diff --git a/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/feature_request.md b/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/feature_request.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..fb07c2230
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/feature_request.md
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+---
+name: Feature request
+about: Suggest a feature or improvement
+title: ''
+labels: feature
+assignees: ''
+
+---
+
+**Describe the feature**
+A clear description of what the feature is.
diff --git a/hooks/pre-commit b/hooks/pre-commit
index 242916516..83b93f9e1 100755
--- a/hooks/pre-commit
+++ b/hooks/pre-commit
@@ -1,37 +1,9 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 # This git hook fails if a user is trying to add a new file which is
 # not null safe.
+exec ./hooks/pre-commit-fdroid
 
-# Check the contents of each file that is being added(A) or modified(N) or
-# copied (C)
-for file in `git diff --name-only --diff-filter=ACM --cached`; do
-  # Ignore the hooks from any pre-commit check
-  if echo "$file" | grep -q 'hooks/'; then
-    continue
-  fi
-  # Get the contents of the newly added lines in the file
-  newContent=`git diff --cached --unified=0 $file | grep '^+'`
-  oldContent=`git diff --cached --unified=0 $file | grep '^-'`
-  initialContent=`head -5 $file`
 
-  # Check if user has added "// @dart=2.9" in the file
-  if echo "$newContent" | grep -q '// @dart=2.9'; then
-    echo "😡 File $file looks like a newly created file but it's not null-safe"
-    exit 1
-  elif echo "$oldContent" | grep -q '// @dart=2.9'; then
-    echo "💚💚 Thank you for making $file null-safe"
-    continue
-  elif echo "$initialContent" | grep -q '// @dart=2.9'; then
-    echo "🔥🔥🔥🔥 Please make $file null-safe"
-    continue
-  else
-    continue
-  fi
-done
-
-nullUnsafeFiles=$(grep  '// @dart=2.9' -r lib/ | wc -l)
-# The xargs at the end is to trim whitepsaces https://stackoverflow.com/a/12973694/546896
-echo "🥺🥺 $nullUnsafeFiles files are still waiting for their nullSafety migrator" | xargs
 
 # If the script gets to this point, all files passed the check
 exit 0
diff --git a/hooks/pre-commit-fdroid b/hooks/pre-commit-fdroid
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..9b2514adc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hooks/pre-commit-fdroid
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+# Get the current branch
+current_branch=$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD)
+
+if [ "$current_branch" = "f-droid" ]; then
+    # Verify that the pubspec.yaml doesn't contain certain dependencies
+    WORDS=("in_app_purchase" "firebase")
+    for word in ${WORDS[@]}; do
+        if grep -q $word pubspec.yaml; then
+            echo "The pubspec.yaml file dependency on '$word', which is not allowed on the f-droid branch."
+            exit 1
+        fi
+    done
+fi
diff --git a/lib/db/files_db.dart b/lib/db/files_db.dart
index 8c2cfdb43..b917c7564 100644
--- a/lib/db/files_db.dart
+++ b/lib/db/files_db.dart
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-import 'dart:developer' as dev;
 import 'dart:io' as io;
 
 import 'package:flutter/foundation.dart';
@@ -12,6 +11,7 @@ import 'package:photos/models/file_load_result.dart';
 import 'package:photos/models/file_type.dart';
 import 'package:photos/models/location/location.dart';
 import "package:photos/models/metadata/common_keys.dart";
+import "package:photos/services/filter/db_filters.dart";
 import 'package:photos/utils/file_uploader_util.dart';
 import 'package:sqflite/sqflite.dart';
 import 'package:sqflite_migration/sqflite_migration.dart';
@@ -391,7 +391,7 @@ class FilesDB {
     ConflictAlgorithm conflictAlgorithm = ConflictAlgorithm.replace,
   }) async {
     final startTime = DateTime.now();
-    final db = await instance.database;
+    final db = await database;
     var batch = db.batch();
     int batchCounter = 0;
     for (File file in files) {
@@ -508,10 +508,10 @@ class FilesDB {
     int? limit,
     bool? asc,
     int visibility = visibleVisibility,
-    Set<int>? ignoredCollectionIDs,
+    DBFilterOptions? filterOptions,
     bool applyOwnerCheck = false,
   }) async {
-    final stopWatch = Stopwatch()..start();
+    final stopWatch = EnteWatch('getAllPendingOrUploadedFiles')..start();
     late String whereQuery;
     late List<Object?>? whereArgs;
     if (applyOwnerCheck) {
@@ -537,14 +537,13 @@ class FilesDB {
           '$columnCreationTime ' + order + ', $columnModificationTime ' + order,
       limit: limit,
     );
+    stopWatch.log('queryDone');
     final files = convertToFiles(results);
-    final List<File> deduplicatedFiles =
-        _deduplicatedAndFilterIgnoredFiles(files, ignoredCollectionIDs);
-    dev.log(
-      "getAllPendingOrUploadedFiles time taken: ${stopWatch.elapsedMilliseconds} ms",
-    );
+    stopWatch.log('convertDone');
+    final filteredFiles = await applyDBFilters(files, filterOptions);
+    stopWatch.log('filteringDone');
     stopWatch.stop();
-    return FileLoadResult(deduplicatedFiles, files.length == limit);
+    return FileLoadResult(filteredFiles, files.length == limit);
   }
 
   Future<FileLoadResult> getAllLocalAndUploadedFiles(
@@ -553,7 +552,7 @@ class FilesDB {
     int ownerID, {
     int? limit,
     bool? asc,
-    Set<int>? ignoredCollectionIDs,
+    required DBFilterOptions filterOptions,
   }) async {
     final db = await instance.database;
     final order = (asc ?? false ? 'ASC' : 'DESC');
@@ -568,9 +567,8 @@ class FilesDB {
       limit: limit,
     );
     final files = convertToFiles(results);
-    final List<File> deduplicatedFiles =
-        _deduplicatedAndFilterIgnoredFiles(files, ignoredCollectionIDs);
-    return FileLoadResult(deduplicatedFiles, files.length == limit);
+    final List<File> filteredFiles = await applyDBFilters(files, filterOptions);
+    return FileLoadResult(filteredFiles, files.length == limit);
   }
 
   List<File> deduplicateByLocalID(List<File> files) {
@@ -590,43 +588,6 @@ class FilesDB {
     return deduplicatedFiles;
   }
 
-  List<File> _deduplicatedAndFilterIgnoredFiles(
-    List<File> files,
-    Set<int>? ignoredCollectionIDs,
-  ) {
-    final Set<int> uploadedFileIDs = <int>{};
-    // ignoredFileUploadIDs is to keep a track of files which are part of
-    // archived collection
-    final Set<int> ignoredFileUploadIDs = <int>{};
-    final List<File> deduplicatedFiles = [];
-    for (final file in files) {
-      final id = file.uploadedFileID;
-      final bool isFileUploaded = id != null && id != -1;
-      final bool isCollectionIgnored = ignoredCollectionIDs != null &&
-          ignoredCollectionIDs.contains(file.collectionID);
-      if (isCollectionIgnored || ignoredFileUploadIDs.contains(id)) {
-        if (isFileUploaded) {
-          ignoredFileUploadIDs.add(id);
-          // remove the file from the list of deduplicated files
-          if (uploadedFileIDs.contains(id)) {
-            deduplicatedFiles
-                .removeWhere((element) => element.uploadedFileID == id);
-            uploadedFileIDs.remove(id);
-          }
-        }
-        continue;
-      }
-      if (isFileUploaded && uploadedFileIDs.contains(id)) {
-        continue;
-      }
-      if (isFileUploaded) {
-        uploadedFileIDs.add(id);
-      }
-      deduplicatedFiles.add(file);
-    }
-    return deduplicatedFiles;
-  }
-
   Future<FileLoadResult> getFilesInCollection(
     int collectionID,
     int startTime,
@@ -698,7 +659,8 @@ class FilesDB {
       limit: limit,
     );
     final files = convertToFiles(results);
-    final dedupeResult = _deduplicatedAndFilterIgnoredFiles(files, {});
+    final dedupeResult =
+        await applyDBFilters(files, DBFilterOptions.dedupeOption);
     _logger.info("Fetched " + dedupeResult.length.toString() + " files");
     return FileLoadResult(files, files.length == limit);
   }
@@ -730,7 +692,10 @@ class FilesDB {
       orderBy: '$columnCreationTime ' + order,
     );
     final files = convertToFiles(results);
-    return _deduplicatedAndFilterIgnoredFiles(files, ignoredCollectionIDs);
+    return applyDBFilters(
+      files,
+      DBFilterOptions(ignoredCollectionIDs: ignoredCollectionIDs),
+    );
   }
 
   // Files which user added to a collection manually but they are not
@@ -1254,6 +1219,50 @@ class FilesDB {
     return result;
   }
 
+  // getCollectionLatestFileTime returns map of collectionID to the max
+  // creationTime of the files in the collection.
+  Future<Map<int, int>> getCollectionIDToMaxCreationTime() async {
+    final db = await instance.database;
+    final rows = await db.rawQuery(
+      '''
+      SELECT $columnCollectionID, MAX($columnCreationTime) AS max_creation_time
+      FROM $filesTable
+      WHERE 
+      ($columnCollectionID IS NOT NULL AND $columnCollectionID IS NOT -1
+       AND $columnUploadedFileID IS NOT NULL AND $columnUploadedFileID IS 
+       NOT -1)
+      GROUP BY $columnCollectionID;
+    ''',
+    );
+    final result = <int, int>{};
+    for (final row in rows) {
+      result[row[columnCollectionID] as int] = row['max_creation_time'] as int;
+    }
+    return result;
+  }
+
+  // getCollectionFileFirstOrLast returns the first or last uploaded file in
+  // the collection based on the given collectionID and the order.
+  Future<File?> getCollectionFileFirstOrLast(
+    int collectionID,
+    bool sortAsc,
+  ) async {
+    final db = await instance.database;
+    final order = sortAsc ? 'ASC' : 'DESC';
+    final rows = await db.query(
+      filesTable,
+      where: '$columnCollectionID = ? AND $columnUploadedFileID IS NOT NULL',
+      whereArgs: [collectionID],
+      orderBy:
+          '$columnCreationTime ' + order + ', $columnModificationTime ' + order,
+      limit: 1,
+    );
+    if (rows.isEmpty) {
+      return null;
+    }
+    return convertToFiles(rows).first;
+  }
+
   Future<void> markForReUploadIfLocationMissing(List<String> localIDs) async {
     if (localIDs.isEmpty) {
       return;
@@ -1425,22 +1434,6 @@ class FilesDB {
     return result;
   }
 
-  // For given list of localIDs and ownerID, get a list of uploaded files
-  // owned by given user
-  Future<List<File>> getFilesForLocalIDs(
-    List<String> localIDs,
-    int ownerID,
-  ) async {
-    final db = await instance.database;
-    final rows = await db.query(
-      filesTable,
-      where:
-          '$columnLocalID IN (${localIDs.map((e) => "'$e'").join(',')}) AND $columnOwnerID = ?',
-      whereArgs: [ownerID],
-    );
-    return _deduplicatedAndFilterIgnoredFiles(convertToFiles(rows), {});
-  }
-
   // For a given userID, return unique uploadedFileId for the given userID
   Future<List<int>> getUploadIDsWithMissingSize(int userId) async {
     final db = await instance.database;
@@ -1484,8 +1477,10 @@ class FilesDB {
     final List<Map<String, dynamic>> result =
         await db.query(filesTable, orderBy: '$columnCreationTime DESC');
     final List<File> files = convertToFiles(result);
-    final List<File> deduplicatedFiles =
-        _deduplicatedAndFilterIgnoredFiles(files, collectionsToIgnore);
+    final List<File> deduplicatedFiles = await applyDBFilters(
+      files,
+      DBFilterOptions(ignoredCollectionIDs: collectionsToIgnore),
+    );
     return deduplicatedFiles;
   }
 
@@ -1509,7 +1504,7 @@ class FilesDB {
     int endTime, {
     int? limit,
     bool? asc,
-    Set<int>? ignoredCollectionIDs,
+    required DBFilterOptions? filterOptions,
   }) async {
     final db = await instance.database;
     final order = (asc ?? false ? 'ASC' : 'DESC');
@@ -1525,9 +1520,8 @@ class FilesDB {
       limit: limit,
     );
     final files = convertToFiles(results);
-    final List<File> deduplicatedFiles =
-        _deduplicatedAndFilterIgnoredFiles(files, ignoredCollectionIDs);
-    return FileLoadResult(deduplicatedFiles, files.length == limit);
+    final List<File> filteredFiles = await applyDBFilters(files, filterOptions);
+    return FileLoadResult(filteredFiles, files.length == limit);
   }
 
   Map<String, dynamic> _getRowForFile(File file) {
diff --git a/lib/extensions/stop_watch.dart b/lib/extensions/stop_watch.dart
index 8b394504e..a381fcbc1 100644
--- a/lib/extensions/stop_watch.dart
+++ b/lib/extensions/stop_watch.dart
@@ -2,15 +2,25 @@ import 'package:flutter/foundation.dart';
 
 class EnteWatch extends Stopwatch {
   final String context;
+  int previousElapsed = 0;
 
   EnteWatch(this.context) : super();
 
   void log(String msg) {
-    debugPrint("[$context]: $msg took ${elapsed.inMilliseconds} ms");
+    if (kDebugMode) {
+      debugPrint("[$context]: $msg took ${Duration(
+        microseconds: elapsedMicroseconds - previousElapsed,
+      ).inMilliseconds} ms  total: "
+          "${elapsed.inMilliseconds} ms");
+    }
+    previousElapsed = elapsedMicroseconds;
   }
 
   void logAndReset(String msg) {
-    debugPrint("[$context]: $msg took ${elapsed.inMilliseconds} ms");
+    if (kDebugMode) {
+      debugPrint("[$context]: $msg took ${elapsed.inMilliseconds} ms");
+    }
     reset();
+    previousElapsed = 0;
   }
 }
diff --git a/lib/models/collection.dart b/lib/models/collection.dart
index 6fae45d25..bd35f0701 100644
--- a/lib/models/collection.dart
+++ b/lib/models/collection.dart
@@ -130,6 +130,25 @@ class Collection {
     return (owner?.id ?? 0) == userID;
   }
 
+  CollectionParticipantRole getRole(int userID) {
+    if (isOwner(userID)) {
+      return CollectionParticipantRole.owner;
+    }
+    if (sharees == null) {
+      return CollectionParticipantRole.unknown;
+    }
+    for (final User? u in sharees!) {
+      if (u != null && u.id == userID) {
+        if (u.isViewer) {
+          return CollectionParticipantRole.viewer;
+        } else if (u.isCollaborator) {
+          return CollectionParticipantRole.collaborator;
+        }
+      }
+    }
+    return CollectionParticipantRole.unknown;
+  }
+
   // canLinkToDevicePath returns true if the collection can be linked to local
   // device album based on path. The path is nothing but the name of the device
   // album.
diff --git a/lib/services/collections_service.dart b/lib/services/collections_service.dart
index 48c445a60..2a8350f41 100644
--- a/lib/services/collections_service.dart
+++ b/lib/services/collections_service.dart
@@ -218,6 +218,36 @@ class CollectionsService {
     return _cachedLatestFiles!;
   }
 
+  final Map<String, File> _coverCache = <String, File>{};
+
+  Future<File?> getCover(Collection c) async {
+    final int localSyncTime = getCollectionSyncTime(c.id);
+    final String coverKey = '${c.id}_${localSyncTime}_${c.updationTime}';
+    if (_coverCache.containsKey(coverKey)) {
+      return Future.value(_coverCache[coverKey]!);
+    }
+    if (kDebugMode) {
+      debugPrint("getCover for collection ${c.id} ${c.displayName}");
+    }
+    final coverID = c.pubMagicMetadata.coverID;
+    if (coverID != null) {
+      final File? cover = await filesDB.getUploadedFile(coverID, c.id);
+      if (cover != null) {
+        _coverCache[coverKey] = cover;
+        return Future.value(cover);
+      }
+    }
+    final coverFile = await filesDB.getCollectionFileFirstOrLast(
+      c.id,
+      c.pubMagicMetadata.asc ?? false,
+    );
+    if (coverFile != null) {
+      _coverCache[coverKey] = coverFile;
+      return Future.value(coverFile);
+    }
+    return null;
+  }
+
   Future<bool> setCollectionSyncTime(int collectionID, int? time) async {
     final key = _collectionSyncTimeKeyPrefix + collectionID.toString();
     if (time == null) {
@@ -234,6 +264,33 @@ class CollectionsService {
         .toList();
   }
 
+  // returns collections after removing deleted,uncategorized, and hidden
+  // collections
+  List<Collection> getCollectionsForUI({
+    bool includedShared = false,
+    bool includeCollab = false,
+  }) {
+    final Set<CollectionParticipantRole> allowedRoles = {
+      CollectionParticipantRole.owner,
+    };
+    if (includedShared) {
+      allowedRoles.add(CollectionParticipantRole.viewer);
+    }
+    if (includedShared || includeCollab) {
+      allowedRoles.add(CollectionParticipantRole.collaborator);
+    }
+    final int userID = _config.getUserID()!;
+    return _collectionIDToCollections.values
+        .where(
+          (c) =>
+              !c.isDeleted ||
+              c.type != CollectionType.uncategorized ||
+              !c.isHidden() ||
+              allowedRoles.contains(c.getRole(userID)),
+        )
+        .toList();
+  }
+
   User getFileOwner(int userID, int? collectionID) {
     if (_cachedUserIdToUser.containsKey(userID)) {
       return _cachedUserIdToUser[userID]!;
diff --git a/lib/services/filter/collection_ignore.dart b/lib/services/filter/collection_ignore.dart
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e21fc8a23
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/services/filter/collection_ignore.dart
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+import "package:photos/models/file.dart";
+import "package:photos/services/filter/filter.dart";
+
+class CollectionsIgnoreFilter extends Filter {
+  final Set<int> collectionIDs;
+
+  Set<int>? _ignoredUploadIDs;
+
+  CollectionsIgnoreFilter(this.collectionIDs, List<File> files) : super() {
+    init(files);
+  }
+
+  void init(List<File> files) {
+    _ignoredUploadIDs = {};
+    if (collectionIDs.isEmpty) return;
+    for (var file in files) {
+      if (file.collectionID != null &&
+          file.isUploaded &&
+          collectionIDs.contains(file.collectionID!)) {
+        _ignoredUploadIDs!.add(file.uploadedFileID!);
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  @override
+  bool filter(File file) {
+    return file.isUploaded &&
+        !_ignoredUploadIDs!.contains(file.uploadedFileID!);
+  }
+}
diff --git a/lib/services/filter/db_filters.dart b/lib/services/filter/db_filters.dart
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..604313b6f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/services/filter/db_filters.dart
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+import "package:photos/models/file.dart";
+import "package:photos/services/filter/collection_ignore.dart";
+import "package:photos/services/filter/dedupe_by_upload_id.dart";
+import "package:photos/services/filter/filter.dart";
+import "package:photos/services/filter/upload_ignore.dart";
+import "package:photos/services/ignored_files_service.dart";
+
+class DBFilterOptions {
+  // typically used for filtering out all files which are present in hidden
+  // (searchable files result) or archived collections or both (ex: home
+  // timeline)
+  Set<int>? ignoredCollectionIDs;
+  bool dedupeUploadID;
+  bool hideIgnoredForUpload;
+
+  DBFilterOptions({
+    this.ignoredCollectionIDs,
+    this.hideIgnoredForUpload = false,
+    this.dedupeUploadID = true,
+  });
+
+  static DBFilterOptions dedupeOption = DBFilterOptions(
+    dedupeUploadID: true,
+  );
+}
+
+Future<List<File>> applyDBFilters(
+  List<File> files,
+  DBFilterOptions? options,
+) async {
+  if (options == null) {
+    return files;
+  }
+  final List<Filter> filters = [];
+  if (options.hideIgnoredForUpload) {
+    final Set<String> ignoredIDs =
+        await IgnoredFilesService.instance.ignoredIDs;
+    if (ignoredIDs.isNotEmpty) {
+      filters.add(UploadIgnoreFilter(ignoredIDs));
+    }
+  }
+  if (options.dedupeUploadID) {
+    filters.add(DedupeUploadIDFilter());
+  }
+  if (options.ignoredCollectionIDs != null &&
+      options.ignoredCollectionIDs!.isNotEmpty) {
+    final collectionIgnoreFilter =
+        CollectionsIgnoreFilter(options.ignoredCollectionIDs!, files);
+    filters.add(collectionIgnoreFilter);
+  }
+  final List<File> filterFiles = [];
+  for (final file in files) {
+    if (filters.every((f) => f.filter(file))) {
+      filterFiles.add(file);
+    }
+  }
+  return filterFiles;
+}
diff --git a/lib/services/filter/dedupe_by_upload_id.dart b/lib/services/filter/dedupe_by_upload_id.dart
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7e9282a8a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/services/filter/dedupe_by_upload_id.dart
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+import "package:photos/models/file.dart";
+import "package:photos/services/filter/filter.dart";
+
+// DedupeUploadIDFilter will filter out files where were previously filtered
+// during the same filtering session
+class DedupeUploadIDFilter extends Filter {
+  final Set<int> trackedUploadIDs = {};
+
+  @override
+  bool filter(File file) {
+    if (!file.isUploaded) {
+      return true;
+    }
+    if (trackedUploadIDs.contains(file.uploadedFileID!)) {
+      return false;
+    }
+    trackedUploadIDs.add(file.uploadedFileID!);
+    return true;
+  }
+}
diff --git a/lib/services/filter/filter.dart b/lib/services/filter/filter.dart
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..dd39fbb8c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/services/filter/filter.dart
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+import "package:photos/models/file.dart";
+
+abstract class Filter {
+  bool filter(File file);
+}
diff --git a/lib/services/filter/type_filter.dart b/lib/services/filter/type_filter.dart
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e2c30444b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/services/filter/type_filter.dart
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+import "package:photos/models/file.dart";
+import "package:photos/models/file_type.dart";
+import "package:photos/services/filter/filter.dart";
+
+class TypeFilter extends Filter {
+  final FileType type;
+  final bool reverse;
+
+  TypeFilter(
+    this.type, {
+    this.reverse = false,
+  });
+
+  @override
+  bool filter(File file) {
+    return reverse ? file.fileType != type : file.fileType == type;
+  }
+}
diff --git a/lib/services/filter/upload_ignore.dart b/lib/services/filter/upload_ignore.dart
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4836f5f3e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/services/filter/upload_ignore.dart
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+import "package:photos/models/file.dart";
+import "package:photos/services/filter/filter.dart";
+import "package:photos/services/ignored_files_service.dart";
+
+// UploadIgnoreFilter hides the unuploaded files that are ignored from for
+// upload
+class UploadIgnoreFilter extends Filter {
+  Set<String> ignoredIDs;
+
+  UploadIgnoreFilter(this.ignoredIDs) : super();
+
+  @override
+  bool filter(File file) {
+    // Already uploaded files pass the filter
+    if (file.isUploaded) return true;
+    return !IgnoredFilesService.instance.shouldSkipUpload(ignoredIDs, file);
+  }
+}
diff --git a/lib/ui/home/home_gallery_widget.dart b/lib/ui/home/home_gallery_widget.dart
index 9943dfcf1..81195ca48 100644
--- a/lib/ui/home/home_gallery_widget.dart
+++ b/lib/ui/home/home_gallery_widget.dart
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import 'package:photos/models/file_load_result.dart';
 import 'package:photos/models/gallery_type.dart';
 import 'package:photos/models/selected_files.dart';
 import 'package:photos/services/collections_service.dart';
-import 'package:photos/services/ignored_files_service.dart';
+import "package:photos/services/filter/db_filters.dart";
 import 'package:photos/ui/viewer/actions/file_selection_overlay_bar.dart';
 import 'package:photos/ui/viewer/gallery/gallery.dart';
 
@@ -37,6 +37,11 @@ class HomeGalleryWidget extends StatelessWidget {
         final collectionsToHide =
             CollectionsService.instance.archivedOrHiddenCollections();
         FileLoadResult result;
+        final DBFilterOptions filterOptions = DBFilterOptions(
+          hideIgnoredForUpload: true,
+          dedupeUploadID: true,
+          ignoredCollectionIDs: collectionsToHide,
+        );
         if (hasSelectedAllForBackup) {
           result = await FilesDB.instance.getAllLocalAndUploadedFiles(
             creationStartTime,
@@ -44,7 +49,7 @@ class HomeGalleryWidget extends StatelessWidget {
             ownerID!,
             limit: limit,
             asc: asc,
-            ignoredCollectionIDs: collectionsToHide,
+            filterOptions: filterOptions,
           );
         } else {
           result = await FilesDB.instance.getAllPendingOrUploadedFiles(
@@ -53,17 +58,10 @@ class HomeGalleryWidget extends StatelessWidget {
             ownerID!,
             limit: limit,
             asc: asc,
-            ignoredCollectionIDs: collectionsToHide,
+            filterOptions: filterOptions,
           );
         }
 
-        // hide ignored files from home page UI
-        final ignoredIDs = await IgnoredFilesService.instance.ignoredIDs;
-        result.files.removeWhere(
-          (f) =>
-              f.uploadedFileID == null &&
-              IgnoredFilesService.instance.shouldSkipUpload(ignoredIDs, f),
-        );
         return result;
       },
       reloadEvent: Bus.instance.on<LocalPhotosUpdatedEvent>(),
diff --git a/lib/ui/tabs/shared/incoming_album_item.dart b/lib/ui/tabs/shared/incoming_album_item.dart
index 68c7ed6d4..036f3816a 100644
--- a/lib/ui/tabs/shared/incoming_album_item.dart
+++ b/lib/ui/tabs/shared/incoming_album_item.dart
@@ -3,7 +3,9 @@ import "dart:math";
 import "package:flutter/material.dart";
 import "package:photos/db/files_db.dart";
 import "package:photos/models/collection_items.dart";
+import "package:photos/models/file.dart";
 import "package:photos/models/gallery_type.dart";
+import "package:photos/services/collections_service.dart";
 import "package:photos/ui/sharing/user_avator_widget.dart";
 import "package:photos/ui/viewer/file/no_thumbnail_widget.dart";
 import "package:photos/ui/viewer/file/thumbnail_widget.dart";
@@ -12,6 +14,7 @@ import "package:photos/utils/navigation_util.dart";
 
 class IncomingAlbumItem extends StatelessWidget {
   final CollectionWithThumbnail c;
+  static const String heroTagPrefix = "shared_collection";
 
   const IncomingAlbumItem(
     this.c, {
@@ -20,7 +23,6 @@ class IncomingAlbumItem extends StatelessWidget {
 
   @override
   Widget build(BuildContext context) {
-    final heroTag = "shared_collection" + (c.thumbnail?.tag ?? '');
     const double horizontalPaddingOfGridRow = 16;
     const double crossAxisSpacingOfGrid = 9;
     final TextStyle albumTitleTextStyle =
@@ -42,18 +44,26 @@ class IncomingAlbumItem extends StatelessWidget {
               width: sideOfThumbnail,
               child: Stack(
                 children: [
-                  c.thumbnail != null
-                      ? Hero(
+                  FutureBuilder<File?>(
+                    future: CollectionsService.instance.getCover(c.collection),
+                    builder: (context, snapshot) {
+                      if (snapshot.hasData) {
+                        final heroTag = heroTagPrefix + snapshot.data!.tag;
+                        return Hero(
                           tag: heroTag,
                           child: ThumbnailWidget(
-                            c.thumbnail,
+                            snapshot.data!,
                             key: Key(heroTag),
                             shouldShowArchiveStatus:
                                 c.collection.hasShareeArchived(),
                             shouldShowSyncStatus: false,
                           ),
-                        )
-                      : const NoThumbnailWidget(),
+                        );
+                      } else {
+                        return const NoThumbnailWidget();
+                      }
+                    },
+                  ),
                   Align(
                     alignment: Alignment.bottomRight,
                     child: Padding(
@@ -109,7 +119,7 @@ class IncomingAlbumItem extends StatelessWidget {
           CollectionPage(
             c,
             appBarType: GalleryType.sharedCollection,
-            tagPrefix: "shared_collection",
+            tagPrefix: heroTagPrefix,
           ),
         );
       },
diff --git a/lib/ui/tabs/shared/outgoing_album_item.dart b/lib/ui/tabs/shared/outgoing_album_item.dart
index 80b4c2f15..931f037e9 100644
--- a/lib/ui/tabs/shared/outgoing_album_item.dart
+++ b/lib/ui/tabs/shared/outgoing_album_item.dart
@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
 import "package:flutter/material.dart";
 import "package:photos/generated/l10n.dart";
 import "package:photos/models/collection_items.dart";
+import "package:photos/models/file.dart";
 import "package:photos/models/gallery_type.dart";
+import "package:photos/services/collections_service.dart";
 import 'package:photos/theme/colors.dart';
 import "package:photos/ui/viewer/file/no_thumbnail_widget.dart";
 import "package:photos/ui/viewer/file/thumbnail_widget.dart";
@@ -10,6 +12,7 @@ import "package:photos/utils/navigation_util.dart";
 
 class OutgoingAlbumItem extends StatelessWidget {
   final CollectionWithThumbnail c;
+  static const heroTagPrefix = "outgoing_collection";
 
   const OutgoingAlbumItem({super.key, required this.c});
 
@@ -40,7 +43,7 @@ class OutgoingAlbumItem extends StatelessWidget {
         }
       }
     }
-    final String heroTag = "outgoing_collection" + (c.thumbnail?.tag ?? '');
+
     return GestureDetector(
       behavior: HitTestBehavior.opaque,
       child: Container(
@@ -52,15 +55,23 @@ class OutgoingAlbumItem extends StatelessWidget {
               child: SizedBox(
                 height: 60,
                 width: 60,
-                child: c.thumbnail != null
-                    ? Hero(
+                child: FutureBuilder<File?>(
+                  future: CollectionsService.instance.getCover(c.collection),
+                  builder: (context, snapshot) {
+                    if (snapshot.hasData) {
+                      final String heroTag = heroTagPrefix + snapshot.data!.tag;
+                      return Hero(
                         tag: heroTag,
                         child: ThumbnailWidget(
-                          c.thumbnail,
+                          snapshot.data!,
                           key: ValueKey(heroTag),
                         ),
-                      )
-                    : const NoThumbnailWidget(),
+                      );
+                    } else {
+                      return const NoThumbnailWidget();
+                    }
+                  },
+                ),
               ),
             ),
             const Padding(padding: EdgeInsets.all(8)),
@@ -111,7 +122,7 @@ class OutgoingAlbumItem extends StatelessWidget {
         final page = CollectionPage(
           c,
           appBarType: GalleryType.ownedCollection,
-          tagPrefix: "outgoing_collection",
+          tagPrefix: heroTagPrefix,
         );
         routeToPage(context, page);
       },
diff --git a/lib/ui/viewer/actions/delete_empty_albums.dart b/lib/ui/viewer/actions/delete_empty_albums.dart
index f979ea345..ab90e8c34 100644
--- a/lib/ui/viewer/actions/delete_empty_albums.dart
+++ b/lib/ui/viewer/actions/delete_empty_albums.dart
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
 import 'package:photos/core/event_bus.dart';
+import "package:photos/db/files_db.dart";
 import 'package:photos/events/collection_updated_event.dart';
 import "package:photos/generated/l10n.dart";
 import 'package:photos/models/collection.dart';
@@ -88,12 +89,13 @@ class _DeleteEmptyAlbumsState extends State<DeleteEmptyAlbums> {
   }
 
   Future<void> _deleteEmptyAlbums() async {
-    final collections =
-        await CollectionsService.instance.getCollectionsWithThumbnails();
+    final collections = CollectionsService.instance.getCollectionsForUI();
+    final idToFileTimeStamp =
+        await FilesDB.instance.getCollectionIDToMaxCreationTime();
+
     // remove collections which are not empty or can't be deleted
     collections.removeWhere(
-      (element) =>
-          element.thumbnail != null || !element.collection.type.canDelete,
+      (c) => !c.type.canDelete || idToFileTimeStamp.containsKey(c.id),
     );
     int failedCount = 0;
     for (int i = 0; i < collections.length; i++) {
@@ -105,7 +107,7 @@ class _DeleteEmptyAlbumsState extends State<DeleteEmptyAlbums> {
             S.of(context).deleteProgress(currentlyDeleting, collections.length);
         try {
           await CollectionsService.instance.trashEmptyCollection(
-            collections[i].collection,
+            collections[i],
             isBulkDelete: true,
           );
         } catch (_) {
diff --git a/lib/ui/viewer/gallery/archive_page.dart b/lib/ui/viewer/gallery/archive_page.dart
index 5977771d7..f43b52f25 100644
--- a/lib/ui/viewer/gallery/archive_page.dart
+++ b/lib/ui/viewer/gallery/archive_page.dart
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import 'package:photos/models/gallery_type.dart';
 import "package:photos/models/metadata/common_keys.dart";
 import 'package:photos/models/selected_files.dart';
 import 'package:photos/services/collections_service.dart';
+import "package:photos/services/filter/db_filters.dart";
 import "package:photos/ui/collections/album/horizontal_list.dart";
 import 'package:photos/ui/viewer/actions/file_selection_overlay_bar.dart';
 import "package:photos/ui/viewer/gallery/empty_state.dart";
@@ -41,7 +42,11 @@ class ArchivePage extends StatelessWidget {
           visibility: archiveVisibility,
           limit: limit,
           asc: asc,
-          ignoredCollectionIDs: hiddenCollectionIDs,
+          filterOptions: DBFilterOptions(
+            hideIgnoredForUpload: true,
+            dedupeUploadID: true,
+            ignoredCollectionIDs: hiddenCollectionIDs,
+          ),
           applyOwnerCheck: true,
         );
       },
diff --git a/lib/ui/viewer/gallery/gallery_app_bar_widget.dart b/lib/ui/viewer/gallery/gallery_app_bar_widget.dart
index fd5556ab2..549563a98 100644
--- a/lib/ui/viewer/gallery/gallery_app_bar_widget.dart
+++ b/lib/ui/viewer/gallery/gallery_app_bar_widget.dart
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 import 'dart:async';
 import 'dart:io';
 
-import 'package:collection/collection.dart';
 import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
 import 'package:logging/logging.dart';
 import 'package:photos/core/configuration.dart';
@@ -247,6 +246,9 @@ class _GalleryAppBarWidgetState extends State<GalleryAppBarWidget> {
 
   List<Widget> _getDefaultActions(BuildContext context) {
     final List<Widget> actions = <Widget>[];
+    if (widget.selectedFiles.files.isNotEmpty) {
+      return actions;
+    }
     if (Configuration.instance.hasConfiguredAccount() &&
         widget.selectedFiles.files.isEmpty &&
         (widget.type == GalleryType.ownedCollection ||
@@ -502,14 +504,9 @@ class _GalleryAppBarWidgetState extends State<GalleryAppBarWidget> {
   }
 
   Future<void> _trashCollection() async {
-    final collectionWithThumbnail =
-        await CollectionsService.instance.getCollectionsWithThumbnails();
-    final bool isEmptyCollection = collectionWithThumbnail
-            .firstWhereOrNull(
-              (element) => element.collection.id == widget.collection!.id,
-            )
-            ?.thumbnail ==
-        null;
+    final int count =
+        await FilesDB.instance.collectionFileCount(widget.collection!.id);
+    final bool isEmptyCollection = count == 0;
     if (isEmptyCollection) {
       final dialog = createProgressDialog(
         context,
diff --git a/lib/ui/viewer/location/dynamic_location_gallery_widget.dart b/lib/ui/viewer/location/dynamic_location_gallery_widget.dart
index 9690db0c4..5ad0c8744 100644
--- a/lib/ui/viewer/location/dynamic_location_gallery_widget.dart
+++ b/lib/ui/viewer/location/dynamic_location_gallery_widget.dart
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import "package:photos/db/files_db.dart";
 import "package:photos/models/file.dart";
 import "package:photos/models/file_load_result.dart";
 import "package:photos/services/collections_service.dart";
-import "package:photos/services/files_service.dart";
+import "package:photos/services/filter/db_filters.dart";
 import "package:photos/services/location_service.dart";
 import 'package:photos/states/location_state.dart';
 import "package:photos/ui/viewer/gallery/gallery.dart";
@@ -32,7 +32,6 @@ class DynamicLocationGalleryWidget extends StatefulWidget {
 class _DynamicLocationGalleryWidgetState
     extends State<DynamicLocationGalleryWidget> {
   late final Future<FileLoadResult> fileLoadResult;
-  late Future<void> removeIgnoredFiles;
   double heightOfGallery = 0;
 
   @override
@@ -45,10 +44,12 @@ class _DynamicLocationGalleryWidgetState
       galleryLoadEndTime,
       limit: null,
       asc: false,
-      ignoredCollectionIDs: collectionsToHide,
+      filterOptions: DBFilterOptions(
+        ignoredCollectionIDs: collectionsToHide,
+        hideIgnoredForUpload: true,
+      ),
     );
-    removeIgnoredFiles =
-        FilesService.instance.removeIgnoredFiles(fileLoadResult);
+
     super.initState();
   }
 
@@ -58,8 +59,6 @@ class _DynamicLocationGalleryWidgetState
     final selectedRadius = InheritedLocationTagData.of(context).selectedRadius;
     Future<FileLoadResult> filterFiles() async {
       final FileLoadResult result = await fileLoadResult;
-      //wait for ignored files to be removed after init
-      await removeIgnoredFiles;
       final stopWatch = Stopwatch()..start();
       final copyOfFiles = List<File>.from(result.files);
       copyOfFiles.removeWhere((f) {
diff --git a/lib/ui/viewer/location/location_screen.dart b/lib/ui/viewer/location/location_screen.dart
index 6cec76cd6..387debe95 100644
--- a/lib/ui/viewer/location/location_screen.dart
+++ b/lib/ui/viewer/location/location_screen.dart
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ import "package:photos/models/file_load_result.dart";
 import "package:photos/models/gallery_type.dart";
 import "package:photos/models/selected_files.dart";
 import "package:photos/services/collections_service.dart";
-import "package:photos/services/files_service.dart";
+import "package:photos/services/filter/db_filters.dart";
 import "package:photos/services/location_service.dart";
 import "package:photos/states/location_screen_state.dart";
 import "package:photos/theme/colors.dart";
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ class LocationGalleryWidget extends StatefulWidget {
 
 class _LocationGalleryWidgetState extends State<LocationGalleryWidget> {
   late final Future<FileLoadResult> fileLoadResult;
-  late Future<void> removeIgnoredFiles;
+
   late Widget galleryHeaderWidget;
   final _selectedFiles = SelectedFiles();
   @override
@@ -147,10 +147,11 @@ class _LocationGalleryWidgetState extends State<LocationGalleryWidget> {
       galleryLoadEndTime,
       limit: null,
       asc: false,
-      ignoredCollectionIDs: collectionsToHide,
+      filterOptions: DBFilterOptions(
+        ignoredCollectionIDs: collectionsToHide,
+        hideIgnoredForUpload: true,
+      ),
     );
-    removeIgnoredFiles =
-        FilesService.instance.removeIgnoredFiles(fileLoadResult);
     galleryHeaderWidget = const GalleryHeaderWidget();
     super.initState();
   }
@@ -172,7 +173,6 @@ class _LocationGalleryWidgetState extends State<LocationGalleryWidget> {
     Future<FileLoadResult> filterFiles() async {
       final FileLoadResult result = await fileLoadResult;
       //wait for ignored files to be removed after init
-      await removeIgnoredFiles;
       final stopWatch = Stopwatch()..start();
       final copyOfFiles = List<File>.from(result.files);
       copyOfFiles.removeWhere((f) {
diff --git a/lib/ui/viewer/location/pick_center_point_widget.dart b/lib/ui/viewer/location/pick_center_point_widget.dart
index e501cae13..a8e73eeaa 100644
--- a/lib/ui/viewer/location/pick_center_point_widget.dart
+++ b/lib/ui/viewer/location/pick_center_point_widget.dart
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ import "package:photos/models/local_entity_data.dart";
 import "package:photos/models/location_tag/location_tag.dart";
 import "package:photos/models/selected_files.dart";
 import "package:photos/services/collections_service.dart";
-import "package:photos/services/ignored_files_service.dart";
+import "package:photos/services/filter/db_filters.dart";
 import "package:photos/theme/colors.dart";
 import "package:photos/theme/ente_theme.dart";
 import "package:photos/ui/components/bottom_of_title_bar_widget.dart";
@@ -101,17 +101,10 @@ class PickCenterPointWidget extends StatelessWidget {
                                 galleryLoadEndTime,
                                 limit: null,
                                 asc: false,
-                                ignoredCollectionIDs: collectionsToHide,
-                              );
-
-                              // hide ignored files from UI
-                              final ignoredIDs =
-                                  await IgnoredFilesService.instance.ignoredIDs;
-                              result.files.removeWhere(
-                                (f) =>
-                                    f.uploadedFileID == null &&
-                                    IgnoredFilesService.instance
-                                        .shouldSkipUpload(ignoredIDs, f),
+                                filterOptions: DBFilterOptions(
+                                  ignoredCollectionIDs: collectionsToHide,
+                                  hideIgnoredForUpload: true,
+                                ),
                               );
                               return result;
                             },
diff --git a/scripts/create_tag.sh b/scripts/create_tag.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..0190afa88
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/create_tag.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# Function to display usage
+usage() {
+    echo "Usage: $0 tag"
+    exit 1
+}
+
+# Ensure a tag was provided
+[[ $# -eq 0 ]] && usage
+
+# Exit immediately if a command exits with a non-zero status
+set -e
+
+# Go to the project root directory
+cd "$(dirname "$0")/.."
+
+# Get the tag from the command line argument
+TAG=$1
+
+# Get the current branch
+BRANCH=$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD)
+
+# Get the version from the pubspec.yaml file and cut everything after the +
+VERSION=$(grep "^version:" pubspec.yaml | awk '{ print $2 }' | cut -d '+' -f 1)
+
+
+# Check the current branch and set the tag prefix
+if [[ $BRANCH == "independent" ]]; then
+    PREFIX="v"
+elif [[ $BRANCH == "f-droid" ]]; then
+    PREFIX="fdroid-"
+    # Additional checks for f-droid branch
+    # Verify that the pubspec.yaml doesn't contain certain words
+    WORDS=("in_app_purchase" "firebase")
+    for word in ${WORDS[@]}; do
+        if grep -q $word pubspec.yaml; then
+            echo "The pubspec.yaml file dependency on '$word', which is not allowed on the f-droid branch."
+            exit 1
+        fi
+    done
+else
+    echo "Tags can only be created on the independent or f-droid branches."
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# Ensure the tag has the correct prefix
+if [[ $TAG != $PREFIX* ]]; then
+    echo "Invalid tag. On the $BRANCH branch, tags must start with '$PREFIX'."
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# Ensure the tag version is in the pubspec.yaml file
+if [[ $TAG != *$VERSION ]]; then
+    echo "Invalid tag."
+    echo "The version $VERSION in pubspec doesn't match the version in tag $TAG."
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+## If all checks pass, create the tag
+git tag $TAG
+echo "Tag $TAG created."
+
+exit 0