How to share photos on iCloud with friends and family (iPhone, iPad or Mac)

In this tutorial, we will learn How to share photos on iCloud with friends and family

So, let’s begin!

1. Easy Tutorials

To share photos on iCloud with friends and family, you can follow these steps:

1. Open the Photos app on your iPhone, iPad or Mac.
2. Select the photos that you want to share.
3. Tap the “Share” button at the bottom left corner of the screen (on an iPhone or iPad), or click on the “Share” button at the top right corner of the screen (on a Mac).
4. In the “Share” menu, select “Add People”.
5. Choose how you want to share the photos – via iCloud link, AirDrop, Messages or any other app.
6. If you choose to share via iCloud link, you can set a password or expiration date for the link to ensure privacy and security.
7. You can also choose to allow your friends and family to add their own photos to the shared album by enabling the “Collaborate” option.
8. Click on “Share” to send the link to your friends and family.
9. Your friends and family can now view and download the shared photos by clicking on the link.

Note: To share photos on iCloud, you will need an iCloud account and an active internet connection.

How to share a photo album on iPhone 

If you’ve already created a photo album but now want to share it, you’ll have to copy the photos to a new Shared Album. This might sound a little tedious at first, but I promise, it’s pretty easy. Just follow these steps to share your existing photo albums:

• Open the “Photos” app on your iPhone.
• Select the album that you want to share.
• Tap on the “Select” button at the top right corner of the screen.
• Choose the photos you want to share.
• Tap on the “Share” button at the bottom left corner of the screen.
• Choose the method you want to use to share the album. You can share it via AirDrop, Messages, Mail, or any other app that supports sharing.
• If you choose to share via Messages, Mail or any other app, you can add a message and select the recipients.

If you choose to share via AirDrop, make sure that the person you want to share the album with is nearby and has AirDrop turned on.

How to create a shared album on iPhone

To create a shared album on iPhone, you can follow these steps:

1. Open the “Photos” app on your iPhone.
2. Tap on the “Albums” tab at the bottom of the screen.
3. Tap on the “+” icon at the top left corner of the screen to create a new album.
4. Give your new album a name.
5. Tap on “Add Photos” to add photos to the album.
6. Select the photos you want to add to the album.
7. Tap on “Done” to finish adding photos.
8. Tap on the new album you just created to open it.
9. Tap on the “People” tab at the bottom of the screen.
10. Tap on “Invite People” to share the album.
11. Choose how you want to invite people to the album. You can invite them via Messages, Mail or by copying a link to share.
12. If you choose to invite people via Messages or Mail, enter the names or email addresses of the people you want to invite.
13. If you choose to share the link, you can copy it and send it to the people you want to invite.
14. Tap on “Create” to finish creating the shared album.
15. Your friends and family can now view and add photos to the shared album.

Note: To create a shared album on iPhone, you will need an active internet connection, and the recipient will need to have an Apple device that supports viewing photos.

How to accept a shared album invite

If someone else wants to share an album with you, you’ll have to accept the invitation before you start seeing their pictures and videos. To accept a shared album invite on iPhone, you can follow these steps:

1. Open the “Photos” app on your iPhone.
2. Tap on the “Albums” tab at the bottom of the screen.
3. Look for the shared album invitation under the “Shared Albums” section.
4. Tap on the shared album invitation to open it.
5. Tap on “Join” to accept the shared album invitation.
6. If the shared album has been set up to require approval before adding photos, you may need to wait for the album owner to approve your request.
7. Once you have been added to the shared album, you can view and add photos to the album.

Note: If you don’t see the shared album invitation, check your Messages or Mail app to see if you have received the invitation there. You can also ask the album owner to send the invitation again if you haven’t received it.

How to access a shared album on iPhone

To access a shared album on iPhone, you can follow these steps:

1. Open the “Photos” app on your iPhone.
2. Tap on the “Albums” tab at the bottom of the screen.
3. Look for the shared album under the “Shared Albums” section.
4. Tap on the shared album to open it.
5. You can now view the photos in the shared album.
6. If you want to add photos to the shared album, tap on the “Add” button at the bottom of the screen, and select the photos you want to add.
7. If you want to like or comment on a photo in the shared album, tap on the photo to open it, and then tap on the “Like” or “Comment” button.
8. You can also share the shared album with others by tapping on the “People” tab at the bottom of the screen, and then tapping on “Invite People” to invite others to view or contribute to the shared album.

Note: To access a shared album on iPhone, you need to have been invited to the album by the album owner. You also need to have an active internet connection to view and add photos to the album.

Why can’t I share an album? 

If you’re unable to share an album in iCloud, it could be due to one of the following reasons:

1. You don’t have an active internet connection: To share an album in iCloud, you need to have an active internet connection.
2. You’re not signed in to iCloud: You need to be signed in to your iCloud account to share an album in iCloud.
3. You’ve exceeded your iCloud storage limit: If you’ve reached your iCloud storage limit, you won’t be able to share any more photos or albums until you free up space in your iCloud storage.
4. The album has already been shared: If the album has already been shared with the maximum number of people allowed, you won’t be able to share it with any more people.
5. The recipient doesn’t have an Apple device: iCloud sharing is designed to work with Apple devices. If the recipient doesn’t have an Apple device, they won’t be able to view or contribute to the shared album.
6. iCloud sharing is not available in your country: iCloud sharing is not available in all countries. If you’re in a country where iCloud sharing is not available, you won’t be able to share albums in iCloud.

If none of the above reasons apply to you, you may want to check if there are any known issues with iCloud or contact Apple support for further assistance.

Why can’t I see the photos in a shared album? 

If you’re having trouble viewing pictures in a Shared Album, here are some things that could be causing that issue.

• Your iPhone doesn’t meet system requirements. Shared Albums require at least iOS 7 or higher.
• Cellular data is blocked for Photos. Allow Photos to use cellular data by going to Settings > Cellular and turning on Photos.
• iCloud Photos is down. Use Apple’s System Status page to make sure iCloud Photos is up.
• The Wi-Fi connection is poor. Try connecting your iPhone to a different Wi-Fi network or using your cellular data.

How to share photos between your devices with My Photo Stream

If you’re looking to share your photo library between all of your own personal devices, rather than sharing with friends and family, then you might want to consider My Photo Stream. It automatically and wirelessly syncs your recent pictures across all of your devices.

What is My Photo Stream, and how does it work?

The great thing about My Photo Stream is that it doesn’t use any of your iCloud storage, so you don’t have to worry about space when you’re using it. The downside is that it only syncs your last 1,000 pictures for up to 30 days. So while your recent pictures will automatically show up on all your devices, if you want to save them on a particular device, you’ll have to manually save the photos.

How to share photos using My Photo Stream

The first step to sharing photos across your devices is to make sure you have My Photo Stream enabled on all of them. To turn My Photo Stream on:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap Photos.
3. Turn on Upload to My Photo Stream.

My Photo Stream will then appear in your Photos app as its own album. When you want to save a picture, simply find it in the My Photo Stream album and tap the Share icon > Save Image.

Sharing photos with friends and family or even across your own devices is super simple thanks to all the great features of iCloud Photos and My Photo Stream. And when you’re using those features on your iPhone, they’re all conveniently integrated into the Photos app. Now you can share your pictures privately without worrying about them being all over your social media accounts for everyone to see.