How to use iCloud Shared Photo Library on iPhone, iPad

Apple introduced a bunch of interesting features with iOS 16. Among them, iCloud Shared Photo Library is one of the important added features. When you share an iCloud library with someone, they gain access to the owner and can edit, remove, and add subtitles. Even better, you can make videos or take photos and upload them directly to the shared library. In this article, I’ll show you how to create and use a shared iCloud photo library on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and share selected photos with friends and family.

iCloud Shared Photo Library requirements

• You must have an iCloud account to create and access the iCloud Shared Photo Library. You must also use:
  – An iPhone running iOS 16,
  – iPad running iPadOS 16 or later,
  – Or Mac running on Ventura.
• You can share your library with a maximum of five people at a time.

iCloud Shared Photo Library vs. Shared Album

If you’re confused between the two ways to share photos, I don’t blame you. Apple should have done a bit more when naming. While iCloud Shared Photo Library and Shared Album are somewhat similar, they differ in several ways:

iCloud Shared Photo Library	iCloud Shared Photo Album
Platform and OS support	Apple-specific (iOS 16 and Mac with Ventura or later)	Apple-specific (iOS 6 or later and Mac with macOS 10.8.2 or later)
Subscribers	6 max	100 max
Smart filter	Available (you can filter shared photos by date or people)	Not available
Photos app filtering	Efficiently filters your photos by libraries	Shared photos are saved in shared albums

If you haven’t tried shared albums, check out these guides on how to create shared albums on your Mac or iPhone.

How to create iCloud Shared Photo Library on iPhone or iPad

1. Open your iPhone settings → Photos.
2. Tap Shared Library. Then tap Get Started.
3. Tap Add Participants to select people from your Contacts.
4. Type an email or phone number in the recipients’ field or tap the cross icon (+) to select from your contacts.
   Hint: Remember that you can only add a maximum of four people while sharing an album for the first time.
5. Once done adding people, tap Add at the top right.
6. Tap Next.
7. Now, you’ll be presented with three options (sharing preferences):
   • All My Photos and Videos: Share your entire photo library, except screenshots and hidden or deleted items.
   • Choose by People or Date: Sort your Shared Library by identifying specific people or dates from your library. You might want to do this for partners, for instance. This also doesn’t include screenshots and hidden or deleted photos.
   • Choose Manually: This lets you manually select what you share. It’s pretty handy if you only want to hand-pick specific photos. It ensures that you only share the chosen pictures with the recipients.
8. Tap Next after picking an option.
9. In the following menu, you’ll see the people with whom you’re about to share your library.
10. Tap Next if you’re satisfied with the list. 

If you’ve selected All My Photos and Videos:

1. Select Preview Shared Library.
2. Tap Continue at the top-right.

If you opted to Choose by People or Date:

1. You will receive a message to identify the contacts added to
2. Next up is sorting pictures by date. Tap Start Date and set the date you want your Shared Library to span.
3. Tap Next.
4. Then select Preview Shared Library to view the pictures before sharing.
5. Tap Continue at the top-right.
6. your photos. Tap this command to sort the shared library by people. Make sure you select at least two people to continue. After identifying people, tap Done on the top right.
   

   Selecting By People or Date Photos

If you’re choosing pictures manually:

1. Select the pictures you want to include in your Shared Library by tapping each.
2. Tap Add at the top-right.
3. Then tap Preview Shared Library.
4. Tap Continue at the top-right.

After selecting photos, tap Invite via Messages to send an invitation MMS to participants or tap the Share link to share the URL via social media. Choose to share your library automatically or manually via Bluetooth when participants are nearby. Finally, tap Done.

How to save camera pictures to a Shared or Personal Library

When you share an iCloud library, you can choose where to save the output while you’re shooting a video or taking a photo. For example, if you select Shared Library when taking an image or video, your iPhone will share the output automatically.

1. When you open your iPhone camera, look to the top left. You’ll see a double profile icon (showing two persons).
2. Tap that icon to toggle between Shared and Personal Library for storage.
   

   Shared Library in Camera

Filter your pictures by library type in the Photos app

After creating a Shared Library, you can choose to show only the pictures you’ve shared, a personal library, or a mixture of both.

To do this:

1. Once in the Photos app, tap the profile icon at the top right.
2. Next, tap Both Libraries, Personal Library, or Shared Library to filter your pictures accordingly.
   

   Filter Library on Mac

How to remove a participant from a Shared Library

You can remove a participant from a Shared Library if you change your mind:

1. Open Settings on the iPhone or iPad → Photos.
2. Tap Shared Library.
3. Select the contact you want to remove.
4. Tap Remove from Shared Library. Then select Remove from Shared Library.
   

   Remove Participant on iPhone