Most iPhone users would have a plethora of photographs ready to show family, friends, and associates. The problem that currently exists, and one that needed to be solved, was how to only show a select few. Safe Slide is an ingenious app that handles this very task, albeit it simply.
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Features
- On-demand private photo sharing.
- Slideshow presentation styles.
- Share photographs with others directly on your iPhone
Using Safe Slide
As with all third party iOS apps that require access to your Camera Roll, you will need to have the app turned on in Location Services. This is by no means a limitation, but some users may prefer not to use Location Services on their device.
When the app loads, you will be presented with a simple but elegant user interface that includes the photographs contained within your Camera Roll. At this point in time there is no access to the Photo Stream. Depending on where the photographs are located, that you would like to share, this could be of concern to some users.
The main selection window
The premise is simple. Select the photographs you want someone to see by tapping on the appropriate thumbnails, then tap the share button and pass your iPhone to the intended audience. Recorded videos are also playable in the viewing area of the app, if selected.
Viewers can then swipe, left to right, through the collection you have allocated. In the viewing area there is also standard controls for previous, next, and close.
The viewer window showing basic controls
The navigation between photographs occurs without delay, and video playback is equally responsive.
Closing the viewing window allows your audience to view the thumbnails of your photographs, as well as select others to view. It would be nice to see a password protected option to prevent this process.
When you want to change the selection, you can either deselect previously selected photographs or, simply tap clear to start with a completely unique selection.
As initially mentioned, Safe Slide is simple. There are literally no additional preferences or features to discuss.
Whilst it may not have all the bells and whistles, of its competitors, it does perform as advertised. The app is a version 1.0 release and it is somewhat refreshing to see a developer who has worked on building a solid foundation, prior to proceeding with additional features, that may, or may not result in user satisfaction.
If the app isn't for you, there is always the option of creating folders, of photographs for various groups of people, within the Photos app. Whilst this is useful, it lacks the on-demand ease of use I feel you get from the Safe Slide app.
What I Did Like
Simple and elegant interface.
A version 1.0 app that performs as advertised and doesn’t try to do everything at once.
What I Didn't Like
Landscape viewing of photographs and video is not available in version 1.0. The developer has advised that an update to the app, due within the next week, will address this issue allowing full landscape compatibility.
It is too easy for viewers to go back to the thumbnail view and select new photographs from your camera roll. A password protection option for this area would be a welcome solution.
Summary
Safe Slide is an app that performs a single task and does so well. Although, it would certainly benefit from password protection when in viewing mode.
Other features that would be nice to see included is the ability to collate and share selected paragraphs via social networks or email. Batch uploading to services such as Flickr would also be useful, as would the ability to create folders for specific audiences.
The developer has indicated, via communications, that improvements and additional features will be added in the coming weeks. They are clearly committed to providing improved usability and customer support.
At US$1.99, the price may be a little steep for the current functionality. Although, with continued development, I feel Safe Slide has the potential to be a solid utility and a welcome addition to any iPhone.