What Happens to Photos When You Remove Someone From a Shared Library
They lose access to the Shared Library, but Apple says removed people can copy all its items to their Personal Library. Anything they copy stays theirs. Removing someone does not take back photos they already kept.
Get an email when Cryptile is on the App Store
What do I need to know?
- The creator decides. Apple says the creator can remove participants, or delete the library, at any time.
- Removed people can copy first. Apple says they can copy all the items in the Shared Library to their Personal Library.
- Shared albums work differently. When you stop sharing an album, Apple says access to it and its contents is removed.
What does Apple say happens?
Apple's sharing settings page says a creator can remove participants "at any time". It says removed people can copy "all of the items in the Shared Library" to their own library.
Apple does not say there that you can block the copy. Treat anything shared as something others may have kept.
Who can do what in a Shared Library?
Apple's Shared Library page says you can share with up to five other people. "All participants can add, edit, and delete content in the Shared Library."
That means a photo you added can be edited or deleted by others. The creator provides the iCloud storage.
What should I check before I remove someone?
- Look at what is in the library. Anything private should not be there.
- Check hidden items. Hiding a Shared Library photo moves it to the Hidden album for all participants, who can view or unhide it.
- Decide what to move. Keep private photos in your Personal Library or in a vault app.
What about a shared album?
Apple says that when you stop sharing, "their access to the shared album and its contents is removed". This is a different feature from the Shared Library, and the copy rule above is for the library.
What this doesn't protect against
Removing someone cannot undo a copy they already made, and it cannot stop a screenshot. Cryptile does not manage your Shared Library. A pattern shorter than a passphrase is weaker, so use 8 or more cells. If you lose the pattern and the recovery phrase, the vault is gone.
Do it with Cryptile
Photos kept in Cryptile are not part of any Shared Library. They are AES-256-GCM ciphertext, with no account and no server, and the developer never holds your keys.