How to Accept a Shared Album Invite on iPhone

Tap the Accept option in the notification; you can only join a shared album from an invite

By
Sam Costello
Sam Costello
Sam Costello
Writer
  • Ithaca College
Sam Costello has been writing about tech since 2000. His writing has appeared in publications such as CNN.com, PC World, InfoWord, and many others.
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Published on December 14, 2022

What to Know

  • To accept a shared album invitation, tap notification > For You > Accept.
  • To leave a shared album, go to Photos > For You > album > person icon > Unsubscribe > Unsubscribe.

This article explains how to accept a shared album invitation on the iPhone. You can create shared albums yourself, but to enjoy those created by other people, you have to accept an invitation.

How to Accept a Shared Album Invitation on iPhone

Ready to accept an invitation to join a shared photo album on iPhone? Just follow these steps:

You need to have Shared Albums enabled in your Photos settings at Settings > Photos > Shared Albums to accept invitations.

  1. After the owner of the album sends you the invitation, a notification should appear on your screen or in Notification Center. Once it does, tap it.

  2. If the notification doesn't appear, tap the Photos app.

    Depending on your notification settings, you may see a badge on the Photos app icon when there's a pending invitation.

  3. If you're not taken to it right away, tap For You.

  4. The shared album invitation is explained here. Tap Accept to join the album.

    iPhone with photo album notification, badge, and accept highlighted

  5. The shared album is added to the top of the screen. Tap the name of the album to view its photos.

  6. All of the photos in the album are displayed here. Depending on the settings of the album, you may be able to add your own photos to it by tapping the +.

    iPhone Shared Album with album name and "add" highlighted

Once you've accepted a share album invitation, you can control how you see the photos in the album. Tap ... and the menu gives you options including Sort, Filters (to see only photos or videos), to see where all photos were taken on a map, or to play the photos as a slideshow, among other choices.

How to Leave a Shared Photo Album on iPhone

If you've decided you no longer want to be part of a shared album, you can leave the album by following these steps:

  1. Tap Photos.

  2. Tap For You.

  3. Tap the album you want to leave.

  4. Tap the person icon (or ... > Shared Album Details).

    iPhone with Photos app, For You, and person icon highlighted

  5. Tap Unsubscribe.

  6. In the confirmation pop-up, tap Unsubscribe.

    iPhone shared photo album with Unsubscribe highlighted on two screens

Don't want to leave a shared album, but are annoyed by notifications when new photos or other changes are made? You can turn off notifications for an album by going to the album > person icon > moving the Notifications slider to off/white.

FAQ
  • How do I create a shared album on iPhone?

    To create a shared album on iPhone, you must first go to Settings > name > iCloud > Photos and enable Shared Albums. Then, in Photos, go to the Album tab and tap Add (+). Name the album, choose the contacts you want to share with, and tap Create.

  • How do I save shared photos to an album on iPhone?

    To save shared photos to your iPhone, select the photo and tap the Share icon. Tap Save Image. You can also choose to use the image as wallpaper, share it with someone else, or print it.

  • How do I delete a shared album on iPhone?

    To delete a shared album on iPhone, open the album and tap the person icon. Tap Delete Shared Album. The album will also be removed from your other devices. All its photos will be permanently deleted, so ensure you save any photos you want.

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