diff --git a/INSTALL.md b/INSTALL.md
index d5c6151..d720a1d 100644
--- a/INSTALL.md
+++ b/INSTALL.md
@@ -135,24 +135,7 @@ location /uploads/ {
 }
 ```
 
-### 8. Set Up Cron for Image Cleanup
-
-Images auto-expire after 24 hours. Set up cron to clean them up:
-
-```bash
-# Edit crontab
-crontab -e
-
-# Add this line (runs every hour):
-0 * * * * cd /path/to/nano-pro && /usr/bin/php cleanup.php >> cleanup.log 2>&1
-```
-
-Or run manually:
-```bash
-php cleanup.php
-```
-
-### 9. Test Installation
+### 8. Test Installation
 
 Visit these URLs to verify:
 
@@ -401,15 +384,12 @@ nano config.php
 mkdir -p uploads/sessions
 chmod 755 uploads/sessions
 
-# 5. Set up cron
-crontab -e
-# Add: 0 * * * * cd /path/to/nano-pro && php cleanup.php >> cleanup.log 2>&1
-
-# 6. Test
+# 5. Test
 # Visit: https://your-server.com/nano-pro/
 # Visit: https://your-server.com/nano-pro/auth-test.php
 
-# 7. Done!
+# 6. Done!
+# Note: Images auto-cleanup on app launch (no cron needed)
 ```
 
 ---
@@ -457,6 +437,23 @@ chmod 755 uploads/sessions/
 
 ---
 
+## Automatic Image Cleanup
+
+**No cron job required!** The application automatically cleans up expired images:
+
+- Cleanup runs automatically when users launch the app (~10% of sessions)
+- Finds images older than 24 hours across all user sessions
+- Deletes expired images and metadata files
+- Removes empty session directories
+- Logs cleanup activity to `error_log`
+
+**Manual cleanup** (if needed):
+```bash
+php cleanup.php
+```
+
+---
+
 ## Monitoring
 
 ### Check Application Status
diff --git a/session_manager.php b/session_manager.php
index 0652bb4..8ad65e3 100644
--- a/session_manager.php
+++ b/session_manager.php
@@ -43,6 +43,12 @@ class SessionManager {
 
         // Clean up invalid history entries
         $this->cleanupImageHistory();
+
+        // Auto-cleanup expired images (runs randomly ~10% of the time)
+        // This replaces the need for a cron job
+        if (rand(1, 10) === 1) {
+            $this->autoCleanupExpiredImages();
+        }
     }
 
     private function initializeSessionData() {
@@ -319,6 +325,25 @@ class SessionManager {
         return $extMap[$extension] ?? 'image/png';
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Auto-cleanup expired images (called on session init)
+     * Runs the cleanup in the background without blocking
+     */
+    private function autoCleanupExpiredImages() {
+        try {
+            // Run cleanup silently
+            $result = self::cleanupExpiredImages($this->uploadDir);
+
+            // Log cleanup results if any images were cleaned
+            if ($result['cleaned'] > 0) {
+                error_log("Auto-cleanup: Removed {$result['cleaned']} expired images");
+            }
+        } catch (Exception $e) {
+            // Silently fail - don't break the app if cleanup fails
+            error_log("Auto-cleanup failed: " . $e->getMessage());
+        }
+    }
+
     /**
      * Static method to clean up expired images across all sessions
      */
diff --git a/uploads/.htaccess b/uploads/.htaccess
index 312aaf3..f67cb07 100644
--- a/uploads/.htaccess
+++ b/uploads/.htaccess
@@ -1,11 +1,17 @@
 # Secure uploads directory
-# Prevent direct access to uploaded images via browser
+# Allow image access but prevent directory listing
 
-# Deny access to all files
-Order Deny,Allow
-Deny from all
+# Disable directory browsing
+Options -Indexes
 
-# Allow PHP scripts to access files
-<FilesMatch "\.php$">
+# Allow access to image files
+<FilesMatch "\.(jpg|jpeg|png|gif|webp)$">
+    Order Allow,Deny
     Allow from all
 </FilesMatch>
+
+# Deny access to metadata files
+<FilesMatch "\.meta$">
+    Order Deny,Allow
+    Deny from all
+</FilesMatch>