See shared albums on iCloud.com?

I often work on a Windows 7 PC and sometimes like to see my iPhone's iOS documents via my browser pointing to icloud.com. When I click on the Photos button, however, there doesn't seem to be any way to see my shared albums. The 'albums' that I can see are only the albums local to my iPhone in my Photo Library, not the shared albums in iCloud.

I know I can go into Windows Explorer and click on 'iCloud Photos' and then click on 'Shared', and it does show me my shared albums. But I'd like to use my browser to see them. Any thoughts on this?

iPhone 5s, iOS 9.3.1

Posted on Jul 25, 2016 10:38 PM

Top-ranking reply

Beau1k

Level 1

33 points

Posted on Aug 14, 2017 9:53 AM

I think it'd ridiculous that I have to SEND MYSELF a link in order to view a shared album via web browser instead of being to access it from my iCloud account. Absolutely insane that we have to do a dumb workaround like this to see shared albums via browser. Why on earth isn't there a "shared album" folder under the Albums folder tree.

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20 replies

LACAllen

Level 8

43,584 points

Jul 26, 2016 1:42 PM in response to rick7

You're saying that even though I can view my shared album on my web browser, the shared album "feature" is not available.

Is that right?

No. It's not visible from within your iCloud.com account.

Shared albums are managed from within the Photos app. You can create and manage regular albums on icloud.com, but not shared albums.

The bottom line is, in order to manage, in whatever way you wish, Shared Albums, you do that in your Photos app, not from within your iCloud.com account.

LACAllen

Level 8

43,584 points

Aug 14, 2017 3:18 PM in response to Beau1k

Not sure a lot of people are asking for it to be automatic.

Control and security are likely why Apple does not make a public website for your photos by default. It is a choice you make for yourself.

vhall808

Level 1

10 points

Dec 25, 2017 7:49 AM in response to rick7

So the only way to share an album with a family member to view on via the web browser is to make the shared album public by creating a publicly accessible link. This would not require the user to identify themselves and quite frankly this is ridiculous.

I share a family photo share with family members, which at times some of them would prefer to view the share on another device via the web browser.

Obviously, I would want the family members and only the family members to view this shared photo album.

Not showing the shared photo albums in iCloud photos is short-sighted at best. The workaround is not a secure solution for protecting shared content.

LACAllen

Level 8

43,584 points

Sep 13, 2017 5:04 PM in response to Kenn19

is the real answer that is is due to security, or is it a nudge to get people to alter all their devices to be an apple that can then run the iPhoto app?

I have explained this three times. I hate to ruin a good conspiracy theory but...

When you send someone to a shared album it is not on YOUR iCloud space. It is hosted on free communal space offered to you by Apple.

So when you sign in to iCloud.com, your shared albums aren't there.

Beau1k

Level 1

33 points

Aug 14, 2017 11:53 AM in response to LACAllen

So...being that this is a feature that people obviously want...I mean it's on the phone...why wouldn't we want it on iCloud? Why do you think they don't just do this for us automatically?

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See shared albums on iCloud.com?