New Timeline on iOS reloads on every app launch and does not use local thumbnail cache (performance unusable with large libraries)

[gubbel-alt]

I have searched the existing issues, both open and closed, to make sure this is not a duplicate report.

• Yes

The bug

Using the new timeline in Immich iOS causes the entire timeline to reload every time the app is opened. With large libraries (~100,000 assets), the loading process becomes extremely slow and results in empty placeholders for several seconds before thumbnails appear. The old timeline does not suffer from this and remains fast and responsive.

This issue appears regardless of whether “Prefer Server Images” is enabled or disabled.

The Immich web interface is not affected, and loads instantly.

Because the old timeline is planned for removal (likely in 2.4), this regression will make the iOS app very difficult to use for anyone with a large library.

---

Observed behavior

• Opening the app:
  • 5–10 seconds before the timeline layout becomes visible (empty gray placeholders).
  • Additional 3–10 seconds before thumbnails appear.
• Thumbnails only load after the timeline query completes, even though the app’s cache grows to multiple gigabytes.
• Scrolling is laggy because thumbnails must be fetched again instead of coming from cache.
• Offline mode: thumbnails are not immediately available (unlike the old timeline).

---

Expected behavior

• Thumbnails should load instantly from a persistent local cache.
• The timeline should not query the entire library on each app launch.
• Large libraries should remain responsive offline and online.
• Scrolling should not trigger repeated thumbnail fetches.

---

Environment

• iOS App: 2.3.0 (build 236)
• Immich Server: 2.3.1
• Library size: ~100,000 assets
• Device cache size: several GB (but not effectively used)

---

Relevant logs

Error getting user information from the server [CATCH ALL]
TimeoutException after 0:00:07.000000: Future not completed
#0 Future.timeout. (dart:async/future_impl.dart:1042)

#1 AuthNotifier.saveAuthInfo (package:immich_mobile/providers/auth.provider.dart:134)

#2 SplashScreenPageState.resumeSession. (package:immich_mobile/pages/common/splash_screen.page.dart:60)

This log appears consistently when the app attempts to load user data and timeline metadata on launch. The timeout seems to delay the timeline rendering and may contribute to the empty placeholders.

Additional notes

• The old timeline works perfectly and makes full use of on-device caching.
• The new timeline appears not to use the persistent cache, forcing a full reload each time.
• With the old timeline slated for removal, this becomes a critical usability issue for large libraries.

Request

Please restore efficient local thumbnail caching and avoid full timeline reloads on each app launch. The behavior should match the responsiveness of the old timeline, especially for large libraries and offline scenarios.

Thank you for your work on Immich — this would greatly improve the iOS experience before the old timeline is removed.

The OS that Immich Server is running on

Portainer on Synology (Docker on Synology DSM)

Version of Immich Server

2.3.1

Version of Immich Mobile App

2.3.0 (build 236)

Platform with the issue

• Server
• Web
• Mobile

Device make and model

iPhone 15 Pro Max

Your docker-compose.yml content

services:
  immich-redis:
    image: redis
    container_name: Immich-REDIS
    hostname: immich-redis
    security_opt:
      - no-new-privileges:true
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "redis-cli ping || exit 1"]
    user: 1001:100
    environment:
      - TZ=Europe/Berlin
    volumes:
      - /volume1/docker/immich/redis:/data:rw
    restart: on-failure:5

  immich-db:
    image: ghcr.io/immich-app/postgres:16-vectorchord0.4.3-pgvectors0.2.0
    container_name: Immich-DB
    hostname: immich-db
    security_opt:
      - no-new-privileges:true
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "pg_isready", "-q", "-d", "immich", "-U", "immichuser"]
      interval: 10s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 5
    shm_size: 128mb
    volumes:
      - /volume1/docker/immich/db:/var/lib/postgresql/data:rw
    environment:
      - TZ=Europe/Berlin
      - POSTGRES_DB=immich
      - POSTGRES_USER=***
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=***
      - DB_STORAGE_TYPE=HDD #Remove the red # in front of the – DB_STORAGE_TYPE=HDD if your database isn’t stored on SSDs.
    restart: on-failure:5

  immich-server:
    image: ghcr.io/immich-app/immich-server:release
    container_name: Immich-SERVER
    hostname: immich-server
    user: 1001:100
    security_opt:
      - no-new-privileges:true
    env_file:
      - stack.env
    ports:
      - 2283:2283
    volumes:
      - /volume3/Immich1/upload:/data:rw

    restart: on-failure:5
    depends_on:
      immich-redis:
        condition: service_healthy
      immich-db:
        condition: service_started

  immich-machine-learning:
    image: ghcr.io/immich-app/immich-machine-learning:release
    container_name: Immich-LEARNING
    hostname: immich-machine-learning
    user: 1001:100
    security_opt:
      - no-new-privileges:true
    env_file:
      - stack.env
    volumes:
      - /volume3/Immich1/upload:/data:rw
      - /volume1/docker/immich/cache:/cache:rw
      - /volume1/docker/immich/cache:/.cache:rw
      - /volume1/docker/immich/cache:/.config:rw
      - /volume1/docker/immich/matplotlib:/matplotlib:rw
    environment:
      - MPLCONFIGDIR=/matplotlib
    restart: on-failure:5
    depends_on:
      immich-db:
        condition: service_started

Your .env content

.env

Reproduction steps

1. Open the Immich iOS app (new timeline enabled).
   2. Log in and let the initial sync complete.
   3. Close the app completely (swipe it away).
   4. Reopen the app.
   5. Observe that the timeline stays empty (gray placeholders) for several seconds before thumbnails start appearing.
   6. Scroll down the timeline → thumbnails continue loading slowly instead of coming from local cache.
   7. Repeat the same steps with the old timeline enabled → thumbnails load instantly.

This is reproducible every time, independent of the “Prefer Server Images” setting.

Relevant log output

Error getting user information from the server [CATCH ALL]
TimeoutException after 0:00:07.000000: Future not completed
#0      Future.timeout.<anonymous closure> (dart:async/future_impl.dart:1042)
<asynchronous suspension>
#1      AuthNotifier.saveAuthInfo (package:immich_mobile/providers/auth.provider.dart:134)
<asynchronous suspension>
#2      SplashScreenPageState.resumeSession.<anonymous closure> (package:immich_mobile/pages/common/splash_screen.page.dart:60)
<asynchronous suspension>

Additional information

No response

[alextran1502]

How is the behavior if you are connecting via direct ip address?

[gubbel-alt]

I am currently using the app only via direct local IP, so I cannot compare it to any other connection method.
I can only confirm that the issue occurs when connected directly via the local IP.

[gubbel-alt]

ScreenRecording_12-01-2025.15-00-59_1.mov

[gubbel-alt]

ScreenRecording_12-01-2025.15-01-20_1.mov

I uploaded a screen recording that shows how long the new timeline takes to load. This happens every time the app is reopened.

[bo0tzz]

Are you certain the app is successfully connecting to your server without any interference?

[alextran1502]

Can you try logout and log back in or use the demo instance (double tapping on the spinning logo on the login screen) and see if the problem persists. From what I am seeing, the app isn't able to connect to your instance so it cannot make any request

[gubbel-alt]

Thank you very much for your help!

I have additional information regarding the behavior:
• The screen recordings I uploaded are trimmed exactly at the moment the original photos appear, so no private images are visible.
• The photos do appear in the app, but it takes a very long time for them to load.
• Every time the app is closed and reopened, all thumbnails must be reloaded, even though the cache on the device grows to several GB. It seems the cache is not being utilized at all.
• I have already tested full logout and login — the issue persists.
• I am using the app directly via local IP; the app is able to connect, but the new timeline still reloads slowly and does not use the cache.
• The demo instance works fine; the problem is only with my local instance.

This makes the iOS app very difficult to use with large libraries (~100,000 assets), especially since the old timeline (which worked fine) will soon be removed.

Two errors are from the app log, one from the Docker log:

---

[Nest] 7 - 12/03/2025, 3:40:47 PM ERROR [Microservices:LibraryService] Library watcher for library XXX encountered error: Error: ENOSPC: System limit for number of file watchers reached, watch '/XXX/Drive/7.jpg/SYNOINDEX_MEDIA_INFO'

---

Error in runInIsolateGentle for remote-sync

ClientException: Connection closed while receiving data, uri=http://10.1.1.10:2283/api/sync/stream

#0 _HttpIncoming.listen. (dart:_http/http_impl.dart:438)
#1 Stream.handleError. (dart:async/stream.dart:961)
#2 _HandleErrorStream._handleError (dart:async/stream_pipe.dart:303)
#3 _ForwardingStreamSubscription._handleError (dart:async/stream_pipe.dart:188)
#4 _rootRunBinary (dart:async/zone.dart:1560)
#5 _CustomZone.runBinary (dart:async/zone.dart:1436)
#6 _CustomZone.runBinaryGuarded (dart:async/zone.dart:1337)
#7 _BufferingStreamSubscription._sendError.sendError (dart:async/stream_impl.dart:400)
#8 _BufferingStreamSubscription._sendError (dart:async/stream_impl.dart:418)
#9 _DelayedError.perform (dart:async/stream_impl.dart:584)
#10 _PendingEvents.handleNext (dart:async/stream_impl.dart:678)
#11 _PendingEvents.schedule. (dart:async/stream_impl.dart:649)
#12 _rootRun (dart:async/zone.dart:1517)
#13 _CustomZone.run (dart:async/zone.dart:1422)
#14 _CustomZone.runGuarded (dart:async/zone.dart:1321)
#15 _CustomZone.bindCallbackGuarded. (dart:async/zone.dart:1362)
#16 _rootRun (dart:async/zone.dart:1525)
#17 _CustomZone.run (dart:async/zone.dart:1422)
#18 _CustomZone.runGuarded (dart:async/zone.dart:1321)
#19 _CustomZone.bindCallbackGuarded. (dart:async/zone.dart:1362)
#20 _microtaskLoop (dart:async/schedule_microtask.dart:40)
#21 _startMicrotaskLoop (dart:async/schedule_microtask.dart:49)
#22 _runPendingImmediateCallback (dart:isolate-patch/isolate_patch.dart:127)
#23 _RawReceivePort._handleMessage (dart:isolate-patch/isolate_patch.dart:194)

---

Error getting user information from the server [CATCH ALL]
TimeoutException after 0:00:07.000000: Future not completed
#0 Future.timeout. (dart:async/future_impl.dart:1042)

#1 AuthNotifier.saveAuthInfo (package:immich_mobile/providers/auth.provider.dart:134)

#2 SplashScreenPageState.resumeSession. (package:immich_mobile/pages/common/splash_screen.page.dart:60)

[alextran1502]

The issue is not from the app but from exceeding the CPU/IO usage on your server from the file-watcher feature. You can refer to the following links to increase the limit

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/53930305/nodemon-error-system-limit-for-number-of-file-watchers-reached

You can also try disable the file watcher feature of the external library and see if the situation improves.

FWIF, my library has ~100,000 assets, and the mobile app loads the data quickly. As you stated with the demo instance

[gubbel-alt]

First of all, thank you for the amazing work on Immich. It is by far the best photo management app I know, and with the recent OCR feature, I plan to rely exclusively on Immich going forward.

I’d like to provide a detailed overview of the issue and clarify some earlier points.

⸻

Users and Library Sizes

There are two users on my Immich instance:

User A (no issues, works smoothly like the demo instance):
• Photos: 14,812
• Videos: 692

User B (problematic, extremely slow timeline loading):
• Photos: 524,291 (~138 GiB)
• Videos: 24,379 (~314 GiB)

Correction: I initially stated ~100,000 assets; after reviewing, the numbers are significantly higher as listed above.

For both users, only one external library is configured, no internal Immich uploads exist.
The external library is indexed from a single root path.

⸻

Background and Library Characteristics

The large library has grown over ~20 years, with:
• Old hard drives copied multiple times → many duplicates
• Windows system images and thumbnails included
• Very large total number of files and folders

While the library is large, the issue only occurs in the iOS app.
Timeline loading in the web browser works normally, even for the same user and library.
This suggests the problem is related to the iOS app’s handling of very large external libraries, rather than CPU/IO limits on the server.

⸻

File Watcher
• The file watcher feature has been disabled, as suggested.
• Despite this, the iOS app still loads very slowly for User B.
• This indicates the issue is not caused solely by the watcher.

⸻

Exclude Paths and Wildcards
• Wildcard-based exclusions already exist (e.g., **/Thumbs.db, /@eaDir/, **/.DS_Store).
• However, only 128 exclude entries are allowed, which is insufficient for very large, historically grown libraries.
• In my case: ~24,000 folders with ~6,000 duplicates detected via dupeguru.
• Manual exclusion of all duplicates is not feasible.

Feature request:
• Allow a higher number of exclude entries or
• Support rule-based or wildcard/regex exclusion for external libraries

This would help handle large archival libraries without performance issues.

⸻

Observations
• The demo instance and User A demonstrate that Immich performs very well with smaller libraries.
• User B’s extreme library size clearly triggers scaling issues.
• The iOS app itself is not the problem; the delays are due to the size and scale of the external library, not app or network misconfiguration.

⸻

Summary
• Issue occurs only with very large external libraries (~500k+ assets) in the iOS app.
• Web access and the demo instance in the app are fast
• File watcher disablement does not resolve the issue.
• Limited exclude paths prevent practical filtering of duplicates.
• Feature request: support more excludes or advanced rules to improve performance in the iOS app.

Thanks again for your patience and for maintaining such a fantastic app. The OCR addition makes it an indispensable tool for me.

[alextran1502]

Hello, have you been able to perform the steps in the link I showed above?

[gubbel-alt]

Hello,

I followed the steps from the link and increased the inotify limit significantly beyond the suggested 131070.

I ran:
echo fs.inotify.max_user_watches=262144 | sudo tee -a /etc/sysctl.conf && sudo sysctl -p

Observations after increasing the limit:

• The “People” section in the Library now loads instantly and smoothly. This was previously slow and sometimes triggered errors.
• The issue now occurs only in the Timeline, specifically when scrolling down.
• Once the error occurs in the Timeline, everything becomes extremely slow, including sections that were previously fast (like People).

Relevant iOS app error logs:
1. Timeline indexing
RangeError: TimelineService::getAssets Index out of range
From: ImmichErrorLogger
2. Image loading
Error loading image: Exception: Invalid image data
From: Invalid Image Data
3. Remote sync / backup
Remote sync did not complete successfully, skipping backup
From: BackgroundWorkerBgService
4. SQLite / database
SqliteException(5): database is locked
Causing statement: DELETE FROM “remote_asset_entity” WHERE “id” = ?
From: IsolateLogger / DriftSyncStreamRepository

The full iOS error log is very large and contains many repeated entries. I’ve included the most relevant excerpts above. The complete log on the end.

Additional notes:

• These errors repeat frequently while scrolling the new Timeline.
• The web UI remains fast and stable; the issue is iOS-only.
• Disabling the file watcher did not resolve the Timeline issue.
• Library size: ~524k photos and ~24k videos (external library only).

---

PlatformDispatcher - Catch all
Null check operator used on a null value
ImmichErrorLogger
#0 AppLifeCycleNotifier.handleAppResume (package:immich_mobile/providers/app_life_cycle.provider.dart:70)

Error in runInIsolateGentle for remote-sync
ClientException: Connection closed while receiving data, uri=http://10.1.1.10:2283/api/sync/stream
IsolateLogger
#0 _HttpIncoming.listen. (dart:_http/http_impl.dart:438)
#1 Stream.handleError. (dart:async/stream.dart:961)
#2 _HandleErrorStream._handleError (dart:async/stream_pipe.dart:303)
#3 _ForwardingStreamSubscription._handleError (dart:async/stream_pipe.dart:188)
#4 _rootRunBinary (dart:async/zone.dart:1560)
#5 _CustomZone.runBinary (dart:async/zone.dart:1436)
#6 _CustomZone.runBinaryGuarded (dart:async/zone.dart:1337)
#7 _BufferingStreamSubscription._sendError.sendError (dart:async/stream_impl.dart:400)
#8 _BufferingStreamSubscription._sendError (dart:async/stream_impl.dart:418)
#9 _DelayedError.perform (dart:async/stream_impl.dart:584)
#10 _PendingEvents.handleNext (dart:async/stream_impl.dart:678)
#11 _PendingEvents.schedule. (dart:async/stream_impl.dart:649)
#12 _rootRun (dart:async/zone.dart:1517)
#13 _CustomZone.run (dart:async/zone.dart:1422)
#14 _CustomZone.runGuarded (dart:async/zone.dart:1321)
#15 _CustomZone.bindCallbackGuarded. (dart:async/zone.dart:1362)
#16 _rootRun (dart:async/zone.dart:1525)
#17 _CustomZone.run (dart:async/zone.dart:1422)
#18 _CustomZone.runGuarded (dart:async/zone.dart:1321)
#19 _CustomZone.bindCallbackGuarded. (dart:async/zone.dart:1362)
#20 _microtaskLoop (dart:async/schedule_microtask.dart:40)
#21 _startMicrotaskLoop (dart:async/schedule_microtask.dart:49)
#22 _runPendingImmediateCallback (dart:isolate-patch/isolate_patch.dart:127)
#23 _RawReceivePort._handleMessage (dart:isolate-patch/isolate_patch.dart:194)

Error loading image: Exception: Invalid image data
Exception: Invalid image data
ThumbnailWidget
#0 _futurize (dart:ui/painting.dart:7991)
#1 ImageDescriptor.encoded (dart:ui/painting.dart:7785)
#2 instantiateImageCodecWithSize (dart:ui/painting.dart:2558)
#3 PaintingBinding.instantiateImageCodecWithSize (package:flutter/src/painting/binding.dart:147)
#4 RemoteImageRequest._decodeBuffer (package:immich_mobile/infrastructure/loaders/remote_image_request.dart:164)
#5 RemoteImageRequest.load (package:immich_mobile/infrastructure/loaders/remote_image_request.dart:32)

#6 CancellableImageProviderMixin.loadRequest (package:immich_mobile/presentation/widgets/images/image_provider.dart:61)

#7 ImageStreamCompleter.setImage (package:flutter/src/painting/image_stream.dart:724)

Error: deleteAssetsV1 – user
SqliteException(5): while executing statement, database is locked, database is locked (code 5)
Causing statement: DELETE FROM "remote_asset_entity" WHERE "id" = ?;, parameters: 46138c59-339e-4158-83b8-e79f558eba88
DriftSyncStreamRepository
package:sqlite3/src/implementation/exception.dart 87 throwException
package:sqlite3/src/implementation/statement.dart 109 StatementImplementation._execute
package:sqlite3/src/implementation/statement.dart 289 StatementImplementation.executeWith
package:sqlite3/src/statement.dart 81 CommonPreparedStatement.execute
package:drift/src/sqlite3/database.dart 131 Sqlite3Delegate.runBatchSync
package:drift/native.dart 373 _NativeDelegate.runBatched.
dart:async/future.dart 315 new Future.sync
package:drift/native.dart 373 _NativeDelegate.runBatched
package:drift/src/runtime/executor/helpers/engines.dart 128 _BaseExecutor.runBatched.
package:drift/src/runtime/executor/helpers/engines.dart 62 _BaseExecutor._synchronized
package:drift/src/runtime/executor/helpers/engines.dart 122 _BaseExecutor.runBatched
package:drift/src/remote/server_impl.dart 170 ServerImplementation._runBatched
package:drift/src/remote/communication.dart 165 DriftCommunication.setRequestHandler.
===== asynchronous gap ===========================
package:drift/src/remote/communication.dart 113 DriftCommunication.request
package:drift/src/remote/client_impl.dart 84 _BaseExecutor.runBatched
package:drift/src/runtime/api/batch.dart 215 Batch._runWith
package:drift/src/runtime/api/batch.dart 199 Batch._commit
package:immich_mobile/infrastructure/repositories/sync_stream.repository.dart 166 SyncStreamRepository.deleteAssetsV1
package:immich_mobile/domain/services/sync_stream.service.dart 86 SyncStreamService._processBatch
package:immich_mobile/domain/services/sync_stream.service.dart 77 SyncStreamService._handleEvents
package:immich_mobile/infrastructure/repositories/sync_api.repository.dart 105 SyncApiRepository.streamChanges
package:immich_mobile/domain/services/sync_stream.service.dart 49 SyncStreamService.sync
package:immich_mobile/utils/isolate.dart 58 runInIsolateGentle..
package:immich_mobile/utils/isolate.dart 37 runInIsolateGentle.
package:worker_manager/src/worker/worker_io.dart 106 WorkerImpl._anotherIsolate.

Error performing device sync
SqliteException(5): while executing statement, database is locked, database is locked (code 5)
Causing statement: UPDATE "local_album_entity" SET "marker" = ?;, parameters: 1
DeviceSyncService
package:sqlite3/src/implementation/exception.dart 87 throwException
package:sqlite3/src/implementation/statement.dart 109 StatementImplementation._execute
package:sqlite3/src/implementation/statement.dart 289 StatementImplementation.executeWith
package:sqlite3/src/statement.dart 81 CommonPreparedStatement.execute
package:drift/src/sqlite3/database.dart 149 Sqlite3Delegate.runWithArgsSync
package:drift/native.dart 392 _NativeDelegate.runUpdate.
dart:async/future.dart 315 new Future.sync
package:drift/native.dart 391 _NativeDelegate.runUpdate
package:drift/src/runtime/executor/helpers/engines.dart 97 _BaseExecutor.runDelete.
package:drift/src/runtime/executor/helpers/engines.dart 62 _BaseExecutor._synchronized
package:drift/src/runtime/executor/helpers/engines.dart 94 _BaseExecutor.runDelete
package:drift/src/remote/server_impl.dart 158 ServerImplementation._runQuery
package:drift/src/remote/server_impl.dart 119 ServerImplementation._handleRequest.
package:drift/src/remote/communication.dart 165 DriftCommunication.setRequestHandler.
===== asynchronous gap ===========================
package:drift/src/remote/communication.dart 113 DriftCommunication.request
package:drift/src/remote/client_impl.dart 101 _BaseExecutor._runRequest
package:drift/src/remote/client_impl.dart 110 _BaseExecutor._intRequest
package:drift/src/remote/client_impl.dart 125 _BaseExecutor.runDelete
package:drift/src/runtime/query_builder/statements/update.dart 36 UpdateStatement._performQuery.
package:drift/src/runtime/api/connection_user.dart 171 DatabaseConnectionUser.doWhenOpened.
dart:async/zone.dart 1538 _rootRunUnary
dart:async/zone.dart 1429 _CustomZone.runUnary
package:drift/src/runtime/query_builder/statements/update.dart 35 UpdateStatement._performQuery
package:drift/src/runtime/query_builder/statements/update.dart 74 UpdateStatement.write
package:immich_mobile/infrastructure/repositories/local_album.repository.dart 134 DriftLocalAlbumRepository.updateAll.
package:drift/src/runtime/api/connection_user.dart 505 DatabaseConnectionUser.transaction..
package:drift/src/runtime/api/connection_user.dart 496 DatabaseConnectionUser.transaction
package:immich_mobile/domain/services/local_sync.service.dart 65 LocalSyncService.sync
package:immich_mobile/utils/isolate.dart 58 runInIsolateGentle..
package:immich_mobile/utils/isolate.dart 37 runInIsolateGentle.
package:worker_manager/src/worker/worker_io.dart 106 WorkerImpl._anotherIsolate.

[gubbel-alt]

Do you have any other ideas I can test or change to make the photo library load smoothly on my iPhone? I'm grateful for any suggestions.