No way to resize photos when sending email? (observations by a return Android user)

[greg30127]

I used to use a Samsung Fascinate with Android 2.3 a few years back, and upgraded, dare I say this out loud, to an iPhone 4s after that. Last week after having grown tired of Apple's Stalin-like stuff, I decided to splurge and get the Razr Maxx HD and go back to Android.

There are certainly a lot of things to like about this phone as well as the battery life, but maybe I missed a lot in the last few Android updates - it almost in some ways seems to be nearly as restrictive as the Apple now, and I'm not sure if it's Android or Motorola's warping of the phone OS. Back on my last Android phone it seemed I kept finding new things I could do on the phone... now it seems like every day I'm discovering things I can't do on the phone/OS (??). Maybe someone can enlighten me.

Example: I have my google account set in the phone, and my gmail account as the only email account on it. If I'm in the gallery and choose a photo to send, I'll enter the email of the recipient, and "send"... no menu comes up asking me if I'd like to resize it, or asking me if I'd like to send a small/medium/original, etc version of it... you get the idea. I've noticed this does this if I send a pic directly from the gallery, or, if I directly use the Gmail icon/app on the phone as well. There are no settings on that app that allows you to change photo attachment sizes, etc. No matter what I do, the pics are being sent full size/resolution. So is there just NO way to send a smaller sized (let's say 800 pixel or so) version of a photo directly like this on this phone? I know from reading that people say there are third party apps that can maybe do this, but, I'm not crazy about having to use an outside app to it... guess I'm paranoid that the thing is making copies of my pics and sending them to whoever wrote the app or whatever. I'd prefer to do it via the phone directly.

Side note, The phone is completely updated to 4.1.1.

I've been somewhat deflated about this phone so far... my phone seems to have a slightly weaker than normal wifi antennae, and I've discovered that the stock messaging app that comes with it is no more customizable than Apple's is in terms of being able to change appearance, etc. I love the screen and battery life, but if I keep finding that everything on it is so restrictive I may return it and just go back to my old phone at this rate. Any help is appreciated.

 

[FoxKat]

No, it's not built into either Android or Gmail. You can try the following free apps (the first is a Lite version of a paid app - but the cost of the pad app is only $1.24!). Both work quite nicely. Watch the video in the first one!

https://play.google.com/store/apps/...ivetree.imageshrinklite&feature=search_result

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.shoozhoo.imageresizer&feature=search_result

 

[greg30127]

I guess I'll have to give one of those third party apps a try then. I saw a thread elsewhere where folks were bragging about that Reduce Photo Size app. Hate to resort to apps for something that by now SHOULD be built into a phone/OS, but that may be my only option. I guess if I want to customize the look of the messaging area I'll have to go to an app for that as well, huh? Are there any messaging apps that are very reliable (no "lost" messages) that by now everyone is convinced isn't sending copies of your texts to the app developers for whatever reason?

 

[moset]

Re: No way to resize photos when sending email?

What if you send the pic to yourself as a text. Does that resize the pic like you want? Then you can long press the pic in the text and "share".
This works on RAZR with ICS.
It's several steps but i would think no more than a third party app to resize, then send via email. That is if the size you want to send is what you get for a text.

RAZR MAXX



RAZR MAXX

 

[FoxKat]

I guess I'll have to give one of those third party apps a try then. I saw a thread elsewhere where folks were bragging about that Reduce Photo Size app. Hate to resort to apps for something that by now SHOULD be built into a phone/OS, but that may be my only option. I guess if I want to customize the look of the messaging area I'll have to go to an app for that as well, huh? Are there any messaging apps that are very reliable (no "lost" messages) that by now everyone is convinced isn't sending copies of your texts to the app developers for whatever reason?

Frankly, if the App integrates as well with the system as Reduce Photo Size does, does it really matter that it's a third party app and not a pre-installed app or integrated into the OS?

Regarding the need to use an App for functions you believe should be built in, there are many others who would rather the OS be as streamlined as possible and only provide the "necessary" functionality, and then they can customize it to their own desires. This methodology yields a device that is both faster and also fits the end user more perfectly. Apple's way of "our way is the only way" may work for the sheeple, but for those who like to do things their own way, it severely limits that option.

And regarding messaging apps that don't lose messages, I have never "lost" a message with gmail. In fact, it's so much more reliable and fast as a primary email that I am considering taking my full-time business off of third-party POP and SMTP servers that I often have trouble with, and which sometimes take 5-10 minutes for emails to arrive in my inbox, and move my entire operation to Gmail. Gmail emails appear within seconds of being transmitted, shockingly fast in fact. I hit send on my PC and suddenly my phone "bongs" to tell me it's arrived. That's almost TOO fast. I often wonder if it simply bypasses the internet and the email arrives in my phone by osmosis!

The rumors regarding Gmail (or other messaging apps), supposedly sending copies of your emails (or texts) to app developers may have merit but I don't know. Seems to me there is an issue of privacy that may not be able to be violated and this causes me to be a bit skeptical of the conspiracy theory. Don't get me wrong...I am relatively open to conspiracy theories, but only where they make good sense.

I'll get off my soapbox now.

Try K9 (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fsck.k9&feature=search_result).

Good luck! :biggrin:

 

[ambrown]

As far as I know no phone I've owned has had that feature. Most photos automatically resize for texts for obvious limitations, but email hasn't had that. Perhaps what you're missing is exclusive to Samsung phones. Its possible since TouchWiz takes the approach of adding lots of extra features. Motorola on the other hand has been getting more stock with few additions, especially since Google bought Motorola. HTC doesn't do that either that I'm aware of.

That said resize apps are fine, they don't steal pictures, though they likely collect some user data, as most apps do. And most can do the resize in as few steps as possible.

Sent from my DROID2

 

[greg30127]

Frankly, if the App integrates as well with the system as Reduce Photo Size does, does it really matter that it's a third party app and not a pre-installed app or integrated into the OS?

Regarding the need to use an App for functions you believe should be built in, there are many others who would rather the OS be as streamlined as possible and only provide the "necessary" functionality, and then they can customize it to their own desires.

I fully agree that you don't want a phone OS to be bloated with tons of junk. But imo I just don't think it would be THAT much of an issue to have a 'resize' in the menu for email photo attachments. I really wouldn't see that as a bloatware or something that would slow people down.

 

[greg30127]

As far as I know no phone I've owned has had that feature. Most photos automatically resize for texts for obvious limitations, but email hasn't had that. Perhaps what you're missing is exclusive to Samsung phones. Its possible since TouchWiz takes the approach of adding lots of extra features.

Very possible that this was a Samsung built-in added feature, then. My Samsung did it, and a coworker's Samsung does it - so could be brand specific.

Regarding what phones do... Apple's iPhone does things backwards... when you're sending an email, it gives you various photo size choices before you send your email (good), but when you send a photo as a picture message, it does not resize it... at least mine never did... it just sent the full sized 8mp photo with every picture text I did (dumb).

 

[RETG]

I fully agree that you don't want a phone OS to be bloated with tons of junk. But imo I just don't think it would be THAT much of an issue to have a 'resize' in the menu for email photo attachments. I really wouldn't see that as a bloatware or something that would slow people down.

And by the time the developers add in every little thing every person wants and thinks should be part of the O/S, you have just increased it with bloated junk that only a few will use. I would bet that everyone has something they would like to added to the O/S, that can be added via another app for less than two bucks.