system_asset_picker

A modern Flutter plugin that leverages Android's native Photo Picker UI to select images and videos without requiring storage permissions. This plugin provides a clean, system-native experience that complies with Play Store guidelines while offering powerful media selection capabilities.

🎬 Demo

App Demo

🌟 Features

  • βœ… No Storage Permissions Required - Uses Android's built-in Photo Picker (Android 11+) and scoped storage
  • 🎨 Native Photo Picker UI - Beautiful, system-native gallery interface
  • πŸ“Έ Single & Multiple Image Selection - Pick one or many images with customizable limits
  • πŸŽ₯ Video Selection with Size Limits - Pick videos with configurable size restrictions
  • πŸ”„ Combined Media Selection - Select both images and videos together
  • πŸ“· Camera Support - Direct camera access for capturing new photos/videos
  • πŸš€ Play Store Compliant - No broad storage permissions needed
  • ⚑ Performant - Efficient handling of large media files

🎯 Why This Package?

Popular packages like image_picker, file_picker and some other packages have limitations:

  • They often require READ_MEDIA_IMAGES and READ_MEDIA_VIDEO permissions
  • Play Store may reject apps using these permissions without "broad usage" justification
  • They don't provide the modern, native Photo Picker UI
  • Limited control over video size restrictions

system_asset_picker solves all these issues while providing a superior user experience.

πŸ“‹ Requirements

  • Minimum SDK: Android API 21 (Android 5.0)
  • Recommended: Android API 30+ (Android 11+) for full Photo Picker support
  • Flutter: 2.5.0 or higher

πŸš€ Installation

Add this to your pubspec.yaml:

dependencies:
  system_asset_picker: ^1.0.0

Then run:

flutter pub get

πŸ“± Platform Setup

Android

Update your android/app/build.gradle:

android {
    compileSdkVersion 34 // or higher
    
    defaultConfig {
        minSdkVersion 21
        targetSdkVersion 34
    }
}

No permissions required in AndroidManifest.xml! πŸŽ‰

The plugin automatically handles scoped storage and Photo Picker access.

πŸ’» Usage

Import the Package

import 'package:system_asset_picker/system_asset_picker.dart';

Check Photo Picker Availability


bool isAvailable = await
SystemAssetPicker.isPhotoPickerAvailable
();if
(
isAvailable) {
print('Photo Picker is available on this device');
}

Pick a Single Image

// From gallery
XFile? image = await
SystemAssetPicker.pickImage
();

// From camera
XFile? image = await
SystemAssetPicker.pickImage
(
source: ImageSource.camera
);

if (image != null) {
print('Selected image: ${image.path}');
}

Pick Multiple Images


List<String> imagePaths = await
SystemAssetPicker.pickMultipleImages
(
maxItems: 10, // Maximum number of images
);

print('Selected ${imagePaths
.
length
}
 images
'
);

Pick a Single Video

// From gallery
XFile? video = await
SystemAssetPicker.pickVideo
();

// From camera
XFile? video = await
SystemAssetPicker.pickVideo
(
source: ImageSource.camera
);

if (video != null) {
print('Selected video: ${video.path}');
}

Pick Multiple Videos with Size Limit


List<String> videoPaths = await
SystemAssetPicker.pickMultipleVideos
(
maxItems: 5, // Maximum number of videos
maxVideoSizeMB: 50, // Maximum size per video in MB
);

print('Selected ${videoPaths.length} videos');

Pick Images and Videos Together


List<String> mediaPaths = await
SystemAssetPicker.pickImagesAndVideos
(
maxItems: 10, // Maximum total items
maxVideoSizeMB: 100, // Maximum size per video in MB
);

// Process mixed media
for (String path in mediaPaths) {
if (path.toLowerCase().endsWith('.mp4') ||
path.toLowerCase().endsWith('.mov')) {
print('Video: $path');
} else {
print('Image: $path');
}
}

πŸ“– Complete Example

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
import 'package:system_asset_picker/system_asset_picker.dart';
import 'dart:io';

class MediaPickerScreen extends StatefulWidget {
  @override
  _MediaPickerScreenState createState() => _MediaPickerScreenState();
}

class _MediaPickerScreenState extends State<MediaPickerScreen> {
  List<String> _selectedMedia = [];

  Future<void> _pickMedia() async {
    try {
      final paths = await SystemAssetPicker.pickImagesAndVideos(
        maxItems: 10,
        maxVideoSizeMB: 50,
      );

      setState(() {
        _selectedMedia = paths;
      });

      ScaffoldMessenger.of(context).showSnackBar(
        SnackBar(content: Text('Selected ${paths.length} items')),
      );
    } catch (e) {
      ScaffoldMessenger.of(context).showSnackBar(
        SnackBar(content: Text('Error: $e')),
      );
    }
  }

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return Scaffold(
      appBar: AppBar(title: Text('Media Picker')),
      body: Column(
        children: [
          ElevatedButton(
            onPressed: _pickMedia,
            child: Text('Pick Images & Videos'),
          ),
          Expanded(
            child: GridView.builder(
              gridDelegate: SliverGridDelegateWithFixedCrossAxisCount(
                crossAxisCount: 3,
                crossAxisSpacing: 4,
                mainAxisSpacing: 4,
              ),
              itemCount: _selectedMedia.length,
              itemBuilder: (context, index) {
                return Image.file(
                  File(_selectedMedia[index]),
                  fit: BoxFit.cover,
                );
              },
            ),
          ),
        ],
      ),
    );
  }
}

🎨 API Reference

SystemAssetPicker

Method Parameters Return Type Description
pickImage() source (optional) Future<XFile?> Pick a single image from gallery or camera
pickVideo() source (optional) Future<XFile?> Pick a single video from gallery or camera
pickMultipleImages() maxItems (required) Future<List<String>> Pick multiple images with limit
pickMultipleVideos() maxItems, maxVideoSizeMB Future<List<String>> Pick multiple videos with size limit
pickImagesAndVideos() maxItems, maxVideoSizeMB Future<List<String>> Pick mixed media with limits
isPhotoPickerAvailable() None Future<bool> Check if Photo Picker is available

Parameters

  • maxItems: Maximum number of items that can be selected
  • maxVideoSizeMB: Maximum size per video in megabytes (default: 100MB)
  • source: ImageSource.gallery or ImageSource.camera (default: gallery)

πŸ”’ Privacy & Permissions

This plugin is designed with privacy in mind:

  • βœ… No READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permission needed
  • βœ… No READ_MEDIA_IMAGES permission needed
  • βœ… No READ_MEDIA_VIDEO permission needed
  • βœ… Uses Android's scoped storage and Photo Picker APIs
  • βœ… Fully compliant with Google Play Store policies

The plugin only accesses files that the user explicitly selects through the system UI.

πŸ“Š Supported Android Versions

Android Version API Level Photo Picker Functionality
Android 13+ 33+ Native Full native Photo Picker with all features
Android 11-12 30-32 Fallback Uses ACTION_GET_CONTENT with file type filters
Android 5-10 21-29 Fallback Basic file picker with MIME type filtering

⚠️ Limitations

  • Photo Picker UI is only available on Android 11+ (API 30+)
  • On older Android versions, a basic file picker is used
  • Videos exceeding the size limit will be filtered out with a toast notification
  • Camera functionality requires camera hardware on the device

πŸ› Troubleshooting

Photo Picker Not Showing

Problem: Photo Picker doesn't appear on device

Solution: Ensure your device is running Android 11+ (API 30+). Check availability:


bool available = await
SystemAssetPicker.isPhotoPickerAvailable
();

Video Size Limit Not Working

Problem: Large videos are not being filtered

Solution: Ensure you're passing maxVideoSizeMB parameter:

await
SystemAssetPicker.pickMultipleVideos
(
maxItems
:
5
,
maxVideoSizeMB
:
50
, // Add this parameter
);

Images Not Displaying

Problem: Selected images show error icon

Solution: Verify file paths are accessible and files exist:

for (String path in paths) {
final file = File(path);
if (await file.exists()) {
print('File exists: $path');
}
}

🀝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request. For major changes, please open an issue first to discuss what you would like to change.

πŸ“„ License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

πŸ’¬ Support

If you find this package helpful, please:

  • ⭐ Star the repository
  • πŸ› Report issues on GitHub
  • πŸ’‘ Suggest new features
  • πŸ“’ Share with other developers

πŸ”— Links

πŸ‘¨β€πŸ’» Author

Created and maintained by Your Name

Made with ❀️ for the Flutter community

Libraries

system_asset_picker
system_asset_picker_method_channel
system_asset_picker_platform_interface