1. Reinventing the wheel is pointless. If Memories was a dedicated app, that would mean re-implementing everything from automatic file upload to multi-user support and auth integrations. The maintenance overhead of such a codebase increases exponentially, all while completely unnecessary since someone else is maintaining the exact same things in another piece of software. Integrating with Nextcloud is what makes Memories sustainable.
1. PHP and Nextcloud have become very fast over the last few years, and running both is very minimal overhead. Functions such as upgrading Nextcloud
to newer versions is seamless especially when using Docker.
1. The power of Memories is integration: the Nextcloud ecosystem provides tons of other apps for extending functionality.
The target user of Memories is not a tech-savvy self-hoster. Most commonly used / available features will be given priority over advanced features, e.g. most useful for professionals / photographers / data hoarders. That doesn't mean to say these features will necessarily not be implemented.
**Does Memories support a folder structure for storage?**
Yes. All photos are stored in a folder structure, and only displayed as a flat timeline. This means you can swap out Memories for any other photo app if you want (no lock-in). You can also view the photos in the folder structure if you desire.
The Android app is available in early access on [Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=gallery.memories). The web app is very responsive on mobile and can be used on Android and iOS. You can use the official Nextcloud app to auto-upload photos and videos from your device.
Make sure you follow the [troubleshooting steps](../troubleshooting/#performance). Unless you have hundreds of thousands of photos on a Raspberry Pi, Memories should be very fast. File an issue otherwise.
