Starting in iOS 27, Apple says iCloud Shared Albums support full-resolution sharing, and friends and family can join and add their own photos on the web, even without an Apple Account or Apple device, with the album's photos counting toward the owner's iCloud storage (5 GB free). Albumer is a free photo sharing app for iPhone and Android where everyone invited adds their own full-size photos and videos from the same app on either phone, and every guest gets their own free account, with QR signs, a TV slideshow that updates live, digital frames, photo games and Walgreens prints built in.
Albumer and iCloud Shared Albums at a glance
| Albumer | iCloud Shared Albums | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Photo sharing app for groups and events | Shared albums built into the Photos app on iPhone, iPad and Mac, and on iCloud.com |
| On iPhone | Free Albumer app | Built into Photos. The newest Shared Albums features need iOS 27 or later |
| On Android | The same Albumer app, with the same features | For albums made in iOS 27 or later, Apple says people can join and add their own photos on the web, even without an Apple Account or Apple device. A verified email address is required to contribute |
| How people join | Invite by email, text, QR code or phone contacts, then they install the free app | Open the album link on an Apple or non-Apple device. The owner can approve people or let anyone with the link join |
| Photo size | Photos keep the size you took them at (an optional setting trades quality for more photos) | Albums made in iOS 27 or later keep photos and videos at full resolution. Albums made in iOS 26 or earlier reduce photos to 2048 pixels on the long edge. After an older album is upgraded, newly shared items are full resolution |
| Whose storage | Every guest gets their own free account with 5 GB | In iOS 27 albums, everything in an album you own, including what participants add, counts toward your iCloud storage |
| Free storage | 5 GB per account, with ads | 5 GB of free iCloud storage. iCloud+ starts at $0.99 a month for 50 GB |
| People per album | No guest cap to pay to lift, nothing to pay per event | Up to 100 participants, including the owner |
| Short-term albums | Albums do not expire as long as the account that holds the photos stays within its storage limit | Optional temporary albums: up to 5,000 photos and videos, no iCloud storage used, deleted after 30 days |
| QR code | Printable wall poster, table cards and tent cards in 8 themes | Copy the album link to send or post it |
| Photos on a TV | Live slideshow on any TV with a web browser. New photos appear as they arrive | Stream photos with AirPlay to Apple TV 4K or a compatible smart TV |
What changed in iOS 27
Apple's support pages describe a big update to Shared Albums starting in iOS 27, iPadOS 27 and macOS 27. New albums support full-resolution sharing, new filters and sorting, emoji reactions and new ways to invite people, including a link, access requests, and participants who can help manage the album. Apple says friends and family can join and contribute their own photos on the web, even without an Apple Account or Apple device, and its iCloud page says everyone, including people on Android or Windows devices, can add their own photos, videos and comments. To contribute, a verified email address is required.
Two details worth knowing. First, storage: photos and videos in iOS 27 shared albums are kept in their original formats at full resolution, and everything in an album you own, including what participants add, counts toward your iCloud storage. Temporary albums are the exception: they don't use iCloud storage, hold up to 5,000 photos and videos, and are deleted after 30 days. Second, older albums: albums made in iOS 26 or earlier stay the same until the owner upgrades them, and people on older software need to update or view the album on iCloud.com.
What iCloud Shared Albums do well
For iPhone, iPad and Mac users, Shared Albums are right there in the Photos app, with nothing extra to install. Signing in to an iPhone, iPad or Mac with your Apple Account gives you 5 GB of free iCloud storage to back up and sync your data across your devices, and iCloud+ adds more from $0.99 a month. Since iOS 27, albums keep photos at full resolution, people without an Apple device can take part on the web, and temporary albums make a quick 30-day share easy. If everyone in your group has an iPhone, a shared album is a natural place to start.
How Albumer works
Albumer is a free photo sharing app for iPhone and Android, made for the times many people take photos together: weddings, parties, birthdays, holidays and road trips. Make an album, then invite people by email, text, QR code or straight from your phone contacts. Everyone you invite adds their own photos and videos, and Albumer never shrinks them: they keep the dimensions they were taken at, whatever phone took them, unless you pick the setting that fits more photos at a lower quality. The app is the same on iPhone and Android, so a mixed group of phones gets the same album, the same features and the same experience.
Everyone gets the app, so the album keeps working
With Albumer, people install the free app for iPhone or Android to add photos. There is no browser upload, so let people know on your sign or invite that it's a quick free download. The upside: the album is on everyone's phone, every guest has their own free account, new photos show up for everyone as they land, and albums do not expire as long as the account that holds the photos stays within its storage limit.
When to use which
Pick iCloud Shared Albums if
- Most of your group uses iPhone, iPad or Mac and is on iOS 27 or later.
- You want to share from the Photos app you already use, with nothing to install.
- You have iCloud storage to spare, or a temporary 30-day album is all you need.
Pick Albumer if
- Your group mixes iPhone and Android, and you want everyone in the same app with the same features.
- You want every guest's full-size photos to use their own free account, not the host's storage.
- You want printed QR signs, a TV slideshow that fills up live, a digital frame like Aura or Skylight, or a home screen widget.
- You want photo games, journal pages, an audio guestbook and Walgreens prints from the same album, in English, Spanish or Portuguese.
Albumer Free, Basic and Premium
| Albumer Free | Albumer Basic (optional) | Albumer Premium (optional) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $0 | $9.99 a year | $29.99 a year |
| Storage | 5 GB per account | Up to 50 GB (about 25,000 photos) | Up to 200 GB (about 100,000 photos) |
| Videos | Clips up to 3 minutes each | Up to 5 GB each (about 35 minutes of HD) | Up to 5 GB each (about 35 minutes of HD) |
| Ads | With ads | No ads | No ads |
| Per-event fees | None | None | None |
Prices are US prices, and Basic and Premium storage sizes depend on your country. Every guest gets their own free account, so an event costs the host nothing: nothing to pay per event, no guest cap you have to pay to lift, and albums don't expire as long as the account that holds the photos stays within its storage limit. Basic and Premium are optional, for the account holder who wants more storage, longer videos and no ads. Subscriptions renew until you cancel.
More you can do with Albumer
- Cast to TV. Open join.albumer.com/tv on any TV with a web browser, type the code it shows into Albumer, and the album plays. New photos appear as they arrive, with no refresh needed.
- Printable QR signs. A wall poster, table cards or tent cards, in eight themes: Elegant, Party, Spooky, Classic, Floral, Rustic, Retro and Festive. Guests point a camera at the code and land in your album.
- Photo frames. Send an album to a digital frame that has its own email address, like Aura or Skylight. Whatever the people in that album add turns up on the frame.
- Home screen widget. Pick an album, and the widget scrolls through everyone's photos from it, updating every 20 to 30 minutes.
- Photo games. Send a photo as a jigsaw puzzle or a memory matching game, or play a photo scavenger hunt, Color Dash, Caption This or Photo Tic-Tac-Toe with a group.
- Journal pages and an audio guestbook. Write down what happened, comment and react on photos, and let people record a message out loud.
- Walgreens prints. Pick photos, choose sizes, order from the Walgreens nearest you inside the app, and pay at the store when you pick them up.
- Folders and duplicate detection. Organize an album into folders, and the same picture never lands twice.
- English, Spanish and Portuguese.
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- Albumer vs Google Photos Shared Albums
Frequently asked questions
Can Android users join an iCloud Shared Album?
Yes, for albums made in iOS 27 or later. Apple says friends and family can join and contribute their own photos on the web, even without an Apple Account or Apple device, by opening the album link. Apple also says a verified email address is required to contribute.
Are iCloud Shared Albums full resolution now?
Yes, for albums made in iOS 27, iPadOS 27 or macOS 27 or later, which Apple says keep photos and videos in their original formats at full resolution. Albums made in iOS 26 or earlier reduce photos to 2048 pixels on the long edge. After the owner upgrades an older album, newly shared photos and videos are in their original resolution.
Do iCloud Shared Albums use my iCloud storage?
In iOS 27 or later, yes. Apple says photos and videos in shared albums you own, including what participants add, count toward your iCloud storage. Temporary shared albums don't use iCloud storage, hold up to 5,000 photos and videos, and are deleted after 30 days. Albums made in iOS 26 or earlier don't count toward storage.
How many people can join an iCloud Shared Album?
Apple lists a maximum of 100 participants in a shared album, including the owner.
Do guests need to download Albumer?
Yes. To add photos, people install the free Albumer app for iPhone or Android and join the album from an invite or the QR code. There is no browser upload. Because everyone has the app, the album keeps working long after the event.
Is Albumer free?
Yes. Albumer Free costs $0, with 5 GB of storage per account, 3 minute video clips and ads, and every guest gets their own free account. Paid plans are optional and billed once a year: Albumer Basic is $9.99 a year for up to 50 GB and Albumer Premium is $29.99 a year for up to 200 GB (US prices, storage depends on your country). Both have videos up to 5 GB each and no ads.
iCloud details come from Apple Support (support.apple.com: How to use Shared Albums in Photos, Shared Albums limits, Upgrade your shared albums, Create a temporary shared album, Wirelessly stream videos and photos to Apple TV 4K or a smart TV) and apple.com/icloud, checked November 14, 2026. Prices and features can change, so check Apple's pages before you decide.
