With iCloud Shared Photo Library in iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 (as well as macOS Ventura), you can create and share a separate photo library among up to six family members.
You can choose to share all of their existing photos from their personal libraries, or share based on a start date or people in the photos. To help keep their Shared Library up to date, you’ll receive intelligent suggestions to share relevant photo moments that include participants in the library and any other people they choose.
You can choose what to include based on a start date or the people in the photos. Once the Shared Photo Library is set up, you can share photos manually or get smart suggestions for adding photos to the shared library in a new For Your Shared Library sidebar item.
How to implement an iCloud Shared Photo Library on your iPhone or iPad
To set up an iCloud Shared Photo Library, launch the app, choose Settings, then Shared Library.
° Go to Settings > Photos, then tap Shared Library.
° Choose up to five people to invite, or you can invite participants later.
° 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, and invite additional participants.
After picking the folks you wish to share with, you can choose to move which items to move to the Shared Library. You can choose from: All My Photos and Videos; Choose By People or Date; or Choose Manually. There’s also an option to “Move Photos Later.”
Once your photos and videos are are added, you can preview the library before it’s shared. If its looks good, you can proceed to invite more participants using the macOS Messages app or a shared link.
Everyone will have equal permissions for adding, editing, and deleting photos in the shared library. Favorites, captions, and keywords sync across your Macs, iPhones, and iPads — though it may take a little time to do so. The syncing isn’t always instantaneous.
To Join a Shared Library on an iPhone or iPad
Open the invitation from the library creator or go to Settings > Photos.
° Tap Accept & Continue.
° Follow the onscreen steps to choose photos and videos you want to move to your Shared Library, or choose to move photos later.
° Follow the onscreen steps to preview your Shared Library content and confirm the content that you want to share.
To use a Shared Library
In Settings on your iPhone or iPad, you can turn on automatic sharing to add photos straight from the camera to your Shared Library. In the Photos app, you can switch views between your Personal Library, the Shared Library, or both at the same time.
Share photos straight from the camera on your iPhone or iPad
° Go to Settings > Photos, then tap Shared Library. Tap Sharing from Camera and make sure it’s turned on.
° To have the Camera app add photos to your Shared Library automatically when you’re near participants, choose Share Automatically.
° To choose when to have the Camera app add photos to your Shared Library, choose Share Manually.
° To automatically share photos taken at home to the Shared Library, choose Share When At Home.
° In the Camera app, to send photos and videos straight to your Shared Library, make sure that the Shared Library button is turned on. To send photos and videos to your Personal Library, tap to turn it off.
To Switch between your Personal Library and Shared Library on your iPhone or iPad
° Open the Photos app.
° At the top of the Albums or Library tabs, tap the button next to Select in the upper right.
° Choose Personal Library, Shared Library, or Both Libraries.
To Leave a Shared Library
If you created an iCloud Shared Photo Library, you can remove a participant or delete the Shared Library at any time. After you delete the Shared Library, all participants receive a notification.
If a participant has been in the Shared Library for more than seven days, they automatically receive everything 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 photos and videos that they contributed.
If you’re a participant, you can leave a Shared Library at any time. You can choose to receive a copy of everything from the Shared Library in your Personal Library, or just what you contributed.
(This how-to is based on my experiences and info on Apple’s support pages.)
