The iOS 16.1 release brought with it an exciting new feature – the iCloud Shared Photo Library. Now, you can automatically share photos and videos with up to five people directly from your camera app. This feature is ideal for families, friends, or anyone who wants to share memories with their favorite people.
Everyone participating in a shared library has access to the same content and equal permissions to add, edit, or delete it. This means that the shared library becomes a communal space for participating members to share their favorite moments.
It’s important to note that content added to the shared library will move out of the personal library. This is handy for organizing your photos and videos, as it helps to separate shared content from personal content. However, the shared library uses the iCloud storage of the person who created it, so make sure you have ample storage before you start sharing.
Share photos and videos using iCloud
During the setup process, you can choose past photos and videos to share, or decide to move content later. There’s also an option to share automatically when other participants are nearby with Bluetooth turned on or to share manually, saving them to the personal library first.
To share photos and videos directly to the shared library, you simply have to tap the shared library button in the camera app. Alternatively, you can manually move content between the shared and personal libraries. Any changes made to content by any participant will automatically appear in the shared library, ensuring everyone stays updated.
How to create a Shared Library on your iPhone or iPad
- Settings > Photos, then select the Shared Library.
- Choose up to five people to invite, and you can additional people later if needed.
- Choose past photos and videos that you want to move to your Shared Library, or choose to move photos later.
- Follow the onscreen steps to preview your Shared Library
- Confirm the content that you want to share
- Additionally invite additional friends and family to view your shared photo library
One fantastic feature of the iCloud Shared Photo Library is that if a participant deletes content, a notification is sent to the content owner to move it back to the personal library before it’s permanently deleted. This guarantees that no precious memories are lost without your knowledge.
Switching between libraries is a straightforward process. All you have to do is tap the ‘more’ button in the library tab. For a combined view of both your personal and shared libraries, simply tap ‘both libraries’. Items that are part of the shared library have a shared badge in the top right corner, making it easy to identify shared content.
iCloud Shared Photo Library
Now, there are certain requirements to set up or join a Shared Library. Users need a device with iOS 16.1, iPadOS 16.1, or macOS Ventura or later with iCloud Photos turned on. If users are under 13, they can only join or create a Shared Library with members of their Family Sharing group.
You can turn on automatic sharing in Settings to add photos directly from the camera to the Shared Library. Also, views in the Photos app can be switched between the Personal Library, the Shared Library, or both.
Sharing with family and friends
The creator has the power to remove a participant or delete the Shared Library at any time. In such cases, all participants are notified of the deletion. If a participant has been in the Shared Library for more than seven days, they receive all content from the Shared Library in their Personal Library. If they’ve been in the Shared Library for less than seven days, they receive only the content they contributed.
Participants can leave a Shared Library at any time and can choose to retain a copy of the Shared Library’s content or just what they contributed.
The iCloud Shared Photo Library feature is a great way to share photos and videos with your loved ones. It’s a convenient, fun, and easy-to-use feature that enhances the sharing experience on your iOS devices. If you would like to learn more about using iCloud with your iPhone, iPad or MacBook. It might be worth your while jumping over to the official Apple support website. Or booking an appointment with an Apple Genius Bar representative who will be up to help you solve your issue in person.
Filed Under: Apple, Guides, Top News
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