DB Labs
What Are iPhone Shared Albums?
iPhone Shared Albums are a free iCloud feature that lets you share selected photos and videos with up to 100 people. Photos added to a Shared Album do not count against your iCloud storage quota. Subscribers can view, like, comment, and optionally add their own photos. You can also create a public web link so non-Apple users can view the album in a browser. Shared Albums are different from iCloud Shared Photo Library, which shares a single full-resolution library among up to 6 family members.
How to Create a Shared Album
1 Enable Shared Albums in Settings
Go to Settings → [Your Name] → iCloud → Photos and make sure Shared Albums is toggled on. This is required before you can create or join any shared album.
2 Create the Album
Open the Photos app, go to the Albums tab, tap the + button in the top left, and choose New Shared Album. Give it a name (for example, "Jake's Birthday 2026") and tap Next.
3 Invite Subscribers
Type the names, phone numbers, or email addresses of the people you want to invite. Anyone with an Apple ID can be added as a subscriber. Tap Create to finalize the album — invites are sent automatically.
4 Add Photos
Open the new Shared Album and tap the + button to select photos from your library. You can add photos at any time — the album is always open. Subscribers receive notifications when you add new photos.
Storage Impact: What You Need to Know
This is the most commonly misunderstood aspect of Shared Albums:
- Photos you add to a Shared Album do NOT count against your iCloud storage quota. Apple stores them separately and for free.
- However, photos in Shared Albums are compressed to a maximum of 2048 x 1536 pixels (roughly 3 megapixels). Your original full-resolution photo stays in your personal library, but the version shared in the album is a compressed copy.
- When subscribers save photos from a Shared Album to their own library, they receive the compressed version, not the original.
- Photos that appear in your Shared Albums feed (other people's photos) do appear in your Photos app under Shared but do not consume your iPhone's local storage unless you explicitly save them.
Shared Album vs. iCloud Shared Photo Library
| Feature | Shared Albums | Shared Photo Library |
|---|---|---|
| Max participants | 100 subscribers | 6 people (family) |
| Photo quality | Compressed (3 MP max) | Full resolution |
| iCloud storage | Free, doesn't count | Counts against holder's quota |
| Cost | Free (any iCloud account) | Requires iCloud+ plan |
| Editing | No | Any member can edit |
| Best for | Events, groups | Close family daily sharing |
For more on iCloud Shared Photo Library, see our dedicated guide on iCloud Shared Photo Library.
Tips and Advanced Settings
- Allow subscribers to post: Open the shared album, tap People, and toggle on Subscribers Can Post. This lets invited people add their own photos — great for group events where everyone captures different moments.
- Public website: Tap People → Public Website to create a shareable link that works in any web browser. Anyone with the link can view (and optionally download) the album — no Apple ID required.
- Notifications: You receive a notification each time a subscriber adds a photo, likes a photo, or leaves a comment. Manage these in Settings → Notifications → Photos.
- Delete photos: Only the photo's uploader can delete it. Album owners cannot delete photos added by subscribers — they can only remove the subscriber from the album.
Keeping Your Personal Library Organized
When you share events via Shared Albums, it is tempting to keep every photo from those events in your personal library too. Over time this leads to significant clutter. After uploading event photos to a Shared Album, consider which duplicates and blurry shots in your personal library are worth keeping. See our guide on finding and removing duplicate photos on iPhone and use Swype Photo Cleaner to clear the rest quickly.