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Long-awaited iCloud Shared Photo Library feature launching with iOS 16.1

iCloud Shared Photo Library was one of the headlining features when Apple first showed off iOS 16. And even before that, something like it was a highly requested capability for years. Now after being delayed past the initial iOS 16 launch in September, the iOS 16.1 release candidate notes have revealed that the highly anticipated feature will be arriving on October 24.

iCloud Shared Photo Library goes beyond the Shared Albums feature that’s been available for years. It lets you automatically or manually share your photo library (part of it or the entire thing) and you can directly share from your camera with a new toggle in the Camera app.

Check out our hands-on coverage of how it works:

And here’s how Apple describes the functionality:

“iCloud Shared Photo Library gives families a new way to share photos seamlessly with a separate iCloud library that up to six users can collaborate on, contribute to, and enjoy. Users can choose to share existing photos from their personal libraries, or share based on a start date or people in the photos. 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.”

Keep in mind before you start inviting others to use the feature next week, you’ll want to make sure they’re running iOS 16.1.

Check out more on iOS 16.1 and iPadOS 16.1 below:

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Avatar for Michael Potuck Michael Potuck

Michael is an editor for 9to5Mac. Since joining in 2016 he has written more than 3,000 articles including breaking news, reviews, and detailed comparisons and tutorials.


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