Apple Delays iCloud Shared Photo Library Feature for iOS 16

[MacRumors]

Apple appears to have delayed its new iCloud Shared Photo Library feature for iOS 16, which is scheduled to be officially released on Monday, September 12.

In iOS 16, currently still in beta, Apple has introduced an iCloud Shared Photo Library that aims to make it easer to share photos with your friends and family.

With the new ‌iCloud‌ Shared Photo Library in ‌iOS 16‌, a new option in the Photos app lets you create a shared library and then invite anyone with an Apple device to view the photos, contribute photos to the library, and edit the photos contained within it, including favoriting images and adding captions. There are no limitations, and all participants have the same permissions.

However, in a footnote at the bottom of its iPhone 14 press release, Apple says "iCloud Shared Photo Library will be available in a future software update." It therefore looks like the new Photos iCloud feature will not make it to the first official version of iOS 16. We'll update this article if we learn more.

Article Link: Apple Delays iCloud Shared Photo Library Feature for iOS 16

 

[jambon]

It's always the iCloud-related features that get delayed!

 

[noraa]

My guess is it’ll be released once iPadOS 16.1 and macOS Ventura is released. Otherwise you’ll have a shared library on your iPhone that you can’t access anywhere else.

 

[cookiemonster89]

Makes sense otherwise the support would get a ton of calls like where are all my photos on my iPad or Mac?

 

[nutmac]

If I were to venture a guess, Apple wants to roll out iCloud Shared Photo Library with macOS 13 Venture and iPadOS 16.1 release. The feature is a bit wonky if it's exclusive to iPhones.

Having said that, in my testing experience, the feature is very stable.

 

[spook]

I like to share my albums with family, not sure I’d want to give them edit ability

 

[JackieTreehorn]

Why upgrade to a new iOS and iPhone before January in the next year?

 

[lordhamster]

Damn. I was ready to get rid of Google Photos. Only reason I use it is because of the Partner Sharing feature which lets my wife and I share a common Photo library.

 

[Futurix]

I still don't understand what this is for!

 

[cflem]

I still don't understand what this is for!

crazy people... can you imagine if you accidentally sent something you shouldn't send... to your KIDS.

stuff happens...

nope.

 

[djtech42]

My guess is it’ll be released once iPadOS 16.1 and macOS Ventura is released. Otherwise you’ll have a shared library on your iPhone that you can’t access anywhere else.

I'm worried I won't be able to access my current shared library on any device if I update my iPhone (that's on beta 8) to the release candidate. I'm thinking that I will have to prevent it from updating until 16.1 comes out.

 

[zorinlynx]

This is an interesting announcement, because it's still there in the settings in the RC which I just upgraded to. Unless they plan to release another GM to remove it, or do it in final.

 

[djtech42]

This is an interesting announcement, because it's still there in the settings in the RC which I just upgraded to. Unless they plan to release another GM to remove it, or do it in final.

I wonder how they are going to handle shared libraries that are already out in the wild (like mine). On my mac that isn't on a beta, I can't access any of the photos that are in the shared library, and I assume that would be the case on final iOS 16.0. (in which case I don't have any access anymore until 16.1)

 

[zorinlynx]

I wonder how they are going to handle shared libraries that are already out in the wild (like mine). On my mac that isn't on a beta, I can't access any of the photos that are in the shared library, and I assume that would be the case on final iOS 16.0. (in which case I don't have any access anymore until 16.1)

I never enabled the feature, but I just realized it's possible that they'll leave it there for people who ran the betas, just for situations like yours.

 

[uberman15]

crazy people... can you imagine if you accidentally sent something you shouldn't send... to your KIDS.

stuff happens...

nope.

Can you imagine that they let you limit the shared library to just you and your partner?!

 

[bowens]

I still don't understand what this is for!

I've been waiting on this feature for years. Never understood why it wasn't available before.

 

[TimFL1]

I‘ll check with my SO‘s device (first time iOS 16 RC install) to verify whether it still shows for all iOS 16 devices or if it‘s just showing for people who ran the betas (whether they used the feature or not, because I never used it and it‘s still showing as available here).

 

[uberman15]

I still don't understand what this is for!

So you and your spouse have a common place to store and edit photos of your vacations and your kids.

 

[raha613]

I‘ll check with my SO‘s device (first time iOS 16 RC install) to verify whether it still shows for all iOS 16 devices or if it‘s just showing for people who ran the betas (whether they used the feature or not, because I never used it and it‘s still showing as available here).

Please do! My phone is about to update and this is making me super nervous.

 

[TimFL1]

Please do! My phone is about to update and this is making me super nervous.

She doesn't have access to the feature on her iPhone.

Probably delayed until all device types have their major update (iPad & Mac) so there's no confusion for the average Apple user out there.

 

[Zyphrax]

Honestly iCloud Shared Photo Library could have been a great feature. But for some insane reason they don’t support albums in the shared library.

Why is it so hard for Apple to come up with a solution to share my vacation photos with my family? I don’t one long stream of photos or a random folder list that I individually share. Just albums!

My solution now is Google Photos, but I’d prefer to have it all on Apple

 

[TimFL1]

Honestly iCloud Shared Photo Library could have been a great feature. But for some insane reason they don’t support albums in the shared library.

Why is it so hard for Apple to come up with a solution to share my vacation photos with my family? I don’t one long stream of photos or a random folder list that I individually share. Just albums!

My solution now is Google Photos, but I’d prefer to have it all on Apple

There is Shared Albums you can use for that. Been using said feature for years to share vacation photos with my family.

 

[raha613]

She doesn't have access to the feature on her iPhone.

Probably delayed until all device types have their major update (iPad & Mac) so there's no confusion for the average Apple user out there.

Did she have the previous beta and had joined the library before you just updated?

 

[TimFL1]

Did she have the previous beta and had joined the library before you just updated?

No she never had the beta nor took part in any shared library.

I on the other hand had the betas, never set up a shared library but can still see the option and start the setup assistant.

I assume users with beta builds were flagged to keep the feature in case they moved stuff over to shared libraries.

 

[raha613]

No she never had the beta nor took part in any shared library.

I on the other hand had the betas, never set up a shared library but can still see the option and start the setup assistant.

I assume users with beta builds were flagged to keep the feature in case they moved stuff over to shared libraries.

Thats good news.. I'm going to update 🤞