View, organize, and share Dropbox photos with iOS app Unbound

Unbound for Dropbox makes it enjoyable to view photos on your iPhone or iPad, and easy to move and share them.

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If you use Dropbox as a large photo repository and like to access your photos from an iOS device, then Unbound for Dropbox for the iPhone or Unbound HD for Dropbox for the iPad is worth every penny. You'll need to plunk down $2.99 for either version of the app since it's not a universal app. Unbound for Mac is also available for OS X for $9.99. I took the iPhone and iPad apps for a spin and found them each to be a fantastic photo manager.
When you launch Unbound for the first time, you will need to grant it access to your Dropbox account and decide whether you'd like to enable Dropbox's photo sync (and if so, whether you'd like to sync new photos over Wi-Fi only, or when you have a Wi-Fi or a cellular connection). You can also select the root folder on Dropbox for Unbound to look for photos (the default is Dropbox's Photos folder).

 

After setting up Unbound, the app opens to a folder view of your Dropbox photos. You'll see the root folder at the top and and subfolders listed below, each with its own cover photo. It's easy to move photos from one folder to the next, create new folders, share photos, and upload and download photos. When you upload photos, the app lets you add captions. Unbound even has a slideshow feature and, if you like the app on Facebook, a collage feature. The app supports AirPlay, so you can view your photos on your Apple TV.

 

In contrast with the Dropbox app for iOS, you have few tools at your disposal when using the Photos view. In order to move or upload photos, for example, you have to leave the Photos view and head into your folder hierarchy and open your Photos folder. Unbound puts all of your sharing and organizing tools all in one convenient spot.
Unbound HD for the iPad makes optimal use of the added screen real estate. Unlike Dropbox on the iPad, which provides tiny thumbnails in a small panel along the left side of the display, Unbound HD spreads your folder out across the screen in stacks.

 

In settings, you can change the root folder on Dropbox for Unbound; choose a sorting method for your photos and albums; disable the ability to delete photos; and hide albums. You can also set a passcode lock and set Unbound to strip location data from photos when it uploads them. Lastly, you can set the cache size so that the app caches the right amount of photos for your needs. Unbound caches thumbnails, and it will fetch photos as you open them, so that a photo you open for the first time may take a couple of seconds to appear. Alternatively, you can cache entire albums, which will let you browse through the photos in an album without delay. Even without caching, I found that Unbound did an admirable job of letting me navigate my Dropbox photos with little lag.