Image Preview
Review a photo or video and add a caption before you send it.
When you choose a photo or video to send, this preview opens first. It shows exactly what you are about to send, lets you add an optional caption, and gives videos a play button so you can confirm the clip before it goes out. Sending delivers the media together with your caption. A separate full-screen viewer handles pictures you receive.
Overview
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Preview area | Fills with the photo you picked, or with a frame taken from the start of the video. |
| Play button | Shown for videos only, so you can check the clip before sending. |
| Caption field | Optional text sent alongside the media. It grows as you type. |
| Send button | Sends the media and the caption to the conversation. |
| Close button | Cancels and returns to the conversation without sending. |
Photo versus video
| You picked | Preview shows | Play button | Sent as |
|---|---|---|---|
| A photo | The picture itself | Hidden | A photo message |
| A video | A thumbnail frame from the video | Shown | A video message |
Getting Here
- In a conversation, tap the attachment (+) button.
- Choose Camera to take something new, or Photo/Video Library to pick something you already have.
- Take or select the item. The preview screen opens over the conversation.
The first time you use Camera the device asks permission to use the camera, and Photo/Video Library asks permission to read your photos. Declining either one means that route to this screen is unavailable until you allow it in your device settings.
Add a Caption and Send
- Check the photo, or tap the play button and watch the clip.
- Tap the caption field and type a short message. This is optional — you can send with no caption at all.
- Tap the send button.
The preview closes and the media appears in the conversation as a photo or video message with your caption attached. Uploading happens in the background, so the bubble may show as undelivered for a moment on a slow connection.
A short caption helps the recipient understand why you sent the photo — a cross street, a unit number, a time. During an active incident that context is often more useful than the picture on its own.
Cancel Without Sending
Tap the close button. The preview closes, the keyboard is dismissed, and nothing is added to the conversation. The item you took or picked is not sent.
Full-Screen Viewer
Pictures already in a conversation open in their own full-screen viewer.
- Tap a photo bubble in the conversation.
- The picture fills the screen on a black background, scaled to fit without cropping.
- Pinch outwards to zoom in, up to three times the normal size, and pinch inwards to zoom back out. Drag to move around while zoomed.
- Tap the back control to close and return to the thread.
The viewer uses the copy already stored on your device when there is one, so a picture you have opened before opens again with no connection. Only a picture that has not been downloaded yet needs the network.
Empty and Loading States
| Situation | What you see |
|---|---|
| A video thumbnail cannot be generated | The preview area stays blank but the play button and send button still work. |
| Sending | The preview closes immediately and the message appears in the thread while the upload runs. |
| A full-screen picture is not downloaded yet | The viewer opens empty for a moment and fills in once the picture arrives. |
How This Connects
- Where the file comes from. Items taken with the camera or picked from your library are copied into the app's own storage before the preview appears. That local copy is what gets uploaded, which is why a send survives you leaving the screen.
- What happens after you send. The message is added to the conversation and stored on your device first, then uploaded. Until the upload finishes the message counts as undelivered, and you can long-press it and choose Resend — see Message Actions (Long-Press).
- Shared with other screens. This preview is the only route for photo and video attachments from Chat View, and the same screen is used when attaching media from an incident's Comms tab, so the behavior is identical there.
- Getting the file back out. A photo, video, or PDF in a conversation can be copied to your device with the Save action, which confirms with a "Saved" toast.
- Offline behavior. You can take a photo, add a caption, and send it with no connection at all. The message sits in the thread and the file waits on your device until the connection returns, then uploads on its own.
Troubleshooting
| If this happens | What to do |
|---|---|
| The preview never appears | Camera or photo permission was declined. Allow it in your device settings. |
| A video preview is blank | The thumbnail could not be generated. Tap the play button to confirm the clip, then send as normal. |
| The video is shorter than you filmed | Recording and selection are capped at 60 seconds. Send a longer clip in parts. |
| The caption did not arrive | The caption is sent with the media. If the message shows as undelivered, long-press it and choose Resend. |
| The keyboard covers the send button | The layout lifts above the keyboard. Tap the preview area once to dismiss the keyboard. |
| Pinch-to-zoom does nothing | You are on the send preview, which does not zoom. Zooming works in the full-screen viewer for pictures you received. |
| Closing lost your caption | The close button cancels everything. Reselect the media and retype the caption. |
Related Pages
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