Which photo frame apps still work
on an old Android 5, 6 or 7 tablet?

Disclosure up front. We (DD_studio) make PicDock, one of the apps in this table, and PicDock needs Android 7.0 or later — it will not install on Android 5 or 6. We wrote this because people keep asking which frame app still works on a really old tablet, and the honest answer for the oldest ones is "not ours". Every minimum version below is the "Requires Android" value on that app's Google Play listing (US English), checked October 26, 2026 (one app is from F-Droid), and every PicDock detail is from our public fact sheet. We have not installed these apps on Android 5 or 6 hardware ourselves.

Short answer

• Android 4.x (KitKat or older): none of the 23 apps we checked lists a minimum below Android 5.0. The tablet's own gallery app, if it has a slideshow, is what is left.
• Android 5.0 Lollipop: Tablet de Photo Frame (clock, weather, calendar, Google Photos and SMB) and Slideshow Wallpaper (photos as a rotating wallpaper). Android 5.1 adds PhotoCloud Frame Slideshow (NAS, Nextcloud, OneDrive, Dropbox and more).
• Android 6.0 Marshmallow: also Snapwood's PixFolio, SkyFolio, dfolio, gfolio and nFolio, Digital Photo Frame Slideshow, and Simple Frame (F-Droid, device photos only).
• Android 7.0 Nougat or newer: PicDock (ours), Pixette, SlideFrame, Pad Frame and Digital Photo Frame & Clock open up; Frameo's phone app and the Google Photos app need 7.1.
• Need Android 8 or later: PhotoFrame 2, PhotoStreamr, FrameSway and Pixee (8.0), Fravora (9) and Fotoo (11).

Minimum Android version, app by app

Sorted from the oldest Android each app supports. "Requires" is the listing's own value; it can change with any update, so check the listing before you buy anything.

"Requires" from each app's US Google Play listing (About this app → Requires Android) and, for Simple Frame, its F-Droid page, all on October 26, 2026. 23 apps counting the five Snapwood apps separately. Google Play shows "per item" price ranges without saying which items are one-time and which recur. Dayframe, which older articles still recommend, returned "not found" on Google Play the same day, so it is not in the table.

Android 5.0 and 5.1 (Lollipop): three options

Tablet de Photo Frame — the most complete frame app for Android 5.0

Tablet de Photo Frame by Naka-Kazz (jp.mydns.dream_soft.tabletphotoframe), a Japanese app with an English listing, requires Android 5.0. It shows photos from the device or SD card, Google Photos, Windows (SMB/CIFS) shared folders, websites, Pixabay, Pexels, Flickr, Twitter and Instagram, with a clock, a weather forecast (every four hours or weekly) and a calendar with public holidays for 38 countries and your own events. It can auto-start, stop the device from sleeping and start or stop at set times. The listing mentions JPEG playback only, no video. It contains ads; 10K+ downloads, last updated August 15, 2026 (Google Play).

Where it beats PicDock: it installs on Android 5.0, and the calendar, holidays and Twitter/Instagram/photo-site sources are things PicDock does not have.

PhotoCloud Frame Slideshow — NAS and self-hosted servers on Android 5.1

PhotoCloud Frame Slideshow by Martin Vysny (sk.baka.photoframe) requires Android 5.1 and describes itself as made to turn an old tablet into a frame. It reads the device gallery, Nextcloud/ownCloud, Windows shares (SMB), SSH/SFTP, DLNA/UPnP servers, Dropbox, OneDrive, Box, Flickr, Mega and iCloud shared albums (public share), in any combination. It caches photos for offline playback, shows clock, date, battery and weather, starts on boot or when the charger is connected, works as the Android screensaver and can cast to a Chromecast. The listing says Google Photos and Google Drive are no longer supported since Google's 2025 change, and suggests syncing them to a folder with a sync app instead. The free version shows a "please purchase" image once in a while during the slideshow; a one-time in-app purchase removes it and another unlocks the screensaver. 50K+ downloads, 3.56 stars from 463 ratings, last updated October 23, 2026 (Google Play).

Where it beats PicDock: Android 5.1 support, plus Nextcloud, SFTP, DLNA, Box, Mega and Chromecast, none of which PicDock has.

Slideshow Wallpaper — when you only need the photos

Slideshow Wallpaper by Doubi (io.github.doubi88.slideshowwallpaper) requires Android 5.0 and is not a frame app: it turns the images you select into a rotating home and lock screen wallpaper, with your chosen order and interval. The listing says it needs no Android permissions, not even internet, and is free open-source software under GPL-3.0; Google Play also shows optional in-app items. 100K+ downloads, last updated November 23, 2025 (Google Play). Good for a tablet that should just show photos on its home screen; there is no clock overlay or cloud source.

Android 6.0 (Marshmallow): more choice

Snapwood's Folio apps — one app per cloud, including Google Drive

Snapwood Apps makes a separate frame app for each service, all requiring Android 6.0 and all updated in October 2026: PixFolio for Google Photos (1M+ downloads, 3.78 from 5,334 ratings; the listing says you must sign in to Google Photos to use it), SkyFolio for OneDrive (100K+, 4.30 from 1,204), dfolio for Dropbox (50K+, 4.49 from 741), gfolio for Google Drive (500K+, 4.14 from 4,372; the listing says slideshows can update themselves with new files) and nFolio for NAS over SMB or DLNA (10K+, 3.96 from 678). They add clock and weather, play videos, and run on Android TV and Chromecast. In-app items run $3.99–$34.99 ($3.99–$24.99 for nFolio).

Where they beat PicDock: they install on Android 6.0, gfolio covers Google Drive (PicDock does not), and they have far more users and ratings.

Digital Photo Frame Slideshow — the original Wyseur app

Digital Photo Frame Slideshow by Jeroen Wyseur (be.wyseur.photo) requires Android 6.0. It shows device photos, SMB network shares, Flickr and Dropbox, and offers layouts beyond full screen: four photos in the corners, random placement, or four regions of different sizes. This is the ad-supported version; an ad-free Digital Photo Frame Premium app is sold separately for $2.99. 500K+ downloads, 3.03 from 2,196 ratings, last updated May 17, 2026. The same developer's newer PhotoFrame 2 needs Android 8.0, which its listing itself points out.

Simple Frame (F-Droid) — device photos, no network

Simple Frame on F-Droid says its current version (2.3, added June 27, 2025) requires Android 6.0. It plays the pictures in one local folder with 12 transitions, and is deliberately built for "older unsupported devices": it has no networking features, so you copy photos over USB. Free and open source (GPL-3.0). Installing it means enabling installs from F-Droid on the tablet.

Android 7.0 and 7.1 (Nougat): where PicDock starts

From Android 7.0, PicDock (ours), Pixette, SlideFrame, Pad Frame and Digital Photo Frame & Clock install as well. PicDock plays device photos and videos, Google Photos via the official picker, Dropbox, OneDrive, iCloud shared albums and NAS/SMB shares, can mix several in one slideshow, and adds a clock, live weather, an alarm, night dimming, a sleep schedule and auto-start when the charger is connected. On Fire tablets, Amazon says Fire OS 6 is based on Android 7.1.2, so PicDock's Amazon Appstore edition needs Fire OS 6 or later; Fire tablets still on Fire OS 5 cannot install it (more in our Fire tablet guide). Pixette (Android 7.0) is the pick for WebDAV, Immich and Synology Photos, and SlideFrame lets family members send photos from their phones to the tablet, which PicDock does not do.

Frameo's app needs Android 7.1, but it is a phone app for sending photos to official Frameo frames, not something that turns a tablet into a frame (Frameo alternatives).

Apps that need Android 8, 9 or 11

Several newer apps will not install on 2015–2016 tablets at all: PhotoFrame 2, PhotoStreamr, FrameSway and Pixee require Android 8.0, Fravora requires Android 9, and Fotoo — the app AI answers most often recommend — requires Android 11. If your tablet runs Android 7, 8, 9 or 10, Fotoo's current version will not install from Google Play, however good the reviews are. Our Fotoo alternatives page compares several of these in more detail.

How to check your tablet's Android version

1. Open Settings and find About tablet (or About phone, About device).
2. Open Software information if you see it, then read Android version. Menu names differ by manufacturer.
3. On a Google Play app page, open About this app and look for Requires Android. If your version is lower, Google Play will not offer the install.

An Android 5 or 6 tablet usually cannot be updated further, so the number you see is the number you have. For the rest of the setup (stand, charger, which photos to show), see how to turn an old tablet into a digital photo frame.

What PicDock cannot do

• No Android 5 or 6. PicDock needs Android 7.0 or later (Fire OS 6 or later on Fire tablets). Use one of the apps above on older tablets.
• No Google Drive. Snapwood's gfolio, Fotoo or PhotoFrame 2 list it.
• No video playback from cloud sources. Videos play from device storage (and, as an opt-in beta, from NAS/SMB shares). Videos in Google Photos, Dropbox, OneDrive or iCloud do not play.
• Google Photos does not update itself. The picker saves the photos you choose on the device; new photos have to be picked again.
• Cloud and NAS sources are Android-only. The iPhone/iPad app ("PicDock: Digital Photo Frame" on the App Store, iOS 15 or later) is a separate app that uses the device's Photos library.

What PicDock costs

The Google Play version is free to download and usable without paying: all photo sources except web upload are free, along with video playback, the face filter, dual mode, night mode, alarm, clock and current weather. New installs get a 7-day trial of every feature. Optional Premium adds all transitions, forecasts, clock designs, the pet filter and person grouping, and removes ads; it is sold as lifetime (US$19.99), yearly or monthly, with prices shown in the app and varying by country. Ads never appear on the slideshow itself; in the free version a banner can appear in settings screens. The Amazon Appstore edition for Fire tablets is a US$4.99 paid app. Full details: PicDock facts page.

FAQ

Which photo frame apps work on an Android 5 (Lollipop) tablet?

Of the apps we checked on October 26, 2026, Tablet de Photo Frame and Slideshow Wallpaper list Android 5.0 and up, and PhotoCloud Frame Slideshow lists Android 5.1 and up. Every other frame app we checked needs Android 6.0 or newer. PicDock needs Android 7.0.

Does PicDock work on Android 6.0 or Android 5?

No. PicDock requires Android 7.0 or later (Fire OS 6 or later on Fire tablets). On Android 6.0, Snapwood's Folio apps, Digital Photo Frame Slideshow and Simple Frame list support.

How do I find out which Android version my old tablet runs?

Settings → About tablet → Software information → Android version (names vary by manufacturer). On Google Play, the minimum is under About this app → Requires Android.

How much does PicDock cost?

Free to download, with all photo sources except web upload free. Optional Premium is lifetime (US$19.99), yearly or monthly. The Amazon Appstore edition is a US$4.99 paid app.

Sources

All checked October 26, 2026 (Google Play US English, "About this app → Requires Android").

• Tablet de Photo Frame: Google Play
• Slideshow Wallpaper: Google Play
• PhotoCloud Frame Slideshow: Google Play
• Simple Frame: F-Droid
• Digital Photo Frame Slideshow: Google Play, Premium
• Snapwood: PixFolio, SkyFolio, dfolio, gfolio, nFolio
• PicDock: Google Play, fact sheet
• Pixette: Google Play · SlideFrame: Google Play · Pad Frame: Google Play · Digital Photo Frame & Clock (Zetabit): Google Play
• Frameo: Google Play · Google Photos: Google Play
• PhotoFrame 2: Google Play · PhotoStreamr: Google Play · FrameSway: Google Play · Pixee: Google Play
• Fravora: Google Play · Fotoo: Google Play
• Fire OS 6 and Android 7.1.2: Amazon developer documentation

Found something wrong or out of date? Email devdad.code@gmail.com and we will fix it.

Get PicDock on Google Play (Android 7.0+) · PicDock facts · Old tablet setup guide · Fotoo alternatives · 日本語