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iPhone guide · iOS 27 and iOS 26

How to share an album on iPhone, step by step

Make a shared album in Photos, then invite people or send a link. On iOS 27 they can join on the web, Android phones included, even without an Apple Account. Below: Apple’s exact steps for iOS 27 and iOS 26, three other ways to share and which one fits your group.

Jump to the iOS 27 steps Find the right method

Every step and limit checked against Apple Support. Checked 3 October 2026.

01The short answer

Can you share an album with someone on iPhone? Yes, three ways

Open Photos, tap Collections, scroll to Shared Albums and tap the Add button. Name the album, pick photos, then tap Sharing Options to invite people or share it with a link, and tap Done. For a household that shares everything, use iCloud Shared Photo Library. For one person nearby, select the photos and send them with AirDrop or Messages.

  • Shared Album: a group of up to 100 people, by invite or by link
  • iCloud Shared Photo Library: you plus up to five people, one library
  • Send a copy: AirDrop, Messages or Mail, nothing stays in sync
100people per shared album made on iOS 27, the owner included
5other people can join your iCloud Shared Photo Library
30 daysuntil a temporary shared album expires
2,048 pxlong edge of photos in albums made on iOS 26 or earlier

Sources: Apple Support on shared album limits, Shared Photo Library and temporary albums. Checked 3 October 2026.

02Before you start

Turn on Shared Albums, then check which kind of album you have

Shared Albums has to be on before the Shared Albums section shows up in Photos. Apple’s four steps are below.

iOS 27 changed how shared albums work, so an album made today behaves differently from one made last year. Albums keep the rules of the version they were created on until you upgrade them.

Turn on Shared Albums

  1. 1Update your iPhone to the latest version of iOS.
  2. 2Sign in with the same Apple Account on every device you want to use.
  3. 3Go to Settings, tap your name, then tap iCloud. Under Saved to iCloud, tap Photos. On iOS 27, make sure iCloud Photos is turned on.
  4. 4Scroll down, tap Shared Albums and turn on Shared Albums.

From Apple Support. Checked 3 October 2026.

Made on iOS 27 or later
Quality
Original format at full resolution
Storage
Counts toward the owner’s iCloud storage, including what others add
People
Up to 100, the owner included
Who can join
Apple and non-Apple devices, on the web without an Apple Account
Made on iOS 26 or earlier
Quality
Photos reduced to 2,048 pixels on the long edge, video up to 720p
Storage
Kept in iCloud, does not count toward your storage
People
Up to 100 subscribers
Who can join
People you invite; Public Website lets anyone view in a browser

Sources: Apple’s shared album limits and Shared Albums guide. Checked 3 October 2026.

03How to share album on iPhone, iOS 27

Create a shared album in six taps

This is how to share an album on iPhone with iOS 27 or later, in the same words Apple uses for each button. The album is created and shared in one pass.

  1. 01

    Open Collections

    Open the Photos app and tap Collections.

  2. 02

    Go to Shared Albums

    Scroll down to Shared Albums, then tap Shared Albums.

  3. 03

    Tap the Add button

    Tap the Add button to start a new shared album.

  4. 04

    Name it and pick photos

    Give the shared album a name and choose some images to add.

  5. 05

    Choose Sharing Options

    Tap Sharing Options to choose whether to invite and approve participants, or share the album with a link. To create a temporary shared album, turn on Make Album Temporary.

  6. 06

    Tap Done

    Tap the Done button. Then send the invite or the link by Messages, Mail or any app.

Swipe for all six steps

Sharing Options and Make Album Temporary

Apple’s note for iOS 27: Shared Albums gained full-resolution sharing, filters and sorting, emoji reactions and new ways to invite people, and friends can join and contribute on the web without an Apple Account or Apple device. Steps from Apple Support. Checked 3 October 2026. The phone above is an illustration, not a screenshot.

Manage Shared Album, iOS 27
04After the album exists

Invite people, share the link, decide who can add

Everything for an iOS 27 album lives behind one button: Manage Shared Album. You choose in Sharing Options whether only invited or approved people get in, or anyone with the link can join without approval.

How people join

They open the link on an Apple or a non-Apple device. If approval is on, they tap or click Send Request and wait for you. People who are not on the latest software need to update, or they can view the album on iCloud.com. Apple’s full list is on its Shared Albums page.

Invitation never arrived? Shared Albums has to be on when it is sent, so turn it on, check the email address, and look in Notification Center, in Photos under Collections or at icloud.com/photos, per Apple’s invitation help page. If the person declined by mistake, send a new invite.

Invite more people
Tap a shared album you created, tap Manage Shared Album, then under Participants tap Invite Participants and choose a contact or an app.
Copy the album link
In Manage Shared Album, tap Copy Album Link, then tap Done and paste the link anywhere.
Approve access requests
With Access Requests on in Sharing Options, people with the link can ask to join. Tap the notification, or go to Collections, tap the Profile button, then Invitations and Access Requests, and tap Approve or Decline.
Let someone add photos
Tap Manage Shared Album, tap the participant’s name and check that Can Add Photos is turned on.
Remove a person
Tap Manage Shared Album, tap the participant, then tap Remove Participant.
Delete a photo or the album
Tap the Delete button, then Delete From All Devices. Or turn on Make Album Temporary and the album is deleted in 30 days.

Adding more photos later: tap Select, choose photos, tap the Share button, tap Add to Shared Album, pick the album and tap Done. The album owner can delete anyone’s photos, videos and comments; everyone else can delete their own. Photos someone already saved to their library stay there.

05Older iPhones

On iOS 26 or earlier, the steps are different

Apple keeps a separate set of steps for iOS 26, iPadOS 26 and visionOS 26. You invite people by contact, email or iMessage number when you create the album, and new photos need one extra tap on Post.

iOS 26 or earlier

Create a shared album, the older way

  1. 1Open the Photos app.
  2. 2Tap Collections, then scroll down to Shared Albums.
  3. 3Tap Shared Albums.
  4. 4Tap the Add button.
  5. 5Name the shared album and choose the images to add.
  6. 6Choose people to invite from your contacts, or type an email address or iMessage phone number, then tap Done.
  7. 7Tap Create.
Add Participants
Open the album, tap the More button, tap the shared album name, then under Participants tap Add Participants.
Public Website
Tap the More button, then Shared Album Details, and turn on Public Website. Anyone can then see the photos in an up-to-date web browser.
Post new photos
Tap Select, pick photos, tap the Share button, tap Add to Shared Album, choose the album, then tap Post.
Remove Subscriber
Tap the More button, tap the album name, tap the person, then tap Remove Subscriber.

Public Website is for viewing. It puts the album on a website anyone with the link can see, but they cannot add photos. On iOS 27 you share with a link through Sharing Options instead; Public Website is the iOS 26 method.

Steps and button names from Apple Support. Let a participant add photos on iOS 26: tap the More button, tap the album name, then turn on Participants Can Add Photos. Checked 3 October 2026.

06Pick a method

Who are you sharing with? Tap to see the best fit

Share album is one button, but the right tool depends on who is on the other end. Choose the closest match and the card shows the method, the steps that matter and the catch.

Best fit

A shared album with a link (iOS 27)

Apple says friends can join and add photos on the web, even without an Apple Account or Apple device.

See the iOS 27 steps
  • Create the album in Photos, then tap Sharing Options and choose to share it with a link.
  • Already made it? Tap Manage Shared Album, then Copy Album Link.
  • Turn on Access Requests if you want to approve each new person.
Watch out: Everything people add counts toward your iCloud storage, unless the album is temporary.

Apple facts from Shared Albums, Shared Photo Library, temporary albums, AirDrop and the iOS 27 iPhone User Guide. Pix upload limits are our own. Checked 3 October 2026.

07Upgrade and storage

Upgrade an old album, and know who pays for the space

An album you made before iOS 27 stays the way it was until you upgrade it. Upgrading brings full resolution and link invites, and it moves new uploads onto your iCloud bill.

Upgrade Shared Album

  1. 1Open Photos and tap Collections.
  2. 2Scroll to Shared Albums and tap the album.
  3. 3Tap the More button.
  4. 4Tap Upgrade Shared Album.
  • Items already in the album do not count toward your storage. New items count toward the owner.
  • New items are stored at their original resolution.
  • You can let participants manage the album and invite others with a link.
  • A copy of the old album stays in Shared Albums settings for six months, then is permanently deleted. Recover it under Settings, your name, iCloud, Photos, Shared Albums, Archived Shared Albums.

From Apple Support. Checked 3 October 2026.

Apple’s own number

5 GB

is the free iCloud storage every Apple Account gets, per Apple. iCloud+ starts at 50 GB for $0.99 a month in the US, then 200 GB for $2.99 and 2 TB for $9.99.

A busy iOS 27 album with friends adding full-resolution video can fill 5 GB fast. For a weekend or a party, turn on Make Album Temporary: it does not use your storage at all.

Video · TenorshareOfficial · 4:57

Watch the upgrade on a real iPhone

A five-minute walkthrough of full-resolution shared albums in iOS 27 and the Upgrade Shared Album button, filmed after release. It comes from a software vendor’s channel, so skip the product mentions; the Photos steps match Apple’s.

Watch on YouTube
08Other ways to share

Shared Library, a quick copy, or AirDrop

A shared album is not always the right tool. A household that wants every photo in one place, or one friend standing next to you, is better served by one of these.

iCloud Shared Photo Library

One library for you and up to five people

  1. 1Go to Settings, tap Apps, then select Photos. On iOS 17 or earlier, go to Settings, then Photos.
  2. 2Tap Shared Library.
  3. 3Choose up to five people to invite, or invite them later.
  4. 4Choose past photos to move in now, or move them later, and follow the onscreen steps.
  • Photos you add move out of your Personal Library and into the Shared Library.
  • Everyone can add, edit and delete. You can join one Shared Library.
  • The creator provides iCloud storage for all of it. If the creator runs out, no one can add more.
  • Needs iOS 16.1, iPadOS 16.1 or macOS Ventura or later, with iCloud Photos on.

From Apple Support. To switch libraries on iOS 27, tap Library, the Sort and Filter button, then Library View.

Send a copy

Tap Select, tap the photos, tap the Share button, then choose Mail, Messages or another app. Tap Options first to turn off Keywords, change the file format, or turn on All Photos Data, which sends the original with its edit history (AirDrop only, per the iOS 27 guide).

On iOS 26, Options also has iCloud Link: turn it on to share a URL people can use to view or download, available for 30 days, per the iOS 26 guide.

AirDrop

Both of you turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and Personal Hotspot goes off. Tap Select, pick the photos, tap the Share button, tap AirDrop, then tap the person. They tap Accept. Not in your contacts? They set AirDrop to Everyone for 10 Minutes in Control Center, and on iOS 26.2 or later you enter an AirDrop code, per Apple.

On iOS 27 you can also bring two iPhones close together and tap Share. Android: Google says Quick Share works with AirDrop, rolling out first to the Pixel 10 family.

How long each one lasts
  1. OnceAirDrop and Messages send a copy, nothing stays in sync
  2. 30 daysan iCloud link stays available (iOS 26 guide)
  3. 30 daysa temporary shared album lasts, unsaved items are then deleted
  4. 6 monthsthe old copy of an upgraded album is kept, then deleted
  5. Until deleteda regular shared album or Shared Library stays
09When an event needs more

A wedding or a party? Hand out one QR code

A shared album is built for people you know and can invite. At a wedding or a big birthday, half the guests are strangers to your contacts, many use Android, and the room can pass the 100-person cap.

A QR code guest album turns that around: you print one code, guests scan it and upload in the phone browser, and every photo lands in one album without anyone joining iCloud. On Pix, guests add 149 photos at the median wedding.

One QR code for everyone
Guests scan it from a table card or a sign and land in the album. No app, no account, any phone.
Uploads from the browser
Photos up to 30MB each and videos up to 100MB each. A one-minute 4K clip can pass 100MB, so ask guests to film long clips in 1080p.
You decide what guests see
The host turns guest viewing and guest downloads on or off in Settings. Paid plans keep original quality.

The 149 figure comes from 203 real weddings, see how many photos at an average wedding. For the full setup, read our guide to collecting photos from wedding guests, or compare apps in the best wedding photo sharing app.

Scan the table card
Everyone adds in the browser

Swipe for the album screen

IF YOUR EVENT NEEDS A GUEST ALBUM

One payment, one album for every guest’s photos

Free to try with 20 uploads, no card. Every paid plan is a one-time payment with unlimited photos, videos and guests. What changes between them is how long the album takes uploads, how long it is stored and the extras.

One Party
$49one-time

For a single celebration

Unlimited photos, videos & guests
Original quality (no compression)
Film roll mode with shot limit & revealNEW
QR code template designs
3 months upload from party date
6 months storage + ZIP download
Best for most events
Big Party
$59one-time

For a crowd, a screen and a dance floor

Everything in One Party
Live slideshow at the party
Audio guestbook & guest names
Photo missions + slideshow leaderboardNEW
Up to 6 sub-albums
6 months upload, 1 year storage

One-time payment, no subscription

Party Series
$89one-time

For big guest lists and repeat events

Everything in Big Party
AI selfie search for guestsNEW
Multiple admins
Custom domain for your album
Priority support
1 year upload, 2 years storage

One payment. Yours to keep. No subscription. No renewals. No surprise charges.

Secure checkout. Polar, Apple Pay, Google Pay.

Money-back guarantee: if your guests never upload a single photo, you get 100% back. See how it works

ONE QR CODE, EVERY PHONE

Scan. Upload.
One album.

Watch a guest scan the QR code and add photos from the phone browser in seconds, iPhone or Android, with no app and no account.

Maya & JonahScan to share your photos
9:41

EVENT ALBUM

Wedding weekend

Example album

AllCeremonyParty
Table selfie
Toast
First dance
Confetti exit
Dancefloor night
Grandmas dancing
Sparkler exit
Morning after
Late night fries
Add your photosNo app needed

iCloud is for your circle. A QR album is for the whole room.

One QR code, one album, every phone. Guests upload in the browser with no app and no account, and you decide whether they can view and download. 20 uploads free, no card.

Start your free album
From the dance floor

From the dance floor

Point your camera

Scan to join the album

No app, no account

9:41

UPLOADING

Saving your moment

9:41

THE ALBUM

Maya & Jonah

Example album

214 photos · 38 guests

AllMomentsMine
Guest photo 1
★
Guest photo 2
Guest photo 3
Guest photo 4
Guest photo 5
Guest photo 6
Guest photo 7
Guest photo 8
Guest photo 9
Add photosShare your moments

SCAN TO TRY

pix.wedding/
your-wedding

Common Questions

Sharing an Album on iPhone: Common Questions

Quick answers on non-Apple viewers, people limits, quality, video, links without an Apple Account, storage and the event alternative.

Yes. For albums made on iOS 27 or later, Apple says friends and family can join and add their own photos on the web, even without an Apple Account or an Apple device: send them the album link and they open it in a browser. For an album made on iOS 26 or earlier, tap the More button, then Shared Album Details, and turn on Public Website. Anyone with the link can then view it in an up-to-date web browser, but they cannot add photos that way.

Up to 100 people per album, and for albums made on iOS 27 that count includes you as the owner. Albums made on iOS 26 or earlier allow up to 100 subscribers. If you mean iCloud Shared Photo Library instead, that one is you plus up to five other people. For a wedding or a big party with more than 100 guests, a QR code guest album is the usual way around the cap.

It depends on when the album was made. Albums made on iOS 27 or later store photos and videos in their original format at full resolution. Albums made on iOS 26 or earlier reduce photos to 2,048 pixels on the long edge (panoramas up to 5,400 pixels wide) and deliver video at up to 720p. To fix an older album, open it, tap the More button and tap Upgrade Shared Album. New items then keep their original resolution.

In albums made on iOS 26 or earlier, Apple lists videos of up to fifteen minutes, delivered at up to 720p. A 4K clip plays back at 720p, and anything past fifteen minutes is over the limit, so split long recordings first. Albums made on iOS 27 keep video at full resolution, so upgrading the album (More, then Upgrade Shared Album) fixes new uploads. Videos already in the album stay as they are.

Yes. On iOS 27, create the shared album and tap Sharing Options to share it with a link, or tap Manage Shared Album and then Copy Album Link. People can open it on any device and join on the web without an Apple Account. On iOS 26, turn on Public Website for view-only access, or send photos with an iCloud link (Share button, Options, iCloud Link), which stays available for 30 days.

A QR code guest album that runs in the phone browser. Guests scan one code, add photos without an app or an account, and there is no 100-person cap or iCloud storage bill for the couple. On Pix Wedding guests can upload photos up to 30MB each and videos up to 100MB each, so long clips are best filmed in 1080p. You can try it free with 20 uploads, and paid plans are one-time payments with unlimited photos, videos and guests.

Albums made on iOS 27 or later do, and so does everything participants add to them. Temporary shared albums do not count. Albums made on iOS 26 or earlier are kept in iCloud without counting toward your storage. After you upgrade an older album, the items already in it still do not count, but new items count toward the owner.

An iOS 27 album that expires after 30 days. Turn on Make Album Temporary when you create it. It does not use your iCloud storage, does not need iCloud Photos turned on, and holds up to 5,000 photos and videos from everyone combined. Items nobody saved are deleted at the end. To keep it, open Manage Shared Album and turn off Make Album Temporary, and from then on it counts toward your storage.

A Shared Album is a separate album you share with up to 100 people, and the photos stay in your own library too. iCloud Shared Photo Library is one library for you and up to five other people: photos you add move out of your Personal Library into it, everyone can add, edit and delete, and the person who set it up pays the storage. Albums suit groups and events, the Shared Library suits a household.

10Keep reading

Related guides

Sharing with guests after an event, sharing with a group that will not install anything, and how the other big photo services compare.

How to share wedding photos with guests Share photos with a group, no app Is Google Photos good enough for weddings? Share photos without losing quality A shared album everyone can add to Collaborative photo albums Why Google Drive struggles with event photos QR codes for wedding pictures

Sources, checked 3 October 2026

The phone screens on this page are illustrations built from Apple’s button names, not screenshots. Wedding weekend, Maya & Jonah, the other names and the counts in the mockups are illustrative. Photos are from our own library.

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How to Share an Album on iPhone (iOS 27 Steps)