Control who sees photos in an iPhone shared album.

Quick answer: In Settings, confirm Shared Albums is on only when you use the feature. Create albums with named invitees instead of a broad link when you can. On iOS 26, open the album’s participant list to remove subscribers, turn off Participants Can Add Photos if only you should post, and leave Public Website off unless you intend to publish the album to the web. Remember that anyone who saved an item keeps their own copy.

Turn Shared Albums on only when you need them

1. Open Settings, tap your name, then tap iCloud.
2. Tap Photos, scroll down, and turn Shared Albums on or off.

Apple’s Shared Albums overview explains that Shared Albums use iCloud and that you sign in with the same Apple Account on devices where you want to create or view them. Turning the setting off stops new shared-album activity; it does not by itself recall photos someone already saved from an album you shared earlier.

Create an album with a short invite list (iOS 26)

1. In Photos, tap Collections, scroll to Shared Albums, then tap Shared Albums.
2. Tap the add button, name the album, and choose starting photos or videos if you want.
3. Invite specific contacts or type an email address or iMessage phone number, then tap Done and Create.

On newer software, Apple also documents link-based invites, access requests, and temporary albums in the same guide. If your iPhone shows Sharing Options or Copy Album Link, treat a copied link like a password: anyone who receives it may be able to view or request access depending on the options you chose.

Limit who can add or manage photos

1. Open a shared album you created, tap the More button, then tap the album name.
2. Review the participant list. Tap a person to change permissions or remove them.
3. Turn off Participants Can Add Photos if subscribers should only view and comment.

Apple’s participant guide describes permission levels such as view and comment, add photos, or manage the album. Apple’s Photos sharing safety guide notes that organizers can turn off subscriber posting so only the owner adds items. Removing a subscriber stops future access through that album, but it does not delete copies they already saved to their library.

Keep Public Website off for private albums

1. Open a shared album you created, tap More, then tap Shared Album Details.
2. Leave Public Website off unless you deliberately want the album visible in a web browser without an Apple Account.

Apple states that turning on Public Website publishes photos to a site that anyone can view in an up-to-date browser. That setting is separate from inviting named subscribers. If you already enabled it, turn it off in the same details screen and review who still has subscriber access.

Remove someone or delete the whole album

1. To remove one person: open the album, tap More, tap the album name, tap the participant, then tap Remove Subscriber.
2. To end sharing entirely: open the album, tap More, tap Delete Shared Album, then confirm.

Apple warns that deleting a shared album removes it from your devices and subscribers’ devices and permanently deletes the album’s photos. Save anything you need in your personal library first. Items subscribers already saved with Save Image or Save Video can remain in their Photos library even after you delete the album or stop sharing.

Before you add sensitive photos

• Shared Albums are a sharing feature, not a hidden or encrypted vault. Items you add are visible to every current subscriber (and to the public site if that option is on).
• An iCloud Shared Photo Library is a separate shared collection in Photos: items you move there are visible to every participant, which is a different boundary than subscriber-only Shared Albums.
• Hiding a photo in your personal library or locking the Photos app does not remove copies already posted to a shared album. See how Apple’s Hidden collection works and how app lock differs from file privacy.
• Importing into a separate encrypted vault does not remove the source from Photos or from albums where you already shared it. Read what happens to the original after import before you delete anything.
• For one-to-one transfers, review AirDrop and share-sheet limits and location metadata before sharing.

Ego is in development for iPhone; its public App Store release has not launched. When available, it is designed as separate device-encrypted vaults that do not replace or sync with Apple Shared Albums. Saving or exporting out of an unlocked vault is intended to require explicit confirmation because the copy leaves Ego’s encryption. Read current product and availability details; do not assume vault items stay out of Photos if you share them through Apple’s tools afterward.