Install BGI Images for Android
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Tap the green button below to download the app
It's about 6 MB and takes a few seconds.
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Open the downloaded file
Best case: Chrome shows an "Open" button in a small banner at the bottom of the screen — tap it.
If no Open button appears (common on Pixel and stock Android):
- Open the Files app (sometimes called "Files by Google" or "My Files")
- Go to Downloads
- Tap bgi-images.apk
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Allow installs from this source
Android will warn: "For your security, your phone isn't allowed to install unknown apps from this source."
Tap Settings → toggle "Allow from this source" on → tap the back arrow.
You only do this once per app (Chrome or Files). Android remembers it.
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Tap Install
The install dialog will reopen. Tap Install, wait a few seconds, then tap Open (or find BGI Images in your app drawer).
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Grant Photos and Location on first upload
The first time you tap "choose files" inside the app, Android will ask:
- Allow access to your photos? → tap Allow all
- Allow location for media? → tap Allow
This is what makes GPS data come through to the dashboard.
Why install an app at all?
Chrome on Android strips GPS coordinates from photo uploads as a privacy
feature — even if your photo has GPS, the website never sees it. The native
BGI Images app holds the right Android permission (ACCESS_MEDIA_LOCATION)
so photos arrive with full GPS intact, which means each photo gets a real
Map link on the dashboard instead of "no location".
The app is a thin shell around files.blueglassinsights.com — same website, same login, same dashboard. The only difference is the photo picker.
You're on iOS
The Android app doesn't run on iPhone. iOS Safari doesn't strip GPS as aggressively, so just keep using the website at files.blueglassinsights.com.
If you'd like a real iPhone app for the team, ping us — we can ship one to TestFlight, but it requires an Apple Developer subscription ($99/yr) and a Mac to build, so we left it as opt-in.
You're on a desktop computer
The app is for Android phones only. To install it:
- Open this page on your Android phone (you can text yourself this link or scan the QR code below).
- Follow the steps that appear.
Tip: send yourself this URL — https://files.blueglassinsights.com/install
Why?
Desktop browsers don't strip GPS, so on a computer you don't need the app — just use the website directly.