diff --git a/web/apps/photos/src/services/upload/publicUploadHttpClient.ts b/web/apps/photos/src/services/upload/publicUploadHttpClient.ts
index 9bd5e9dd95..2eafd2c852 100644
--- a/web/apps/photos/src/services/upload/publicUploadHttpClient.ts
+++ b/web/apps/photos/src/services/upload/publicUploadHttpClient.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import log from "@/base/log";
 import { apiURL } from "@/base/origins";
-import { retryAsyncOperation } from "@/gallery/retry-async";
+import { retryAsyncOperation } from "@/gallery/utils/retry-async";
 import { EnteFile } from "@/media/file";
 import { CustomError, handleUploadError } from "@ente/shared/error";
 import HTTPService from "@ente/shared/network/HTTPService";
diff --git a/web/apps/photos/src/services/upload/upload-service.ts b/web/apps/photos/src/services/upload/upload-service.ts
index d3ef55674a..53a0f3e305 100644
--- a/web/apps/photos/src/services/upload/upload-service.ts
+++ b/web/apps/photos/src/services/upload/upload-service.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import { ensureElectron } from "@/base/electron";
 import { basename, nameAndExtension } from "@/base/file-name";
 import log from "@/base/log";
 import { CustomErrorMessage } from "@/base/types/ipc";
+import { detectFileTypeInfoFromChunk } from "@/gallery/utils/detect-type";
 import {
     EncryptedMagicMetadata,
     EnteFile,
@@ -33,7 +34,6 @@ import {
     RANDOM_PERCENTAGE_PROGRESS_FOR_PUT,
     UPLOAD_RESULT,
 } from "@/new/photos/services/upload/types";
-import { detectFileTypeInfoFromChunk } from "@/new/photos/utils/detect-type";
 import { readStream } from "@/new/photos/utils/native-stream";
 import { mergeUint8Arrays } from "@/utils/array";
 import { ensureInteger, ensureNumber } from "@/utils/ensure";
diff --git a/web/apps/photos/src/services/upload/uploadHttpClient.ts b/web/apps/photos/src/services/upload/uploadHttpClient.ts
index ef50fec076..06d37a6432 100644
--- a/web/apps/photos/src/services/upload/uploadHttpClient.ts
+++ b/web/apps/photos/src/services/upload/uploadHttpClient.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import log from "@/base/log";
 import { apiURL, uploaderOrigin } from "@/base/origins";
-import { retryAsyncOperation } from "@/gallery/retry-async";
+import { retryAsyncOperation } from "@/gallery/utils/retry-async";
 import { EnteFile } from "@/media/file";
 import { CustomError, handleUploadError } from "@ente/shared/error";
 import HTTPService from "@ente/shared/network/HTTPService";
diff --git a/web/apps/photos/src/utils/file/index.ts b/web/apps/photos/src/utils/file/index.ts
index 487b4f49be..596b59b39b 100644
--- a/web/apps/photos/src/utils/file/index.ts
+++ b/web/apps/photos/src/utils/file/index.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import { sharedCryptoWorker } from "@/base/crypto";
 import log from "@/base/log";
 import { type Electron } from "@/base/types/ipc";
 import { downloadAndRevokeObjectURL } from "@/base/utils/web";
+import { detectFileTypeInfo } from "@/gallery/utils/detect-type";
 import {
     EncryptedEnteFile,
     EnteFile,
@@ -20,7 +21,6 @@ import {
     isArchivedFile,
     updateMagicMetadata,
 } from "@/new/photos/services/magic-metadata";
-import { detectFileTypeInfo } from "@/new/photos/utils/detect-type";
 import { safeFileName } from "@/new/photos/utils/native-fs";
 import { writeStream } from "@/new/photos/utils/native-stream";
 import { withTimeout } from "@/utils/promise";
diff --git a/web/packages/base/README.md b/web/packages/base/README.md
index 1c40f3bcd0..81e93fee25 100644
--- a/web/packages/base/README.md
+++ b/web/packages/base/README.md
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 ## @/base
 
-A base UI layer package for sharing code between our production apps.
+A base (+ UI layer) package for sharing code between our production apps.
 
 This is a higher layer package than `@/utils` (which is framework agnostic).
 This package is meant for sharing code between our Next.js apps that use React
diff --git a/web/packages/base/package.json b/web/packages/base/package.json
index 2bbf7ead27..10d8ac452d 100644
--- a/web/packages/base/package.json
+++ b/web/packages/base/package.json
@@ -11,13 +11,15 @@
         "get-user-locale": "^2.3.2",
         "i18next": "^23.16.6",
         "i18next-resources-to-backend": "^1.2.1",
+        "idb": "^8.0.0",
         "is-electron": "^2.2.2",
         "libsodium-wrappers-sumo": "^0.7.15",
         "nanoid": "^5.0.8",
         "next": "^14.2.9",
         "react": "^18.3.1",
         "react-dom": "^18.3.1",
-        "react-i18next": "^15.1.1"
+        "react-i18next": "^15.1.1",
+        "zod": "^3.23.8"
     },
     "devDependencies": {
         "@/build-config": "*",
diff --git a/web/packages/new/photos/utils/detect-type.ts b/web/packages/gallery/utils/detect-type.ts
similarity index 100%
rename from web/packages/new/photos/utils/detect-type.ts
rename to web/packages/gallery/utils/detect-type.ts
diff --git a/web/packages/gallery/retry-async.ts b/web/packages/gallery/utils/retry-async.ts
similarity index 100%
rename from web/packages/gallery/retry-async.ts
rename to web/packages/gallery/utils/retry-async.ts
diff --git a/web/packages/media/README.md b/web/packages/media/README.md
index 70d6424f29..2c45825481 100644
--- a/web/packages/media/README.md
+++ b/web/packages/media/README.md
@@ -2,8 +2,8 @@
 
 A package for sharing code between our apps that show media (photos, videos).
 
-Specifically, this is the intersection of code required by both the photos and
-cast apps.
+Specifically, this is the intersection of code required by both the photos app
+(or the public albums app) and cast apps.
 
 ### Packaging
 
diff --git a/web/packages/new/package.json b/web/packages/new/package.json
index 1fc23d6b13..eb5b061a37 100644
--- a/web/packages/new/package.json
+++ b/web/packages/new/package.json
@@ -9,9 +9,7 @@
         "@ente/shared": "*",
         "@mui/x-date-pickers": "^7.16.0",
         "dayjs": "^1.11.13",
-        "formik": "^2.4.6",
-        "idb": "^8.0.0",
-        "zod": "^3.23.8"
+        "formik": "^2.4.6"
     },
     "devDependencies": {
         "@/build-config": "*"
diff --git a/web/packages/new/photos/services/download.ts b/web/packages/new/photos/services/download.ts
index 4b694aaf0d..5c49b9a15e 100644
--- a/web/packages/new/photos/services/download.ts
+++ b/web/packages/new/photos/services/download.ts
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import {
 } from "@/base/crypto";
 import log from "@/base/log";
 import { customAPIOrigin } from "@/base/origins";
+import { retryAsyncOperation } from "@/gallery/utils/retry-async";
 import type { EnteFile, LivePhotoSourceURL, SourceURLs } from "@/media/file";
 import { FileType } from "@/media/file-type";
 import { decodeLivePhoto } from "@/media/live-photo";
@@ -18,7 +19,6 @@ import * as ffmpeg from "@/new/photos/services/ffmpeg";
 import { renderableImageBlob } from "@/new/photos/utils/file";
 import { CustomError } from "@ente/shared/error";
 import HTTPService from "@ente/shared/network/HTTPService";
-import { retryAsyncOperation } from "@/gallery/retry-async";
 
 export type OnDownloadProgress = (event: {
     loaded: number;
diff --git a/web/packages/new/photos/utils/file.ts b/web/packages/new/photos/utils/file.ts
index 0e698b6051..9fbc353da0 100644
--- a/web/packages/new/photos/utils/file.ts
+++ b/web/packages/new/photos/utils/file.ts
@@ -2,9 +2,9 @@ import { isDesktop } from "@/base/app";
 import log from "@/base/log";
 import { CustomErrorMessage } from "@/base/types/ipc";
 import { workerBridge } from "@/base/worker/worker-bridge";
+import { detectFileTypeInfo } from "@/gallery/utils/detect-type";
 import { isHEICExtension, needsJPEGConversion } from "@/media/formats";
 import { heicToJPEG } from "@/media/heic-convert";
-import { detectFileTypeInfo } from "./detect-type";
 
 /**
  * This will be set to false if we get an error from the Node.js side of our