the selected image has been compressed before, the size of the output file may be bigger than the size of the original image.
videoExportPreset (optional)	`VideoExportPreset`	Deprecated. See `videoExportPreset` in Apple documentation. iOS 11+ Only Specify preset which will be used to compress selected video. Default: `ImagePicker.VideoExportPreset.Passthrough`
videoMaxDuration (optional)	`number`	Maximum duration, in seconds, for video recording. Setting this to `0` disables the limit. Defaults to `0` (no limit). On iOS, when `allowsEditing` is set to `true`, maximum duration is limited to 10 minutes. This limit is applied automatically, if `0` or no value is specified. On Android, effect of this option depends on support of installed camera app. On Web this option has no effect - the limit is browser-dependant.
videoQuality (optional)	`UIImagePickerControllerQualityType`	iOS Only Specify the quality of recorded videos. Defaults to the highest quality available for the device. Default: `ImagePicker.UIImagePickerControllerQualityType.High`

`ImagePickerResult`

Acceptable values are: ImagePickerCancelledResult, ImageInfo.

`MediaLibraryPermissionResponse`

Extends PermissionResponse type exported by expo-modules-core and contains additional iOS-specific field.

PermissionResponse extended by:

Name	Type	Description
accessPrivileges (optional)	`'all' \| 'limited' \| 'none'`	iOS Only

`OpenFileBrowserOptions`

Name	Type	Description
allowsMultipleSelection	`boolean`	Web Only Whether or not to allow selecting multiple media files at once.
base64	`boolean`	Whether to also include the image data in Base64 format.
capture (optional)	`boolean`	-
mediaTypes	`MediaTypeOptions`	Choose what type of media to pick. Default: `ImagePicker.MediaTypeOptions.Images`

Name	Type	Description
canAskAgain	`boolean`	-
expires	`PermissionExpiration`	-
granted	`boolean`	-
status	`PermissionStatus`	-

Enums

`MediaTypeOptions`

All - Images and videos.
MediaTypeOptions.All ＝ "All"
Images - Only images.
MediaTypeOptions.Images ＝ "Images"
Videos - Only videos.
MediaTypeOptions.Videos ＝ "Videos"

`PermissionStatus`

DENIED
PermissionStatus.DENIED ＝ "denied"
GRANTED
PermissionStatus.GRANTED ＝ "granted"
UNDETERMINED
PermissionStatus.UNDETERMINED ＝ "undetermined"

`UIImagePickerControllerQualityType`

High - Highest available resolution.
UIImagePickerControllerQualityType.High ＝ 0
Medium - Depends on the device.
UIImagePickerControllerQualityType.Medium ＝ 1
Low - Depends on the device.
UIImagePickerControllerQualityType.Low ＝ 2
VGA640x480 - 640 × 480
UIImagePickerControllerQualityType.VGA640x480 ＝ 3
IFrame1280x720 - 1280 × 720
UIImagePickerControllerQualityType.IFrame1280x720 ＝ 4
IFrame960x540 - 960 × 540
UIImagePickerControllerQualityType.IFrame960x540 ＝ 5

`UIImagePickerPresentationStyle`

iOS Only

Picker presentation style. Its values are directly mapped to the UIModalPresentationStyle.

AUTOMATIC -
iOS 13+ Only
The default presentation style chosen by the system. On older iOS versions, falls back to WebBrowserPresentationStyle.FullScreen.
UIImagePickerPresentationStyle.AUTOMATIC ＝ "automatic"
Automatic
Deprecated. Use UIImagePickerPresentationStyle.AUTOMATIC instead.
UIImagePickerPresentationStyle.Automatic ＝ "automatic"
CURRENT_CONTEXT - A presentation style where the picker is displayed over the app's content.
UIImagePickerPresentationStyle.CURRENT_CONTEXT ＝ "currentContext"
CurrentContext
Deprecated. Use UIImagePickerPresentationStyle.CURRENT_CONTEXT instead.
UIImagePickerPresentationStyle.CurrentContext ＝ "currentContext"
FORM_SHEET - A presentation style that displays the picker centered in the screen.
UIImagePickerPresentationStyle.FORM_SHEET ＝ "formSheet"
FULL_SCREEN - A presentation style in which the presented picker covers the screen.
UIImagePickerPresentationStyle.FULL_SCREEN ＝ "fullScreen"
FormSheet
Deprecated. Use UIImagePickerPresentationStyle.FORM_SHEET instead.
UIImagePickerPresentationStyle.FormSheet ＝ "formSheet"
FullScreen
Deprecated. Use UIImagePickerPresentationStyle.FULL_SCREEN instead.
UIImagePickerPresentationStyle.FullScreen ＝ "fullScreen"
OVER_CURRENT_CONTEXT - A presentation style where the picker is displayed over the app's content.
UIImagePickerPresentationStyle.OVER_CURRENT_CONTEXT ＝ "overCurrentContext"
OVER_FULL_SCREEN - A presentation style in which the picker view covers the screen.
UIImagePickerPresentationStyle.OVER_FULL_SCREEN ＝ "overFullScreen"
OverCurrentContext
Deprecated. Use UIImagePickerPresentationStyle.OVER_CURRENT_CONTEXT instead.
UIImagePickerPresentationStyle.OverCurrentContext ＝ "overCurrentContext"
OverFullScreen
Deprecated. Use UIImagePickerPresentationStyle.OVER_FULL_SCREEN instead.
UIImagePickerPresentationStyle.OverFullScreen ＝ "overFullScreen"
PAGE_SHEET - A presentation style that partially covers the underlying content.
UIImagePickerPresentationStyle.PAGE_SHEET ＝ "pageSheet"
POPOVER - A presentation style where the picker is displayed in a popover view.
UIImagePickerPresentationStyle.POPOVER ＝ "popover"
PageSheet
Deprecated. Use UIImagePickerPresentationStyle.PAGE_SHEET instead.
UIImagePickerPresentationStyle.PageSheet ＝ "pageSheet"
Popover
Deprecated. Use UIImagePickerPresentationStyle.POPOVER instead.
UIImagePickerPresentationStyle.Popover ＝ "popover"

`VideoExportPreset`

Passthrough - Resolution: Unchanged • Video compression: None • Audio compression: None
VideoExportPreset.Passthrough ＝ 0
LowQuality - Resolution: Depends on the device • Video compression: H.264 • Audio compression: AAC
VideoExportPreset.LowQuality ＝ 1
MediumQuality - Resolution: Depends on the device • Video compression: H.264 • Audio compression: AAC
VideoExportPreset.MediumQuality ＝ 2
HighestQuality - Resolution: Depends on the device • Video compression: H.264 • Audio compression: AAC
VideoExportPreset.HighestQuality ＝ 3
H264_640x480 - Resolution: 640 × 480 • Video compression: H.264 • Audio compression: AAC
VideoExportPreset.H264_640x480 ＝ 4
H264_960x540 - Resolution: 960 × 540 • Video compression: H.264 • Audio compression: AAC
VideoExportPreset.H264_960x540 ＝ 5
H264_1280x720 - Resolution: 1280 × 720 • Video compression: H.264 • Audio compression: AAC
VideoExportPreset.H264_1280x720 ＝ 6
H264_1920x1080 - Resolution: 1920 × 1080 • Video compression: H.264 • Audio compression: AAC
VideoExportPreset.H264_1920x1080 ＝ 7
H264_3840x2160 - Resolution: 3840 × 2160 • Video compression: H.264 • Audio compression: AAC
VideoExportPreset.H264_3840x2160 ＝ 8
HEVC_1920x1080 - Resolution: 1920 × 1080 • Video compression: HEVC • Audio compression: AAC
VideoExportPreset.HEVC_1920x1080 ＝ 9
HEVC_3840x2160 - Resolution: 3840 × 2160 • Video compression: HEVC • Audio compression: AAC
VideoExportPreset.HEVC_3840x2160 ＝ 10

Permissions

Android

The following permissions are added automatically through the library AndroidManifest.xml.

Android Permission	Description
`CAMERA`	Required to be able to access the camera device.
`READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE`	Allows an application to read from external storage.
`WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE`	Allows an application to write to external storage.

iOS

The following usage description keys are used by the APIs in this library.

Info.plist Key	Description
`NSMicrophoneUsageDescription`	A message that tells the user why the app is requesting access to the device’s microphone.
`NSPhotoLibraryUsageDescription`	A message that tells the user why the app is requesting access to the user’s photo library.
`NSCameraUsageDescription`	A message that tells the user why the app is requesting access to the device’s camera.