The issue you’re facing is due to changes in Android’s permission model starting from Android 13 (API 33) and above.
In Android 11 and below, READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE was enough. However, starting from Android 13 (Android 16 in Kodular), accessing media files requires new scoped permissions based on file type:
If your app only handles photos, you should request the new permission:
android.permission.READ_MEDIA_IMAGES
You no longer need to request READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE on Android 13+, and it won’t work as expected.
To confirm it’s a permission issue, try uploading and displaying a photo that’s already bundled with the app (from assets). If that works, the issue is definitely permission-related.