Essentials - MediaPicker add method to select multiple images

[janseris]

Description

Currently for images/photos, there is MediaPicker class with PickPhotoAsync and CapturePhotoAsync methods available.
PickPhotoAsync only selects 1 image at a time from gallery.
However, for FilePicker, there is PickMultipleAsync method available.

It should be possible to select multiple images, too.

Temporary workaround:

• probably via FilePicker.PickMultipleAsync with some image types restriction but that is unneccessary complexity

Public API Changes

MediaPicker class: add PickMultiplePhotosAsync or similar method

Intended Use-Case

pick multiple images from gallery

[AbstractionsAs]

Is there any ETA on this?

[janseris]

@AbstractionsAs This is not an answer to your question but I suggest you add like reaction to the post to push it upwards in priority. A lot of .NET GitHub works like this.

[johanlangevillecab]

It would also be nice to have a CapturePhotosAsync to take multiple photos without closing the camera

[ctigrisht]

I fully support this, it should have been a basic feature

[nathanjeynes]

This is needed and was available in the Xamarin forms essentials, not sure why this has been left out but its a key feature that many apps rely on.

[antiGithub]

I would also need this feature very badly

[ghost]

We've moved this issue to the Backlog milestone. This means that it is not going to be worked on for the coming release. We will reassess the backlog following the current release and consider this item at that time. To learn more about our issue management process and to have better expectation regarding different types of issues you can read our Triage Process.

[nc-kano]

Currently we can only select images OR videos so also option for images AND videos would be nice.

[harima34]

Any news ?
There is no way for filepicker to access album photo ? (at least for ios)
Or a way for CrossMedia can select multiple file ?
It would be nice

[Brosten]

The camera and photo selection parts really needs to be better in MAUI. I just learned that another team close to me picked another framework in favor of .net MAUI with the lack of good photo support as the major reason. Too bad MediaGallery (https://github.com/dimonovdd/Xamarin.MediaGallery) seems abandoned. Last commit 10 months ago.

[shingming]

The camera and photo selection parts really needs to be better in MAUI. I just learned that another team close to me picked another framework in favor of .net MAUI with the lack of good photo support as the major reason. Too bad MediaGallery (https://github.com/dimonovdd/Xamarin.MediaGallery) seems abandoned. Last commit 10 months ago.

I agree the photo picker in MAUI is very needs to be enhanced. The MediaGallery you mentioned is not abandoned and is currently good to go in the MAUI project. (I use it in my MAUI pj, too)
In current situation, I think MediaGallery is the good solution.

[Simo4565]

I would also need this feature

[mnidhk]

is there a workaround or still no option to pick multiple images?

[shingming]

@mnidhk

Currently, I use this plugin in my .NET MAUI project to implement the multiple selection, and this works fine for me: https://github.com/dimonovdd/Xamarin.MediaGallery

[Odaronil]

I need this too! Microsoft pay attention!

[johannes-steurer]

yes, definitly needed

[samanson123]

Would be a very useful built in option. I'm having to use Xamarin.MediaGallery as a workaround same as many others.

[hernandoz]

This is an essential functionality for most enterprise apps, this should be a priority for the MAUI Team .

[SteHiggins]

We really need this. Is there an ETA?

[janseris]

We really need this. Is there an ETA?

MAUI's development is ~dead
Realistic perspective from a person who has been following it for 2 years (since 4 months before its release) and judging by what and how many issues have been or are being fixed and what embarrassing issues which we did not think were possible in a production UI framework our developers and me have been encountering and still are encountering).
Fixes or new features which are released are negligible and take years even if they are important because there are few developers included and this has not changed much in these 2 years.

[mackayn]

Xamarin media gallery can be ported to .NET8 for now, just done this for a project to get multi-photos select unblocked.

https://github.com/dimonovdd/Xamarin.MediaGallery

[waldevelop]

Hi Mackayn
how di you convert it to .NET 8? In Visual Studio I don't find this option and It's not possible to build it for Net 6

[samanson123]

Hi Mackayn
how di you convert it to .NET 8? In Visual Studio I don't find this option and It's not possible to build it for Net 6

Downloaded the latest version of the Nuget package in your .NET 8 project.

[mackayn]

Hi Mackayn
how di you convert it to .NET 8? In Visual Studio I don't find this option and It's not possible to build it for Net 6

Downloaded the latest version of the Nuget package in your .NET 8 project.

That didn't work for me anyway, it wouldn't compile. I manually changed the framework references to .NET8 in the proj file, there's a LOT of compilers redirections to support portable & .NET8, we made some small tweaks for deprecated iOS calls but it's not a package as such, just a solution project, also had to stub a few interface implementations to allow it to compile .NET8 so the app could be unit tested but if you don't have to do that, you don't need to worry about it.

[mackayn]

We really need this. Is there an ETA?

MAUI's development is ~dead Realistic perspective from a person who has been following it for 2 years (since 4 months before its release) and judging by what and how many issues have been or are being fixed and what embarrassing issues which we did not think were possible in a production UI framework our developers and me have been encountering and still are encountering). Fixes or new features which are released are negligible and take years even if they are important because there are few developers included and this has not changed much in these 2 years.

It has it's challenges but just finished porting a large enterprise SAAS app to MAUI successfully.

[mackayn]

Hi Mackayn how di you convert it to .NET 8? In Visual Studio I don't find this option and It's not possible to build it for Net 6

I manually changed the csroj files and compiler redirections in code to .NET8. You need to get your hands dirty under the hood. This package could be updated pretty easily to support .NET8. There's a few other things that might need tweaking.

[endeakidz]

This should be the highest priority for MAUI iOS / Android development.

[MitchBomcanhao]

This should be the highest priority for MAUI iOS / Android development.

This should be the highest priority for MAUI iOS / Android development.

[h0lg]

It would also be nice to have a CapturePhotosAsync to take multiple photos without closing the camera

Agreed! It could be introduced into the UI flow as a third option of the dialog you get after taking a photo: Retake | Use Photo | Use and take another

[Alex-Dobrynin]

Hi guys, using this one lib for picking media files MPowerKit.MediaPlugin. Works like a charm. https://github.com/MPowerKit/MediaPlugin

[ichimukuren]

I support this issue. The ability to select multiple images in one action would be very helpful. Using FilePicker.PickMultipleAsync as a workaround adds unnecessary complexity, especially when only images are needed. Adding a method like PickMultiplePhotosAsync in the MediaPicker class would simplify this process significantly.

[h0lg]

You can currently work around this by re-triggering the taking of a single photo until the user cancels:

private async Task TakePhoto()
{
    var photo = await MediaPicker.Default.CapturePhotoAsync();

    if (photo != null)
    {
        await SavePhotoAsync(photo);
        await Task.Delay(1000); // seems to be required for MediaPicker to open again
        await TakePhoto(); // keep taking photos until user cancels
    }
}

[Alex-Dobrynin]

@h0lg if i would do this workaround, i probably could be fired few times

[h0lg]

@h0lg if i would do this workaround, i probably could be fired few times

@Alex-Dobrynin I think we can agree on that this is a bit of a cheeky work around :) Yet it achieves something close to the desired behaviour with the current MediaPicker API.
Obviously, it shows off capturing instead of picking - and you may want to consider making this mode an alternative to picking a single photo instead of the default. Adapt as you like.

Send my regards to your boss. Pragmatism is not for everyone :)

[Simoo23]

I need this too!

[waldevelop]

I tried to install this plugin from NuGet https://github.com/MPowerKit/MediaPlugin but it can't be installed on Windows. I can see it inside the IOS and Android packages after the installation but not inside Windows so I can't reference it inside the MauiProgram.cs file. Did someone experience the same problem ?

[Simoo23]

At the moment I'm using MediaGallery (https://github.com/dimonovdd/Xamarin.MediaGallery) but an official solution (with official support) will be better

[Alex-Dobrynin]

@waldevelop you need to enable long file pathes in windows. You can read more here MPowerKit/Lottie#1

[waldevelop]

thanks @Alex-Dobrynin I tried to follow the suggestions but the problem is still there. I'll try to see if a PC reboot could be the solution