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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteIn an existing Android app that uses Picasso, the basic request is Picasso.get().load(source).into(imageView). You can add placeholders, resize and crop images, and use custom transformations. Picasso is deprecated, however: Square says existing versions will continue to function, but no new work or public Maven Central releases are planned. That makes it a maintenance option for existing integrations—not a library to choose for a new project.
How to load an image into an Android ImageView with Picasso
Picasso’s standard request uses three steps: get the shared Picasso instance, provide an image source with load(...), and deliver the result to an ImageView with into(...).
Picasso.get()
.load("https://i.imgur.com/DvpvklR.png")
.into(imageView);This is the core pattern shown in Picasso’s documentation. Picasso handles common image-loading work, including caching, transformations and requests to views that may be recycled in adapters.
What image sources can Picasso load?
The documented Picasso 2.x API accepts several source forms. Choose one that matches where the image is stored; support for a particular URI scheme or network protocol should not be assumed without checking that source specifically.
#1 Best Overall
| Source form | Example |
|---|---|
| URI | Picasso.get().load(uri).into(imageView); |
| String path | Picasso.get().load(path).into(imageView); |
| File | Picasso.get().load(file).into(imageView); |
| Drawable resource ID | Picasso.get().load(R.drawable.photo).into(imageView); |
Square’s examples also cover Android asset paths and content-provider resources. See the official documentation and the Picasso 2.8 API reference for the documented overloads.
Set placeholders and an error image
A placeholder gives the view an image to show while a request is loading; an error drawable provides a fallback if the request fails.
Picasso.get()
.load(imageUrl)
.placeholder(R.drawable.image_loading)
.error(R.drawable.image_error)
.into(imageView);Picasso’s overview says it retries a request three times before showing the error placeholder. Treat that as documented library behavior, not a guarantee about every failure type or retry timing. The drawable methods are documented in the request API overview.
What happens when an adapter reuses an ImageView?
In a list or grid, an adapter may reuse a view that previously displayed a different item. Picasso’s overview says it detects adapter view reuse and cancels the previous download when a new request is made for the reused view. Bind the current item’s source whenever you bind that view:
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Picasso.get()
.load(item.imageUrl)
.into(holder.imageView);This cancellation behavior helps with recycling, but it does not remove the need to keep application-level item identity and binding logic correct.
Resize and crop an image
Use resize(width, height) to request target dimensions, then centerCrop() when the image should fill those dimensions while cropping excess content.
Picasso.get()
.load(imageUrl)
.resize(320, 180)
.centerCrop()
.into(imageView);The values are dimensions in pixels. Choose dimensions appropriate for the view and your app’s image assets; cropping can remove content near the edges.
Implement a custom transformation safely
A custom Picasso transformation must return a stable, unique cache key. Include every parameter that changes the output—such as a crop size or effect strength—in that key, so distinct results are not treated as the same cached transformation.
Best Value
Bitmap ownership matters too. If the transformation creates and returns a new bitmap, the Picasso 2.x API says to recycle the source bitmap. If no change is needed, the transformation may return the original bitmap. See the Transformation API reference and BitmapHunter API reference for the documented contract.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Understand Picasso’s cache before relying on offline images
Picasso’s 2.x API includes a memory-cache abstraction. Its LruCache implementation evicts least-recently-used entries and takes a maximum size in bytes. The documentation also describes caching generally, but these facts alone do not establish that every Picasso configuration persists images to disk or makes them available offline. Verify the cache implementation and configuration in your app before depending on offline access. The LruCache API reference documents its memory-cache behavior.
Check Picasso’s status before adding it to a project
Square’s official Picasso repository marks the library deprecated. Its README states: “This library is deprecated. Please use alternatives like Coil for future projects, and start planning to migrate existing projects, especially if they rely on Compose UI.” Square says existing versions will continue to function, but no new work is planned and there will be no further public releases to Maven Central. The repository lists com.squareup.picasso:picasso:2.8 and minimum requirements of Java 8 and Android API 21; those details identify the published version, not an ongoing release commitment. See the official Picasso repository.
The GitHub releases page lists 2.8 as the latest release, dated 10 August 2021. If you maintain an app already using Picasso, its documented request API can still be useful. For new development, follow Square’s advice to consider an alternative; compare current maintenance, Android and Compose support, customization, cache behavior and migration effort rather than assuming one library is faster or universally better.
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