Who Can See Your iCloud Shared Album Photos?
Everyone in the album can see every photo in it. If the album is shared by link, anyone with the link may get in, depending on your settings. Apple can too: Shared Albums are not end-to-end encrypted, even with Advanced Data Protection on.
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What do I need to know?
- Participants see everything. Anyone in the album can view, and usually save, every photo in it.
- Links travel. In iOS 27 an album can be shared by link, and people without an Apple Account can join on the web.
- Apple holds the keys. Apple says Shared Albums do not support Advanced Data Protection.
Who can see a shared album?
- The people you invited. They see every photo and video, and can add their own unless you stop them.
- Anyone with the link, if you allow it. In iOS 27 the owner chooses in Sharing Options whether people need approval. Apple's article on Shared Albums explains the options.
- Anyone with the web address, for older albums. In iOS 26 and earlier, Public Website publishes the album to a website that anyone can see. Apple's personal safety guide says anyone with the URL can view and download it.
- Apple. Apple's iCloud data security overview says the keys for Shared Albums are uploaded to Apple's data centres. The content is not end-to-end encrypted, even with Advanced Data Protection.
How do I see who is in an album?
In iOS 27, open a shared album you created and tap the Manage Shared Album button. The participants are listed there. In iOS 26, tap the More button, then the album's name.
How do I lock a shared album down?
These steps follow Apple's Shared Albums article.
Remove someone (iOS 27):
- Open the shared album you created.
- Tap the Manage Shared Album button.
- Tap the person, then tap Remove Participant.
Remove someone (iOS 26):
- Open the shared album and tap the More button.
- Tap the album's name.
- Tap the person, then tap Remove Subscriber.
Stop strangers joining: in iOS 27, check Sharing Options and require approval for anyone with the link. Approve or decline requests from the notification or from Invitations and Access Requests.
Turn off the public website: for albums made in iOS 26 or earlier, open the album's details and turn off Public Website.
Delete the album: open it, tap More, then Delete Shared Album. Apple says this removes it from every participant's device and permanently deletes its photos, so save anything you want first.
Can people keep photos after I remove them?
Removing someone stops their access to the album. It cannot undo what they already saved to their own library. Treat every photo you put in a shared album as a copy you have handed over.
What should I share instead?
Share only photos you would be fine with anyone in the album keeping. For anything private, keep it out of shared albums.
Our page on whether Apple can see your iCloud photos covers the rest of iCloud Photos.
What this doesn't protect against
No setting removes copies people already saved or screenshotted. Advanced Data Protection does not cover Shared Albums. An encrypted vault keeps photos private on your phone, but it cannot control a photo once you send it to someone else.
Do it with Cryptile
Keep private photos in Cryptile, outside your library and away from any shared album. There is no account and no server.
Cryptile is free for up to 2 vaults, 100 photos and 10 videos. Plus removes the limits and adds the panic pattern and search inside the vault, for $19.99 a year (7-day free trial) or $39.99 once. Shared vaults are coming and are not available yet.