Set up a shared family album in an app everyone already has, like Google Photos or iCloud Photos, invite family members with a simple shared link, and agree on one or two easy ground rules so people actually keep adding photos to it instead of letting it go quiet.
What you need
- An account in a photo app that supports shared albums (Google Photos and iCloud Photos both do)
- A list of family members to invite, and their email addresses or phone numbers
- A couple of agreed ground rules, such as what counts as worth adding
Pick an app everyone can access
Pick an app most of the family can access easily — if the family is a mix of Android and iPhone users, Google Photos works across both, while iCloud shared albums work best if most people are on iPhone. Decide together on one or two simple ground rules in advance, such as ‘anyone can add photos, but let’s keep it to actual family moments rather than every single shot’, so the album stays useful rather than overwhelming.
How to set up the shared album
- Open your chosen photo app and find the option to create a new shared album.
- Name the album clearly, such as ‘Smith Family Photos’, so everyone knows what it’s for.
- Add a starter batch of photos yourself, so the album isn’t empty when you invite people.
- Invite family members using their email address or phone number, or by sharing a join link through a messaging app.
- Send a short message alongside the invite explaining the one or two ground rules you agreed on.
- Check back after a week or two to see whether people are actually adding photos, and send a friendly reminder if the album has gone quiet.
Check everyone can see and add photos
Confirm that invited family members can actually see and add to the album, not just view it, by asking one person to test adding a photo. Check the album after a couple of weeks to see whether it is actually being used, since a shared album only helps if people keep it active.
If someone can’t access the album
If some family members are not comfortable with technology, it may help to have one person on hand to talk them through joining the album the first time, rather than relying on written instructions alone. If the album goes quiet after the initial enthusiasm, a simple approach that works well is prompting it after specific events (a birthday, a trip) rather than expecting people to add photos randomly.
Next step
Once your shared family album is active, it becomes the natural place to keep track of which photos have been shared with which relatives, since everyone is contributing to and viewing the same collection.
Sources and date checked
Researched from Google Photos’ and Apple iCloud’s own published shared album documentation, not a hands-on test performed for this article. Date checked: 22 September 2026.