Plex launches dedicated photos app, shifts main app focus to movies and TV shows

Plex has introduced the Plex Photos app beta for iOS and Android, focusing solely on personal photo collections, similar to Google Photos or the recently launched Shine by Yahoo. This marks a shift in Plex's strategy to streamline its main app, which will now prioritize movies, TV shows, discovery, and social media community features

Initially limited to mobile devices, the Plex Photos app will expand to additional platforms by 2025. Consequently, the main Plex app will phase out access to photos and music, concentrating on its core media functions. The new Plex Photos app includes basic features like swiping through photos, zooming, viewing metadata, and organizing images by timeline or folder, but lacks image editing or sharing options.

Plex's decision is based on usage data showing that only 2.5% of its community uses music playback and a mere 0.2% accesses photos monthly. Future updates for Plex Photos will enhance search capabilities, TV casting, and integration with Plex Media Server. Meanwhile, Plexamp, the dedicated music app, will continue to evolve, although the partnership with TIDAL will end on October 28, 2024. Additionally, Plex is expanding its developer program and open APIs to encourage third-party developers to create new apps and experiences, potentially including e-books or podcasts.