macOS Platform Guide

Everything you need to know about Rando on macOS.

System Requirements

Minimum Requirements

• macOS Version: macOS 12.0 (Monterey) or later
• Architecture: Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3) or Intel
• Memory: 4GB RAM minimum (8GB recommended)
• Storage: 100MB for app + space for thumbnail cache
• Display: Any Mac display (Retina optimized)

Recommended Specifications

• macOS Version: macOS 13.0 (Ventura) or later
• Memory: 8GB+ RAM for large photo libraries
• Storage: SSD for optimal performance
• Display: Retina display for best image quality

Installation

Mac App Store Installation

The recommended way to install Rando:

1. Open Mac App Store on your Mac
2. Search for "Rando" or visit direct link
3. Click "Get" or price button
4. Authenticate with Touch ID/password
5. App installs to Applications folder
6. Launch from Launchpad or Applications

Advantages of Mac App Store:

• Automatic updates
• Integrated purchase restoration
• Sandboxed for security
• Family Sharing support
• Official distribution channel

First Launch

Initial setup steps:

1. Launch Rando from Applications folder
2. Welcome screen appears for new users
3. Optional analytics opt-in (privacy-first)
4. Select your first folder to begin
5. Grant permissions if prompted

macOS-Specific Features

Security and Permissions

Folder Access Permissions

macOS sandboxing requires explicit permission:

• First Selection: Dialog appears requesting folder access
• Security-Scoped Bookmarks: Rando remembers permissions
• Recent Folders: Previously granted folders accessible
• Revoke Access: Handled through System Preferences if needed

How permissions work:

1. Click "Select Folder"
2. Choose folder in native picker
3. macOS grants access to that folder and subfolders
4. Permission stored for future sessions
5. Re-grant if you move folder locations

Photos Library Access

Rando can directly access your Photos Library albums:

• System Permission Dialog: Appears on first access to Photos Library
• Privacy Settings: Manage in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Photos
• PhotoKit Framework: Native integration for photo access
• No Photo Modification: Rando has read-only access
• Album Browser: Browse and select specific albums from your Photos Library
• Hidden Album Protection: Confirmation required before viewing Hidden album
• Recently Deleted Filtered: Automatically excluded for safety

To access Photos Library:

1. Click "Select Source" in Rando
2. Click "Photos Library" in the Local Storage section
3. Browse and select an album
4. Grant permission when prompted (first time only)

Native macOS Integration

Menu Bar

Standard macOS menus:

Keyboard Shortcuts

macOS-specific shortcuts use Command (⌘) key:

Essential:

• ⌘O - Open folder
• ⌘, - Preferences
• ⌘Q - Quit app
• ⌘W - Close window
• ⌘M - Minimize window

Navigation:

• ⌘R - Random selection
• ⌘[ - Back (Pro)
• ⌘] - Forward (Pro)

File Operations:

• ⌘C - Copy image
• ⌘⇧C - Copy path
• ⌘S - Save to Desktop
• ⌘⇧R - Reveal in Finder

Tagging (Pro):

• ⌘T - Tag menu
• ⌘F - Filter by tag
• 1-9 - Quick tag

See Keyboard Shortcuts for complete reference.

Trackpad Gestures

Native macOS trackpad support:

Slideshow mode:

• Pinch to zoom: Two-finger pinch gesture
• Pan while zoomed: Two-finger drag
• Swipe navigation: Three-finger swipe left/right (if enabled)

Thumbnail grid:

• Scroll: Two-finger scroll to navigate
• Smart zoom: Double-tap with two fingers

System Integration

Finder Integration

Reveal in Finder:

1. Right-click any photo in Rando
2. Select "Reveal in Finder"
3. Finder window opens with file selected
4. Works from slideshow or thumbnail view

File Operations:

• Copy images to clipboard (⌘C)
• Drag images from Rando to Finder
• Export to Desktop with conflict resolution
• Original files never modified

Quick Look Support

Preview integration:

1. Right-click image → "Open in Preview"
2. Opens in macOS Preview app
3. Full Preview editing tools available
4. Changes don't affect Rando's view

Spotlight Integration

Rando's files are indexed by Spotlight for system-wide search.

Services Menu

Rando appears in Services menu when compatible content is selected in other apps.

File System

Supported Locations

Local storage:

• Internal SSD/HDD
• External USB drives (USB 3.0+ recommended)
• Thunderbolt/USB-C drives
• SD cards and card readers
• Network Attached Storage (mounted volumes)

Mounted volumes:

• SMB/AFP network shares
• NFS mounts
• iCloud Drive (local files)
• External cloud mounts (rclone, etc.)

File Format Support

Supported image formats:

• PNG (.png)
• JPEG (.jpg, .jpeg)
• GIF (.gif) - Animated GIF playback in slideshow
• BMP (.bmp)
• HEIC/HEIF (.heic, .heif) - Modern iPhone/camera format
• TIFF (.tiff, .tif)
• RAW formats - Professional camera RAW files:
  • Nikon: .nef
  • Canon: .cr2, .cr3
  • Sony: .arw
  • Adobe: .dng
  • Olympus: .orf
  • Panasonic: .rw2
  • Pentax: .pef
  • Fujifilm: .raf

Format detection:

• Case-insensitive extension matching
• Automatic format identification
• Corrupted file handling
• Invalid format skipping

Hidden Files

Automatic filtering:

• Files starting with . are excluded (.DS_Store, etc.)
• Hidden folders skipped during scan
• System folders ignored
• Cache directories excluded

Pro Features and Purchases

StoreKit Integration

Native Mac App Store purchases:

• In-App Purchase Flow: Standard iOS/macOS StoreKit
• Touch ID/Face ID: Biometric authentication for purchases
• Family Sharing: Share Pro subscription with family (up to 6 people)
• Purchase Restoration: Automatic on new devices signed in to same Apple ID

Subscription Management

Manage through macOS:

1. System Preferences → Apple ID → Media & Purchases
2. View Information → Manage Subscriptions
3. Find "Rando Pro"
4. Cancel, Change Plan, or View Billing

Or via App Store app:

1. Open App Store
2. Click profile icon (top-right)
3. Manage Subscriptions
4. Select Rando Pro

Trial Management

7-day free trial:

• Automatically starts on first Pro feature access
• Full access during trial period
• Can cancel anytime during trial with no charge
• Reminder notifications before trial ends

Trial status visible in:

• Preferences window
• Pro feature upgrade area
• Subscription management in App Store

Legacy Purchasers

Grandfathered users:

If you purchased the one-time $4.99 Pro unlock before subscriptions:

• Lifetime access maintained - No subscription required
• All Pro features unlocked - Including new features
• Special indicator - "Lifetime Pro" status shown
• Family Sharing compatible - If purchased with Family Sharing enabled

Lifetime Access Unlock

Special access for beta testers and partners:

Rando includes a lifetime access unlock system for beta testers, reviewers, and special partners:

• Access via Help Menu - Help → "Unlock Lifetime Access..."
• Enter Access Code - Special codes grant permanent Pro access
• No Subscription Needed - Once unlocked, Pro features are permanently enabled
• Shows "Pro Lifetime" Status - Indicates lifetime access in the app
• Device-Specific - Access is tied to your specific Mac for security

This feature is not publicly available but may be offered to select users for testing, reviews, or promotional purposes.

Performance Optimization

Storage Performance

Optimize for your Mac:

Adjust in Preferences → General → Scan Performance

Memory Management

Rando optimizes memory usage:

• Thumbnail cache limited by system memory
• Automatic cleanup during memory pressure
• Lazy loading of images
• Efficient SwiftUI rendering

Monitor memory usage:

1. Open Activity Monitor
2. Find "Rando" in process list
3. Check Memory column
4. Typical usage: 50-200MB depending on library size

macOS Optimizations

Native frameworks used:

• SwiftUI: Modern declarative UI framework
• Combine: Reactive programming for state management
• Async/Await: Swift concurrency for responsive UI
• Metal: Hardware-accelerated rendering
• Core Image: Efficient image processing

Troubleshooting macOS Issues

Permission Problems

"Access Denied" errors:

Solution 1: Re-grant folder access

1. Select folder again through Rando
2. macOS will prompt for permission
3. Click "OK" to grant access

Solution 2: Reset permissions

1. System Preferences → Security & Privacy → Privacy
2. Select Files and Folders
3. Find Rando and adjust permissions

App Store Issues

Purchase not restoring:

1. Preferences → Subscription → Restore Purchases
2. Ensure signed in to correct Apple ID
3. Check internet connection
4. Restart app and try again

Updates not appearing:

1. Open App Store
2. Click profile icon
3. Scroll to Available Updates
4. If Rando missing, try: Account → Sign Out → Sign In

Slideshow Not Full Screen

Can't enter full screen:

1. Check if window is already in full screen mode
2. Try ⌃⌘F keyboard shortcut
3. Green window button → "Enter Full Screen"
4. Restart app if issue persists

Thumbnails Not Loading

Slow or missing thumbnails:

Possible causes:

• Large image files (>50MB)
• Slow external drive
• Memory pressure
• Corrupted image files

Solutions:

• Wait for thumbnail generation to complete
• Adjust scan performance in Preferences
• Close other memory-intensive apps
• Skip corrupted files (automatic)

macOS Version Compatibility

macOS 12 (Monterey)

Minimum supported version:

All features fully supported on Monterey and later.

macOS 13 (Ventura)

Enhanced features:

• Better StoreKit 2 support
• Improved SwiftUI performance
• Enhanced memory management

macOS 14 (Sonoma)

Latest optimizations:

• Widget support preparation
• Enhanced privacy controls
• Latest SwiftUI features

macOS 15+ (Future)

Rando will continue supporting new macOS releases with optimizations and feature enhancements.

Uninstalling Rando

Complete Removal

To completely remove Rando from your Mac:

1. Delete app:

   • Open Finder → Applications
   • Drag "Rando" to Trash
   • Empty Trash

2. Remove preferences (optional):

   • Open Finder → Go → Go to Folder...
   • Type: ~/Library/Preferences/
   • Delete: com.ijoseph.rando.plist

3. Remove cache (optional):

   • Go to Folder: ~/Library/Caches/
   • Delete: com.ijoseph.rando/ folder

4. Remove app support (optional):

   • Go to Folder: ~/Library/Application Support/
   • Delete: Rando/ folder if exists

Data preserved:

• Your original photos are never modified
• Tags are stored in preferences (back up if needed)
• StoreKit maintains purchase history

Reinstalling

To reinstall Rando:

1. Download from Mac App Store
2. Your Pro subscription automatically restores
3. Recent folders list starts fresh
4. Tags are lost unless you exported them

Getting Help on macOS

In-App Support

• Help Menu → Rando Help
• Help Menu → Report Issue
• Help Menu → Release Notes

External Resources

• Website: randopicker.com
• Support Email: support@randopicker.com
• User Guide: User Guide

System Information for Support

When reporting issues, include:

1. macOS Version: About This Mac → Overview
2. Rando Version: Rando → About Rando
3. Mac Model: About This Mac → Overview
4. Error Message: Screenshot or exact text
5. Steps to Reproduce: What you were doing when issue occurred

Next Steps

• Learn Keyboard Shortcuts for macOS
• Explore Slideshow Features
• Set up Tagging System (Pro)
• Review Performance Tips