Sharing special moments with loved ones is one of life's greatest joys. With your iPhone and iCloud Photo Sharing, you can easily share selected photos with specific people without posting them publicly. This private sharing method gives you control over who sees your precious memories while making it simple for friends and family to enjoy and comment on your photos.

In this guide, I'll walk you through every step of setting up and using iCloud Photo Sharing to share photos with just the people you choose. Let's get started!

What is iCloud Photo Sharing?

iCloud Photo Sharing (now called Shared Albums) is an Apple feature that lets you create photo albums that can be shared with specific people. Unlike posting photos on social media, these albums are private and can only be viewed by the people you invite.

Some key benefits of using iCloud Photo Sharing include:

• Privacy control - only the people you invite can see your photos
• No social media account required for viewers
• Friends and family can comment on and like photos
• Invited members can add their own photos to shared albums (if you allow it)
• No reduction in photo quality when sharing
• Doesn't count against your iCloud storage limit

Prerequisites for iCloud Photo Sharing

Before we dive into the steps, make sure you have:

• An iPhone running iOS 12 or later (though steps are similar for older versions)
• An Apple ID signed in to iCloud
• iCloud Photos enabled on your device
• A stable internet connection

Setting Up iCloud Photo Sharing on Your iPhone

First, let's make sure your iCloud Photo Sharing is turned on:

Step 1: Enable iCloud Photo Sharing

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone
2. Tap on your name at the top of the screen
3. Select "iCloud"
4. Tap "Photos"
5. Toggle on "Shared Albums"

Once you've enabled Shared Albums, you're ready to start creating and sharing photo collections with your selected contacts.

Creating a New Shared Album

Now that your settings are configured correctly, let's create a new shared album:

Step 2: Create a Shared Album

1. Open the Photos app on your iPhone
2. Tap the "For You" tab at the bottom of the screen
3. Scroll down and tap "Shared Albums"
4. Tap the "+" icon in the top-left corner
5. Enter a name for your shared album (like "Family Vacation 2023" or "Baby's First Year")
6. Tap "Next"

You can also create a shared album directly from the "Albums" tab:

1. Open the Photos app
2. Tap the "Albums" tab
3. Scroll down to find "Shared Albums"
4. Tap the "+" icon
5. Name your album
6. Tap "Next"

Step 3: Invite People to Your Shared Album

After naming your album, you'll need to add people who can view it:

1. In the "To:" field, start typing a contact's name, phone number, or email address
2. Select the contact from the suggestions that appear
3. Add more contacts as needed by repeating the process
4. Optionally, add a comment in the text field below the contacts
5. Tap "Create" to finish setting up the album

Adding Photos to Your Shared Album

Now that you've created your shared album and invited people, it's time to add photos:

Step 4: Add Photos to Your Shared Album

Method 1: Adding from the Shared Album

1. Open the Photos app
2. Tap the "Albums" tab
3. Scroll down to "Shared Albums" and tap on the album you created
4. Tap the "+" icon inside the album
5. Select the photos you want to add by tapping on them (a blue checkmark appears when selected)
6. Tap "Done" in the top-right corner
7. Add an optional comment and tap "Post"

Method 2: Adding from Your Photo Library

1. Open the Photos app
2. Find the photo(s) you want to share in your library
3. Select the photo(s) by tapping "Select" and then choosing the images
4. Tap the share icon (square with an arrow pointing up)
5. Scroll down and tap "Add to Shared Album"
6. Choose the shared album you want to add the photos to
7. Add an optional comment and tap "Post"

Step 5: Managing Photos in Your Shared Album

After adding photos, you might want to organize or remove some:

To Delete a Photo from a Shared Album:

1. Open the shared album
2. Tap the photo you want to remove
3. Tap the trash icon at the bottom of the screen
4. Confirm by tapping "Delete Photo"

Note that deleting a photo from a shared album doesn't delete it from your main photo library.

Managing Your Shared Album Settings

You can customize how your shared album works and who can access it:

Step 6: Adjust Shared Album Settings

1. Open the shared album in the Photos app
2. Tap "People" at the top of the screen
3. Here you'll see several options:

Subscriber Options:

• Invite People: Add more people to your shared album
• Subscribers Can Post: Toggle this on to allow others to add photos
• Public Website: Creates a web link anyone can view (keep off for private sharing)
• Notifications: Get alerts when people add photos or comments

People Management:

• See who has accepted your invitation
• Remove people by swiping left on their name and tapping "Remove"

Setting	Recommended for Privacy	Use Case
Subscribers Can Post	Off	When you want to be the only one sharing photos
Public Website	Off	For maximum privacy with selected people only
Notifications	On	To stay updated on activity in your shared album

Interacting with Photos in Shared Albums

Shared albums aren't just for viewing photos; they're also for interaction:

Step 7: Liking and Commenting on Photos

To Like a Photo:

1. Open the shared album
2. Tap the photo you want to like
3. Tap the heart icon at the bottom of the screen

To Comment on a Photo:

1. Open the shared album
2. Tap the photo you want to comment on
3. Tap the speech bubble icon or the "Add a comment..." field
4. Type your comment and tap "Post"

These interactions make shared albums more engaging and personal, allowing conversations around specific photos.

Advanced iCloud Photo Sharing Tips

Creating Multiple Shared Albums for Different Groups

You might want to share different photos with different groups of people. For example:

• A "Family" album for relatives
• A "Close Friends" album for your inner circle
• A "Work Colleagues" album for professional contacts
• Event-specific albums like "Wedding Photos" or "Vacation 2023"

This approach gives you granular control over who sees which photos.

Using Shared Albums for Collaborative Projects

Shared albums can be useful for more than just sharing memories:

• Planning events where everyone contributes ideas through photos
• Home renovation projects where family members can share inspiration
• School projects where students can collaborate
• Family recipe collections with photos of finished dishes

Saving Photos from Shared Albums

If someone shares photos with you that you want to keep:

1. Open the shared album
2. Tap the photo you want to save
3. Tap the share icon (square with an arrow)
4. Select "Save Image" to add it to your personal library

Troubleshooting Common iCloud Photo Sharing Issues

Sometimes things don't work as expected. Here are solutions to common problems:

Invitations Not Being Received

If your friends or family aren't receiving your invitations:

• Verify you're using the correct email address or phone number
• Ask them to check their spam folder
• Try sending the invitation again
• Make sure they have an Apple ID (required for iCloud Photo Sharing)

Photos Not Appearing in Shared Albums

If photos aren't showing up after you add them:

• Check your internet connection
• Wait a few minutes as uploads can take time
• Make sure iCloud Photo Sharing is enabled in Settings
• Restart the Photos app or your iPhone

Storage Concerns

Good news: Shared albums don't count against your iCloud storage limit. However:

• Shared albums can contain up to 5,000 photos and videos
• Individual items are limited to 15 minutes or 5GB per video
• Photos are slightly compressed compared to originals

Comparing iCloud Photo Sharing with Other Sharing Methods

How does iCloud Photo Sharing stack up against other ways to share photos?

Feature	iCloud Shared Albums	Social Media	Text Messages	Email
Privacy	High - invite only	Low - potentially public	Medium - limited to recipients	Medium - can be forwarded
Quality	Good - slight compression	Poor - heavy compression	Poor - compressed in MMS	Varies - file size limits
Organization	Excellent - albums, comments	Good - albums possible	Poor - chronological only	Poor - attachment view only
Interaction	Comments and likes	Comments, likes, shares	Text replies only	Email replies only
Storage Impact	None on iCloud limit	None on your storage	Uses phone storage	Uses email storage

Privacy Considerations for Photo Sharing

When sharing personal photos, keep these privacy tips in mind:

• Review all photos before sharing for sensitive information (location data, documents, etc.)
• Be selective about who you invite to shared albums
• Keep the "Public Website" option turned off for private photos
• Remember that subscribers can save photos to their own devices
• Create separate albums for different groups to control who sees what
• Regularly review who has access to your shared albums

Managing Location Data in Photos

Photos often contain location data showing where they were taken. To manage this:

1. Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services > Photos
2. Choose "Never" to stop adding location data to future photos
3. For existing photos, you can remove location data before sharing using third-party apps

Quick Tip to ensure your videos never go missing

Videos are precious memories and all of us never want to lose them to hard disk crashes or missing drives. PicBackMan is the easiest and simplest way to keep your videos safely backed up in one or more online accounts. 

Simply download PicBackMan (it's free!), register your account, connect to your online store and tell PicBackMan where your videos are - PicBackMan does the rest, automatically. It bulk uploads all videos and keeps looking for new ones and uploads those too. You don't have to ever touch it.

Making the Most of Shared Albums for Special Occasions

Shared albums really shine for special events and milestones:

Family Events

Create a shared album for family gatherings where everyone can contribute photos, ensuring no one misses any special moments.

Weddings

Set up a shared album for wedding guests to add their candid shots, complementing the professional photography.

Baby Milestones

Document your child's growth with grandparents and close family through a dedicated shared album that builds over time.

Travel Groups

When traveling with friends, a shared album lets everyone contribute their perspective of the trip.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Do people need an iPhone to view my shared albums?

No, but they do need an Apple ID. People can view shared albums on any Apple device (iPhone, iPad, Mac) using the Photos app. Non-Apple users can view shared albums through a web browser if you enable the "Public Website" option, but this reduces privacy.

2. How many photos can I add to a shared album?

You can add up to 5,000 photos and videos to a single shared album. Videos can be up to 15 minutes or 5GB in size.

3. If I delete a photo from a shared album, does it delete from my iPhone too?

No. Deleting a photo from a shared album only removes it from that album. The original photo remains in your personal photo library unless you delete it separately.

4. Can I share photos at their original quality?

Shared albums use slightly compressed versions of your photos to save space. If you need to share photos at full quality, you might want to use AirDrop (for nearby Apple users) or a cloud storage service like Dropbox or Google Drive instead.

5. What happens if I delete a shared album?

If you delete a shared album that you created, it's removed for all subscribers too. They'll no longer have access to those photos unless they saved them to their own devices. Your original photos remain in your personal library.

Conclusion

iCloud Photo Sharing (Shared Albums) offers a perfect balance of privacy and convenience when you want to share special moments with specific people. By following the steps in this guide, you can easily create shared albums, invite only the people you want, and manage your shared photos effectively.

This feature gives you more control than social media while being more organized than text messages or email attachments. Your precious memories stay private, your selected friends and family can interact with your photos, and everyone can enjoy the moments that matter most.

Start creating your first shared album today and experience a more personal, private way to share your life's special moments with the people who matter most to you.