Sharing photo albums from your iOS device with friends and family is easy with the built-in sharing features of the Photos app. Whether you want to share a few select photos or an entire album, there are options to fit your needs.
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Before sharing any albums, you’ll want to make sure the sharing features are enabled on your device:
1. Open the Settings app and tap your name at the top
This will open your Apple ID page.
2. Tap “iCloud”
3. In the iCloud menu, tap “Photos”
4. Make sure “Shared Albums” is toggled on
This enables the sharing capabilities through iCloud. If it was already on, you may need to toggle it off and back on to refresh the settings.
You’ll also want to consider who you are sharing with – other Apple device users or non-Apple device users. Sharing albums works best when shared with other Apple users, but there are still options for non-Apple users.
Sharing An Existing Album
If you already have an album created that you want to share, follow these steps:
1. Open the Photos app and select the “Albums” tab
2. Tap on the album you want to share
3. Tap on the share icon (box with arrow pointing up)
4. Tap “Add to Shared Album”
5. Tap “Shared Album”
6. Tap “New Shared Album” even if it already exists on your device
This creates the shared album shell that others can access even if they don’t have the Photos app.
7. Give the shared album a name and tap “Next”
8. Enter the names, emails, or phone numbers of who you want to share with
Other Apple device users will appear with a blue icon. Non-Apple users will show with a green icon.
9. Tap “Post” when finished
The album will now be shared and accessible to those you invited.
To create an brand new shared album:
1. Open the Photos app and select the photos you want to share
2. Tap the share icon (box with arrow pointing up)
3. Tap “Add to Shared Album”
4. Tap “New Shared Album”
5. Give the album a name and tap “Next”
6. Enter the contacts you want to share with
7. Tap “Create” when finished
The new shared album containing the selected photos will be available to invited contacts.
As the creator of a shared album, you have full control over that album. Here are some management tips:
- Add more photos – Open the shared album and tap the + icon to select additional photos
- Remove photos – Tap “Select”, choose photos, tap delete
- Invite more people – Tap the people icon and then “Invite People”
- Change album name – Tap the 3 dots, tap “Rename Album”
Shared album creators can also moderate comments, allow contributors to post photos, and more.
Sharing Options for Non-Apple Users
To share albums with non-Apple device users:
1. Open the shared album
2. Tap the “People” button
3. Toggle on “Public Website”
This generates a web link that can be shared with anyone to view the album. The link can also be protected with a password if desired.
Tips for Sharing Albums on iPhone
- Share Live Photos as videos for non-Apple viewers
- Use iCloud Photo Sharing to share albums with Android/Windows
- Create shared albums from iPad and Mac too
- Use AirDrop to share albums with nearby Apple devices
- Shared albums don’t count against your iCloud storage
Sharing albums is a great way to relive memories with others. With the built-in tools in iOS and iCloud, it’s easy to get albums shared, even to non-Apple device users. Follow these steps to start sharing special photo memories today!
