Apple Announces New Features for Family Sharing, Including Shared iCloud Library

[MacRumors]

During WWDC 2022, Apple today announced new features and improvements to Family Sharing, including a long-awaited feature that lets families easily share photos and videos in the Shared Library.

As part of iOS 16, Apple is making it easier for parents to manage their kids' accounts, including adjusting age-appropriate restrictions and quick setup. With Quick Setup, simply put a new device near your iPhone to quickly and easily set up a new device for kids.

The biggest addition to Family Sharing in iOS 16 is iCloud Shared Photo Library, which gives families a new way to easily share photos and videos. In the Share Library, all edits, additions, and deletes are synced across all devices.

A user can also choose to send photos to the Shared Library automatically using a new toggle in the Camera app. Additionally, users will receive intelligent suggestions to share a photo that includes participants in the Shared Photo Library. Every user in the Shared Photo Library has access to add, delete, edit, or favorite the shared photos or videos, which will appear in each user's Memories and Featured Photos so that everyone can relive more complete family moments.

Article Link: Apple Announces New Features for Family Sharing, Including Shared iCloud Library

 

[_Spinn_]

Love the changes for managing child accounts!

 

[Deadeyeshark]

Was there any mention if setting up a Shared Photo Library means you lose more storage from iCloud (on top of storing the original photo in your normal library)

 

[trainwrecka]

I have been sharing a single iCloud account for photos, since they took this feature away years ago. Finally - we can use our personal accounts!

 

[Menel]

What is a pyot?

 

[Schtibbie]

About. Dang. Time. (The shared family album thing).

 

[kaardowiq]

Was there any mention if setting up a Shared Photo Library means you lose more storage from iCloud (on top of storing the original photo in your normal library)

Most important question. Currently we use shared albums where we’re more or less unlimited for photos

 

[GDF]

Awesome - finally photo sharing for families!

 

[james2538]

A user can also choose to send photos to the Shared Library automatically using a new toggle in the Camera app.

I foresee this feature getting people in trouble at some point

 

[DVDxR]

I foresee this feature getting people in trouble at some point 😂

Yep, I can see this feature being the start of quite a few TIFU (Today I F*ed Up) posts on reddit.

 

[eroyce]

We have been waiting for a proper shared photo library for so long. My wife just despises how things work today making her feel like a second class digital citizen whereas she never has the current photo library on her phone. Assuming they get the basic functionality right, this will make my life as the family computer guru so much easier.

 

[expectdelay]

including a long-awaited feature that lets families easily share photos and videos in the Shared Library.

I am VERY MUCH looking forward to this feature.

 

[Le Big Mac]

About. Dang. Time. (The shared family album thing).

Yeah, given it used to be doable on a home network.

Of course, I'm pretty confident it will be a debit against your shared family iCloud storage.

 

[cookiemonster89]

Finally a shared photos library. i am curious to find out how they manage it when eg i start to share the old vacations my wife already has on her phone. Where will this library be saved if you use two individual storage plans? Questions over questions.

 

[zecanard]

Was there any mention if setting up a Shared Photo Library means you lose more storage from iCloud (on top of storing the original photo in your normal library)

Highly doubtful. This requires shared iCloud+ storage in a family plan, the photos in the shared library are the same photos that you took in your personal library, and they are all stored in a single iCloud+ storage bucket.

 

[klasma]

What is a pyot?

A magpie: https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/pyot

I always wanted to share those with family members!

 

[svish]

Good improvements to Family sharing. Also everyone will be able to have equal access rights!

 

[profdraper]

Two things I now realise from this time-wasting process of simply wanting to share my photo library with my wife via iCloud:

• Unless family memers' iPhones are sycing Photos to iCloud, none of this will work. Dodgy cashgrab eh? This requires Cloud backup of all family phones, hence more storage. Yes I have shared my 50GB iCloud+ storage with her, but that's really not the point. Clearly it fills up quickly & clearly there is no good reason for her to do this, simply to share MY photos library & she already syncs & backs up to her Mac Air.
• After all this, there is NO way to share My Albums organisation of those photos - all those dated & labelled 'My Albums' cannot be seen by her, or even veiwed in iCloud 'Shared Libraries'. Completely useless, this was the ONLY reason to share my photos. This is also not mentioned by Apple in any of the setup instructions or marketing lit. Unsurprising. All my wife can do is scrolll though thousands of uncategorised photos.

So unless you understand these two caveats that Apple do not identify, then don't do it & don't pay for this nothingburger: i) ALL your phones must be usiing iCloud storage and ii) Shared My Albums does not work.