Everything you need to know about Rando — compatibility, features, privacy, and pricing. Click a question to expand.
Yes — and it's completely free.
Rando is a Universal app for iPhone and iPad. Tap to surface a random memory from your Photos library, swipe through, or let the slideshow run.
Yes! Absolutely.
Rando works perfectly with:
Yes! Photos Library integration is now available on macOS.
You can browse and select albums directly from your Mac's Photos Library:
Privacy note: Rando requests read-only access to your Photos Library. Your photos never leave your Mac - we can't see them.
iPhone & iPad: The iOS app reads directly from your Photos library and the Files app — pick any album or folder and start randomizing.
Note: Photos Library integration on the desktop app is macOS only. Windows users can access local folders and external drives.
Rando supports all common image formats:
macOS: Most RAW formats work natively through the system's built-in support.
Windows: HEIC and RAW formats are supported natively using the built-in Magick.NET library. No additional codec extensions required!
Your iPhone photos and professional camera RAW files work out of the box.
A lot. Rando scans at the filesystem level, not EXIF, so it loads tens of thousands of photos in seconds, not minutes. Even faster on Apple Silicon.
Whether you have 500 photos or 50,000, Rando handles it smoothly.
The randomization experience and privacy.
They don't shuffle. Google Photos and iCloud Photos don't offer true randomization. Their "Memories" features use algorithms to surface photos based on dates, people, and places - predictable and curated, not random. You see the same highlights over and over.
Rando gives you genuine surprise and control. Every click delivers something unexpected from your entire collection. When something catches your eye, you can drill into that folder and explore that moment. Then zoom back out to random. You'll rediscover photos you'd never have browsed to manually.
Plus, there's the privacy advantage: Cloud services require uploading everything to their servers, which means:
Rando keeps everything local. Your photos stay on YOUR drives. We literally cannot see them - there are no servers to upload to.
Rando offers a lot for free, forever.
Free version includes:
Everyone gets a 7-day free trial of Pro features.
Pro unlocks the full experience:
Pro subscription: $4.99/month, $49.99/year, or $109 lifetime.
Yes! Use Grid Sort Mode to switch between Random and sequential order.
The sort button in the toolbar (the ↑↓ icon) lets you browse your entire scanned library sorted by:
Click the same sort mode again to flip between ascending and descending. You can also right-click any image and use the "Sort Grid" submenu. Click Randomize anytime to return to random discovery.
Platform availability: Available on macOS (v4.2.0+). Windows support planned for a future update.
Yes, through folder selection.
When you select a folder, Rando only randomizes photos within that folder (and subfolders). Simply don't select folders you want to exclude.
Pro tip: Organize sensitive photos into separate folders and don't select those folders. This gives you complete control over what Rando can access.
Yes! 100% offline.
Rando never requires an internet connection. All processing happens locally on your device. Perfect for:
Different random photos on each screen. Turn any room into an immersive memory experience.
Not a screensaver. You're actively engaged: keyboard control, zoom, and the ability to drill into any folder. One monitor can run random discovery while another explores a specific event or year.
Three control modes:
To start: Go to Slideshow → Start Slideshow on Monitor and select which screen.
Platform availability: Available on macOS and Windows.
The Standard slideshow shows one photo at a time. The new Collage slideshow (5.0) fills the whole screen with many photos at once.
The Standard slideshow is the classic, focused experience: one image fills the display, and you step, zoom, drill into a folder, or cull as you go.
The Collage slideshow turns your display into a living wall of photos that keeps refreshing on its own — dozens of moments on screen at once. Set it and walk away. Pick the look that fits your space:
It's hands-off but interactive whenever you want: double-click any tile to jump into a full slideshow starting from that photo, click a tile's edge to flip it back or forward, or hover for its filename and controls. Animated GIFs and WebP images play right inside their tiles, too. On multiple monitors you can mirror the same wall across every display or run a different collage on each. Set the pace, default layout, Flow tile size, and reshuffle timing in Slideshow Preferences.
Yes. The Flow collage wall drifts on its own, and you're in full control of how it moves.
Everything works the same on Mac and Windows.
By default, it shuffles once and loops that order. When you start a random slideshow, Rando shuffles your photos so every photo is shown once before any repeats - then it replays that same order each time it loops back to the start.
If you'd rather have a different order every loop, turn on the "Reshuffle order each loop" option in Slideshow Preferences (it's also in the Quick Settings panel). With it on, an auto-advancing random slideshow generates a fresh shuffle every time it wraps to the start - so each pass through your photos is in a new order. Every photo is still shown once per pass; only the order changes between passes.
It applies when sort order is Random and Loop is on, and only while the slideshow is auto-advancing - stepping through manually with the arrow keys never changes your order.
7-day FREE trial, then:
Both plans unlock all Pro features. No credit card required for the free trial.
Yes. Subscriptions are managed through the Mac App Store or Microsoft Store. Cancel anytime from your account settings.
If you cancel, Pro features remain active until the end of your current billing period.
Yes. On the Mac App Store you can switch from monthly to annual at any time - use the one-tap "Switch to Annual" prompt inside the app, or the Mac App Store subscription settings. Your annual plan begins at your next renewal date, so there's no double billing and nothing to cancel.
Annual is $49.99/year versus $4.99/month - that's like getting two months free. On Windows, switch by starting the annual plan in the Microsoft Store and cancelling your monthly plan from your account.
No! Early adopters who purchased before we switched to subscriptions have lifetime access to all Pro features - no subscription needed. Our way of saying thank you for supporting us early.
Special access for beta testers and partners.
The "Unlock Lifetime Access" feature in the Help menu allows select users (beta testers, reviewers, press, special partners) to unlock permanent Pro access using special access codes without requiring a subscription.
This feature is not publicly available but may be offered to select users for testing, reviews, or promotional purposes. If you've been provided an access code, you can use this feature to unlock Pro features permanently.
For regular users: Start your 7-day free trial to experience all Pro features, then choose monthly or annual billing.
Yes! Your subscription works on all devices signed into your App Store or Microsoft Store account.
For example: One subscription covers your MacBook, iMac, and Mac Mini (or multiple Windows PCs).
Family Sharing (Apple): Rando supports Apple Family Sharing, so your subscription can be shared with up to 5 family members on their own devices.
We literally cannot see your photos. Here's why:
Your photos stay exactly where you put them - on your drives, under your control, accessible only to you.
No. Rando never modifies your original files.
When you tag photos or create slideshows, all metadata is stored in a separate local database. Your original images remain untouched and unmodified. You can delete Rando at any time without affecting your photo collection.
iPhone & iPad:
macOS:
Windows:
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