How to Send Photos via Raspberry Pi to Android as Notifications

To send photos from a Raspberry Pi to an Android device as notifications, you can use a combination of Python scripts, a messaging service, and a notification app on your Android device. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

Step 1: Set Up Your Raspberry Pi

Install Required Packages: Make sure you have Python and pip installed on your Raspberry Pi.

bashsudo apt updatesudo apt install python3 python3-pip

Install Required Libraries: You’ll need libraries for sending HTTP requests and handling images.

bashpip3 install requests pillow

Step 2: Choose a Notification Service

You can use services like Pushbullet, Pushover, or Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) to send notifications. For this example, we'll use Pushbullet which is straightforward.

Create a Pushbullet Account

Sign up at Pushbullet and obtain an API key from your account settings.

Step 3: Write the Python Script

Here’s a sample Python script that sends a photo to your Android device via Pushbullet:

import requestsimport json# Replace the placeholders in the code with your Pushbullet access token and image pathPUSHBULLET_ACCESS_TOKEN  'YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN'IMAGE_PATH  ''  # replace with the path of the photo you want to send# Define function to send image notificationdef send_image_notification(title, body, image_path):    with open(image_path, 'rb') as f:        image_data  ()    # Upload the image to Pushbullet    upload_response  (        '',        headers{            'Access-Token': PUSHBULLET_ACCESS_TOKEN,            'Content-Type': 'application/octet-stream'        },        dataimage_data    )    upload_data  upload_response.json()    file_url  upload_data['file_url']    # Send the notification with the image    push_response  (        '',        headers{            'Access-Token': PUSHBULLET_ACCESS_TOKEN,            'Content-Type': 'application/json'        },        datajson.dumps({            'type': 'file',            'title': title,            'body': body,            'file_url': file_url,            'file_name': image_path.split('/')[-1]        })    )    print(push_response.json())# Example usagesend_image_notification('Hello!', 'Here is your image.', IMAGE_PATH)

Step 4: Run the Script

Replace YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN with your actual Pushbullet access token.

Change IMAGE_PATH to the path of the photo you want to send.

Run the script using Python:

bashpython3 your_script_

Step 5: Set Up Your Android Device

Install the Pushbullet App: Download and install the Pushbullet app from the Google Play Store.

Log In: Log in with the same account you used to create your API key.

Additional Notes

Image Size: Ensure the image size is within the limits set by the notification service.

Testing: Test the script with different images to ensure it works as expected.

Automation: You can automate this script to run based on certain triggers, such as a sensor input or a scheduled task.

By following these steps, you should be able to send photos from your Raspberry Pi to your Android device as notifications successfully!