DB LabsDB Labs

Updated March 12, 2026

By Jack Smith, iOS Developer at DB Labs

Glossary

What Are Shared Albums on iPhone? Definition and Guide

Shared Albums let you share photos and videos with specific people on iPhone. Learn how they work, storage limits, and differences from Shared Photo Library.

March 12, 2026  ·  6 min read

What Are Shared Albums?

Shared Albums is an iCloud feature that lets you create photo albums and share them with specific people. You invite participants by email or phone number, and they can view, like, and comment on photos. Invited members can also contribute their own photos to the album. Shared Albums have a key storage benefit: photos in Shared Albums do not count against your iCloud storage quota. Each Shared Album can hold up to 5,000 photos and videos, and you can create up to 200 Shared Albums.

How to Create a Shared Album

  1. Open Photos > Albums > + (New Album) > New Shared Album.
  2. Name the album and tap Next.
  3. Add participants by entering their email addresses or phone numbers.
  4. Tap Create. The album appears in your Albums tab under Shared Albums.
  5. Open the album and tap + to add photos.

Storage Benefits

Shared Albums are stored in a separate iCloud pool that does not count against your personal iCloud storage. This makes Shared Albums an effective way to keep photos accessible without using your 5 GB (or paid) iCloud quota. However, photos in Shared Albums are stored at reduced resolution — up to 2048 pixels on the long edge, which is good enough for viewing but not original quality.

Shared Albums vs iCloud Shared Photo Library

Shared Photo Library (iOS 16+) is different from Shared Albums. A Shared Photo Library is a unified library shared with up to 5 family members where everyone has equal access and photos are stored at full resolution. Shared Photo Library does count against the library owner's iCloud storage. Shared Albums are better for sharing specific collections with friends; Shared Photo Library is better for families who want one combined library.

For more, see our guide on iCloud Shared Photo Library. For general storage management, check our complete iPhone storage guide.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do Shared Albums use iCloud storage?

No. Photos in Shared Albums are stored in a separate pool and do not count against your iCloud storage quota. This makes Shared Albums a useful way to share photos without consuming your iCloud space. However, photos are stored at reduced resolution (up to 2048 pixels on the long edge), not at original quality.

How many photos can a Shared Album hold?

Each Shared Album can hold up to 5,000 photos and videos combined. You can create up to 200 Shared Albums total. Each album can have up to 100 subscribers (people you share with). Subscribers can also contribute photos to the album if you enable that option.

What is the difference between Shared Albums and Shared Photo Library?

Shared Albums let you share specific collections with chosen people — photos are stored at reduced resolution and do not count against iCloud storage. iCloud Shared Photo Library (iOS 16+) creates a unified library shared with up to 5 family members at full resolution, but it counts against the owner's iCloud storage. Use Shared Albums for friends and specific events; use Shared Photo Library for family.